Blowers are an example of the ingenuity of prisoners of war. Made from bits and pieces that the men found in their camps, they were used for heating up food. They went through many modifications, beginning quite simply and developing into marvels of engineering-some even with ball bearings to make the wheel turn more smoothly.
Hear John Parfitt describing the use of blowers (or read a transcript of this interview).
'The efficiency of these gadgets as they evolved, became quite remarkable. Present-day T.V. advertisements claim that the latest electric kettle can boil a cup of water in thirty seconds. Any P.O.W. "blower" worth its salt, fifty years ago, would boil a quart billy in that time or less, fuelled by only handful of charcoal.
"Blower" races became a popular sport in some camps, with front runners usually being heavily backed on the side, in cigarettes. There were usually two divisions on the program:� (a) starting up and brewing from ignition (matches were scarce) and (b) the sprint, with billy being put on a fully fired blower. The races were, of course, brief, but quite spirited.'
From article: 'Cooking Behind Barbed Wire: The Evolution of Prison Camp Cookers'
