Three patchwork quilts, made by British women held in Japanese internment camps are on show in Bristol from this week.

The quilts were used by the women during the Second World War to send coded messages to their husbands.

They are part of an exhibition at a Bristol museum marking the 60th anniversary of the spread of World War II to the Far East.

Held at the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum near Temple Meads Station, the exhibition tells the story of British civilians held captive.

The quilts are the centrepiece of the collection. They were made by the women of the notorious Changi jail after the fall of Singapore.

The "British quilt" and its signs of hope

Dr Bernice Archer has researched the remarkable story behind the quilts.

"After the fall of Singapore things were so chaotic, with people being evacuated and killed, that by the time men and women were interned many woman had no idea if their husbands had survived, " she said.

Two women in the Changi camp decided to do something about this and came up with a plan to let their menfolk know they were okay.

Any women who wanted to send a message to a neighbouring men's prisoner of war camp, were invited to take a 6" square of rice sacking, sign it and put a little personal detail on it to inspire hope.

And in a clever move to make the quilts acceptable to their captors, one of the three quilts on display in Bristol was filled with Japanese emblems such as a Japanese garden and a rising sun.

The "Japanese" quilt complete with rising sun emblem

"They knew if they did this kind of quilt it would encourage the Japanese to send it over to the POW's hospital and the women would get their message across," said Dr Archer.

"The messages did get through and it cheered the men up enormously."

The exhibition is called "A Patchwork of Internment" and runs until December.

The British Commonwealth and Empire Museum is also appealing for memorabilia for a different exhibition.

Local people are being asked to donate pictures, medals, uniforms or pamphlets for an exhibition called Together -The Commonwealth at War, a photographic exhibition on loan from the Imperial War Museum.

It commemorates the forgotten soldiers of the Commonwealth who fought for Britain in both World Wars.

The exhibition is on at the same time as A patchwork of Internment and also runs until December.