The following is a transcript of the Diary of Capt John Douglas Hope Scrivener whilst he was a prisoner of the Japanese in Sandakan in 1942 and Kuching in 1945.

The transcript has been copied line for line, page for page in order to make comparison with the original easier.

There are a number of instances where the hand-writing has been difficult to read and in most instances these are shown in red type.

In most instances, spelling has also been left as written.

If further corrections are made, I would appreciate an updated copy.

Geoff Dare P O Box 113 Mulgrave Vic 3170 Ph: 0417 593 001 email: [email protected]

Diary of Captain J D H Scrivener VX45178

Front Cover

This book remains the property of Capt. J. D. W. Scrivener VX45178

Please forward to

Mrs R Scrivener 223 Highfield Rd Burwood E13 Victoria Australia

Memo Book

2 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM Pancakes Coconut Biscuits

Mix up a batter of Flour 25 lbs Rice Flour Salt ½ lb Salt Dripping 4 lbs Yeast Make paste & cut to size Let stand for 6 hr put teaspoonful of grated Fry with little fat coconut & pinch of sugar on top of biscuit.

Yeast Mixture Biscuits 2 small handful of Rice 1 tablespoon of Rice 3 parts rice flour 1 tablespoon of Flour 1 part plain flour ½ cubic inch Yam Pinch of salt Run rice into beer bottle Sugar to taste dry, mix sugar or flour Equal quantities of milk and to paste, pour into bottle water to make paste. Now place in yam & add warm water to fill bottle let stand for 24 hours. Rice Porridge

Ground Rice boiled in Yeast Salt water (1 salt – 6 (?)

Boil one lb rice in two gallons of water. Keep Pastry for Pasties adding water to maintain 2 gall. When starchy strain ½ lb Plain flour off rice & let cool. 1 lb Rice Place in container add 2 tablespoons of fat, salt ½ lb sugar & ½ lb wheat flour. Boil up & keep stirring all the time. Put Fish or Meat Pasties into yeast container & add ½ moderate sized yam & one ½ tin of 5 lbs ground rice pineapple. 5 lbs plain flour When raising stir well & issue 2 lbs fat 2 1 top /3 leaving bottom /3 for ...... 1 teaspoon of salt Grate into dough, press ¼″ x 4″ squares. Put in Fish or meat ‘filling’ & Bake makes 180.

3 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM Rice Roasting Changi Pie (125)

Cook rice & wash until all grains separate – 5½ lb Flour Brown in an oven or on a hot plate constantly 2½ lb Rice Flour stirring. Result – a crisp breakfast food with a 1 pint yeast nut brown flavour. 1 lb margarine 2 oz salt

Pasties for 130 Roll thin

Flour & fat for paste 4 tins of M & V (meat & Vegetables?) mixed Rice Croquettes (125) with cooked rice. Flavour to taste. 14 lb rice 8 tins meat 1 lb fat Selerang Scone (60) Roll & bake on greasy tray

4 lbs cooked rice 1 lb grated coconut Bread (72) ½ lb sugar salt to taste 20 lbs Rice flour mix together, bind with flour & fry in fat 8 lbs plain flour ½ gal yeast Mix all well altogether Salmon Rissoles (2 per man 150) Roll into shape Put into tins 14 tins of herrings or salmon Do not knead a second time 1 (layer) of cooked rice Bake 50 mins flour to bind Let stand 5 hrs for yeast to work bake or fry in small quantities with fat or oil.

Cheese Biscuits Sweet white sauce (125 m) Add cheese to mixture 2 lbs rice flour 2 gal starch water off rice ½ lb sugar Coconut Biscuits 2 Tins of milk Make up to 5 gals with water. Add grated coconut

Filling for pies etc

For every 1 lb of salmon add 6 lb of cooked rice

4 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM Syrup of Cochinalla soothing coughs & throats. Ear Ache (children) 3 drops of Glycerine or Glycerine Corbel acid ______

Changi

7 Jul 42

Victorian Addresses

J. Glyn White 3A Mount Ida Ave Hawthorn E3 Melbourne ______

Hedley F Summons McCartney Ave Kew E4 ______

Mrs J D Rosson C/- Mrs Stuart 21 Welsford St Shepparton Vict ______

Batman E G Hodgson to 52 York St Lt Col Summons Richmond

5 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM Lt Col L J Byrne 27 Provincial Rd Lindfield NSW ______

Capt W J Harper 2 Dolley Av Vaucluse NSW ______

Capt J E Dillon 12 Loreley Court 18 Bay St Croydon NSW ______

Capt L Jackson Gympie Rd Chermside Brisbane Q ______

6 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM The Syonan Times 25 Nov 42

Survey of 3 Battles of Solomon Is from Aug 7 – Nov 14

U.S.A. ______

Sunk Hvy Ly Hvy D Total Damaged Damaged or Damaged Battleships 1 1 3 - 5 A/craft Carriers 4 2 2 - 8

Cruisers 27 5 - - 32 Destroyers 20 7 - 3 30 Submarines 9 1 - - 10 Sweepers 1 1 - - 2

Types ...... - - - 830 Planes 3 3 Transports 17 6 - - 23 Total 79 23 5 6 113

Nippon

Battleships 1 1 - - 2

A/craft Carriers - 1 2 - 3 Cruisers 3 1 1 2 7 Destroyers 6 1 2 0 9 Submarines 1 - 1 - 2

Transports 5 10 2 206 Planes - 17 Total 16 13 (sic) 6 (sic) 3 (sic) 40

7 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM Rec’d 27 Feb 42 at BANDONG By Lt Col M C Russell H. Q. JAVA

V156 N/E SYDNEY 163 35 27 1510 btc. b stn a.n.k. b.d.a.

N/E. Major General Gordon Bennett Java

Your fellow members of Masonic Club send you Greetings & heartiest congratulations on your gallant effort & wonderful escape stop the Toast to our next happy meeting. Sneddon Secretary

Rec’d. BANDONG 27 Feb 42

Actual cable seen by me on or about 14 Oct 42 at Kuching P.O.W. Camp.

8 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (Page 1)

Re Rations H .Q. A.I.F. (P.O.W.) Changi M64 A.A. Q.M.G. A.I.F. 24 Mar 42

Herewith copy of original report by Med. Diet. Committee On “Rations Approved by Japanese being for A.I.F. Prisoners of War”. This was submitted by G.O.C. A.I.F. to G.O.C. Malay. Comd. who forwarded it to the Japanese Authorities with a covering letter recommending approval. It is pointed out that not only had the additional items of Diet No. 1 (sic) (Not?) been provided but A.I.F. is not receiving items already promised in quantities indicated. These deficiencies are considered very serious from the point of view of maintenance of Health & even life itself & it is not a matter to be handled only by the Medical Service but it is & always has been a matter for concern and action if possible by those officers ultimately responsible for the well being of all P.O.W.’s It is strongly urged that every officer in your Dept & every officer in the A.S.C. responsible for supplies should make a close study of the details set out in the report & obtain a thorough grip of these implications. For this purpose I enclose copies for C.A.S.C. & C.R.E. (Aust. Rep. on Central Comm) Sgd. A. P. Derham Col.

Report on Rations approved by I.J.A. for Australian Prisoners of War

It is considered that the amount of nutritic required by the average Australian Soldier to permit of life maintenance of health & the performance of moderate work is between 2800 – 3000 calories & that the diet should contain at least 100 gms of protein. In order to avoid beri-beri scurvy, plague, extra supplies of vitamins are necessary to supplement with native Malayan fruits, pineapples banana etc also flavouring agents required to help men eat their Rice Ration. curry etc.

9 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (Page 2)

Australian Ration P.O.W. Ration I.J.A. CARBS CARBS FOOD QTY PROT FAT CALORIES FOOD QTY PROT FAT CALORIES gms gms PRES 12 ozs 90 54 846 RICE 1.1023 395 40 1740 MEAT MEAT FRESH 16 ozs 100 50 800 .11023 12.5 7.5 117 OR FISH BREAD 16 ozs 265 45 10 1330 FLOUR .11023 .40 160 POTATOES 12 72 7.2 317 VEGS .22046 .6 1 28 VEG.(F) 12 21.6 3.6 101 MILK .033069 1.65 1.35 1.5 24 SUGAR 2 60 40 SUGAR .040093 20 80 BACON 2 9.6 30 308 OIL .011023 - 5 45 CHEESE 2 1 14 18 222 TEA .011023 - BUTTER 2 0.6 52 470 SALT .011023 - 16.65 JAM 2 45 180 TOTAL 462.65 54.46 14. 2296. Op. C.MILK 2 35 5 6 206 In making the above calculations it was assumed that the meat SALT - supplied would be tinned meat & that the vegetables would average TEA - 10% of Carbs. COFFEE - TOTAL 41631/ 175 3 488 170 4220 gms or 4167 or 185 The above scale was augmented in Jan ’40 by an extra allowance which included at least 8 oz of orange or pineapple juice or the equivalent per week.

10 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (Page 3)

Food Values of Vegetables

Nutritive value of food depends on its chemical composition. Main constituent are:- water, mineral matter, fat, fibre carbohydrate & vitamins – Mineral matter includes calcium, phosphorus magnesium iron etc.

Water Strictly Speaking water has no substantive value but must be consumed with food & drink in order to sustain life.

Mineral Matter Calcium & phosphorus formation of bone & teeth, others help in maintaining the acidity & alkalinity of body fluids. In general mineral content of fresh vegetables is from 0.5% to 1.5% Values of ground nut (Peanut) dried peas & beans between 2% - 4 % . The following are rich in mineral matter Parsley 2.2% cress 2.2% Kangkong 1.9% On the whole vegs good source of minerals.

Calcium Vitamin D necessary for the proper utilization of calcium & phosphorus maintenance requirement of calcium per day per adult ½ gm (cheese etc)

Phosphorus Human requirements 1 gm per day. Veg poor source – soya beans 0.96 ground nut 1.08.

Iron Lack of this causes nutritional anaemia daily requirements. 0.01 gms

Magnesium Little known of requirements, affects heart kidneys – muscles – highest in Soya Beans .25 potatoes 0.42

Fats To provide energy, vegetables negligible source of fats, generally not more than 1%, exceptions ground nuts 47%; & dried soya bean 16%

Fibre Indigestible portion of food needed to provide roughage to stimulate bowels.

11 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (Page 4)

Protein Term stands for group of nitrogenous substance that are necessary for body building and replacement of tissue due to ‘wear & tear’ of body Minimum daily requirement 1 gm of protein per kilo of body weight (ie 2 oz per person 130 lbs) The protein molecule is composed of some 20 different smaller units called, amino acids. It is known that protein from animals sources are better than protein from vegetable sources. Thus in making up a balanced diet it is necessary to supplement vegetable proteins with animal. Ground nut Lima bean & peas rich in protein 20 – 40 % dry weight. Root vegetables poor source of supply.

Carbohydrates Mainly starch & sugar make up greater proportion of human diet. Among vegetables, are roots & tubers re yams & tuber all 10 – 20% Carbos Ariel maize 72% pigeon pea 64.5% Lima Bean 49% Soya bean 27%.

Calories Energy obtained from “burning of foodstuffs in the body is measured in terms of units called calories. This is the amount of heat required to raise the heat of 1 kilogram (1 quart) of water by 1oC. Average daily requirement of adult employed in normal labour 3000 calories.

Vitamins “A” Night blindness early symptoms of Vit “A” deficiency – general eye trouble. “A” is not present in vegetable as such until taken into animal body. Carrots, green leafy vegetables.

“B” This is known as “Thiamine – Beri Beri due to lack of Vegs poor source except Ground Nuts Soya yeast good.

“C” Lack of “C” (ascorbic acid) will lead to scurvy plenty in green vegetables, oranges & pineapples & most fruit.

12 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM Dinner to be partaken of by G.N.S.C. & J.D.H.S. at first Australian or otherwise port of call on the way home providing first port is neither Sydney or Melbourne.

We worked this meal out while in Kuching Goal.

Prawn Cocktail Sherry Bristol cream Hock ______Creme of Asparagus Soup ______Grilled Fillets of Flounder & Oyster Sauce ______Savoury Minced Rump Steak & Ham Claret in casserole with poached egg. ______Bomb Champagne ______Grilled mushrooms on toast ______Steamed Capon & Boiled Pickle Pork Champagne Green Peas – French Beans – Kidney Potatoes ______Bomb(?) Mint Freeze ______Roast saddle of lamb (mint Pesto) Roast Potatoes – Butter Beans – Cauliflower. ______Strawberry Ice Cream (whole fruit & cream) ______Avocado Pear & French Mayonnaise ______Devilled Kidneys & bacon on toast. Old Brandy ______(Horndale)

13 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM WINES ______DRY SHERRY HARDYS “FLORFINO”} SEPPELTS “SOLERO” } } HOCK } WHITE CHABLIS } WINES SAUTURNE QUELTHALER } ______

BURGUNDY QUELTHALER } RED CLARET ″ } WINES FONTINAC HARDYS } ______

SWEET PORT HARDYS “GOLD LABEL” ″ YALUMBA “FOUR CROWN” ″ SEPPELTS “ROYAL RESERVE PARA” ______

MUSCATEL WOODLEYS WINES LTD “KAROOMA” FONTINAC SHERRY ______

SPARKLING RONALDO AULDANA WINES LTD HOCKS BURGUNDY ______

GARANTEED SOBERER UP EVEN CHRONIC CASES

2 ozs LIQUOR AMMONIUM ACETATE FORTE, IN 1 PINT OF WATER. IF THROWN REPEAT DOSE ______

ACCORDING TO THAT OLD ROVE MAJOR RAYSON A.A.M.C. IT’S NEVER KNOWN TO FAIL. ______

PIPES 1ST CALL A DUNHILL SECOND

Mrs C Tootles C/o McKenzie Allen & Co. Friend GNSE

14 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM BOOKS

How Music Grew Orchids on your Budget Lies (Studderd Kennedy) Mens Exercises (Hornbrook) The Shakespeare County (Showell) Guilty Men (Cato) Indian Curries Soups etc (Cecilia Peel) (Pub. W. Thacker & Co, 2 Creed Lane London) The further side of silence (Hugh Clifford) Gouffe′ The Royal Cookery Book. Publishers Sampson Low Marston & Co 188 Fleet St E L The Meaning of Maths (Brodesky) Treatise of the Gods (Mencken) Science of Life (H. G. Wells) Cassell & Co Pictorial Education (Montgomery Bros) Moffatts Bible Childrens Encyclopedia (Arthur Mee) ″ Bible ″ Pears Encyclopedia The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám double with “Salaman & Absal” Grimms Fairy Tales Gullivers Travels Elbert Hubbard's Scrap Book The Importance of Living (Lin Yutang)

15 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM “Our British Empire” Stephen Peacock

16 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM Utilities

ELECTRIC WASHING MACHINE ″ MIX MASTER ″ FAN LARGE THERMOS FLASKS TAILORS SHEARS NAIL SECETEURS GARDEN ″ OIL STONE IRON PLANE CHISELS ¼″ ½″ ¾″ 1″ BRACE & BITS GOUGES FILES    ▬ SET OF RING SPANNERS LARDING NEEDLE SMALL PEN KNIFE LARGE MINCING MACHINE AND GRISTER FISH SAUCEPAN & BASKET SAW WOOD BENCH & VYCE

17 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM Nov 21 42

Received I.J.A. Pay $67/50 for Sept Oct Nov

$60 per month deducted for Board & lodgings $40 ″ ″ deferred pay ? $22.50 ″ ″ actual money to be reserved from Pay Master $2.00 ″ ″ contributions to Red Cross Rep who is not paid by I.J.A.

DATE CURRENCY AMOUNT WHERE REMARKS RECD ISSUED JUN JUL J $ 9.75 SINGAPORE

16 Aug 42 J $ 0.38 SANDAKAN

22 Nov 42 J $ 67.50 KUCHING $6:00 to R. Wilson. Red Cross Rep. who is not paid by I.J.A. Less 6.00 Food prices Eggs 10 Tin Fish .65 coconut 61.50 ₡. ₡. oil .30₡ . Little sugar $1.00 a kati

12 Dec 42 J $ 11.25 KUCHING $1.00 to Red Cross Rep. Less 1.00 10.25

23 Dec 42 J $ 22.50 KUCHING $2.00 to Red Cross Rep. Less 2.00 20.50

23 Jan 43 J $ 22.50 KUCHING $2.00 to Red Cross Rep. Charity $5.00 Less 2.00 20.50

20 Feb 43 J $ 22.50 KUCHING $2.00 to Red Cross Rep. Less 2.00 20.50

20 Mar 43 J $ 22.50 KUCHING $2.00 to Red Cross Rep. Charity $2.50 Less 2.00 20.50

28 Apl J $ 12.50 KUCHING Charity $5.00

18 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM

19 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM BC

R.A.F. bombed Coastal France Calais Dunkirk Paris bombed Jap Paper “Hocho” German People anxiously awaiting Meeting – Hitler presses on Swiss (Bern) Burma not so good. Jap Med Forces outside Lesitir Sth Burma. Brit done fairly well.

Philippines Jap reinforcements on island

RAAF raided Lea & Dutch Timor

11 Transports sunk off Pt Moresby

America Roosevelt thinks 3 days to clean up this area

Russia Static

Singapore New (C)

28th April Flying Fort. flew over

Japs in Burma Hard to reinforce from here onward to (Gerithi) N. Malaya

Canada 2000 P.O.W. in Hong Kong badly in need of Fare only rice & soup

K. G. E. still maintain W. G. & J. I. T. in our hands fighting in Java

Gen Phill Burns Unwell. Generally critical

Corridgain Seaview (?) still fighting

Wont.

20 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM Sunday 15 Feb 42. And the question flits around, will we be blown off the face of the earth or will they allow us to surrender. The afternoon’s bombardment was particularly heavy & we took that as Nippons answer to our white flag. But it was just their final smash what we hadn’t taken into consideration was the 1 ½ hours difference in our times! The Japanese were working on Tokio time. The order came “cease fire,” but defend your lives if necessary. Lights could again be used on transport it was rather weird to see lighted vehicles again automatically voices shorted “Put out that light.

It was a case of sort yourself out at Tanglin & those of us who had been sent up to the front line were joyfully welcome back by the remainder. The first evidence of the P.O.W. complex then became manifest, some of the men labouring under the delusion that as POWs rank was automatically abolished however it survives in the minority the majority remained sane & were vastly relived to be still alive.

Tanglin Barracks had received rather a battering DV H.Q. having been located there for the past four days so we started to clean up & bed down.

A few Japanese were now evident & they took such of our vehicles as they required.

On Tuesday 17 Feb 42 we received our orders to move to Changi Barracks situated in the W.E. corner of the island. At 1645 hrs Nippon time we started out. Officers & men carrying on their backs what would be their sole possessions a blanket, ground sheet change’s of clothing eating utensils & toiletry items.

21 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM Escaped Sandakan

July 11 Shelley, Allan, Jacka, T Harrington

Recaptured Aug 8

Sentenced Kutching Nov 4, ‘42

No 1 Coy Shelley J N 5 Years Burrawa NSW Allen E A 5 Years “Arlington House” Rancora Rural via Parramatta Jacka M E 4 years Balaclava, Sth Aust Harrington J J 4 years Elmwood, Whorouly via Wangaratta

No 2 Coy Trackson H R 4 years Carr M J 4 years

Dr Spurr H J Missing in Action, Jurong Road, 15/2/42 “ Dowley E P H “ “ “ “ “ Ellershaw C E “ “ “ “ “ Innis L F Killed in Action Jurong Rd

22 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (2)

In the confusion of the final days men lost their packs & possessions so the haves gave to the have nots & with 2 days tinned rations we started the weary 20 mile march.

Halts were frequent, unfortunately as it made the march very tedious & the display of Japanese flags from numerous houses gave us a little idea of the number of sympathisers our conqueror had & somewhat explained the sniping that occurred in Singapore. However we were grateful to the natives who came out with buckets of water to relieve our parched throats. The water had been turned on again after being cut off for several days by our foreman one of the contributing causes of the capitulation.

Four ambulances followed the 15000 diggers to pick up the stragglers so naturally we could afford very few stragglers & as we didn’t know the temper of our captors we gave the men strict instructions to make the journey even on their hands & knees as we couldn’t guarantee the safety of those who fell by the way.

So we wound our way through the streets of Singapore moving wearily around shell holes bomb craters & fallen overhead wires and holding on with difficulty to the undigested portion of our meal when the overpowering stench of decaying death assailed our nostrils. Shells & bombs play havoc alike with civilian soldier & animal life & the good healthy smell of a long defunct water buffalo was much preferable to what drifted over to us from the unfortunates who had collected their issue during the last couple of days & then left this unattended.

23 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM Mens Kits

2 shirts (1 long sleeve) 2 shorts 1 pair long trousers 1 blanket or great coat - 8 1 cape or groundsheet 1 mosquito net (if possible) 1 Hat 1 Boots 1 Sand shoes ______

Men will take for 3 pairs of sox -20 ______

1 Officer 50 1330 hrs 2 days rations to be drawn From D of D ______

Kits properly labelled Fill water bottles O’laughlin

24 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (3)

Still we plodded on prisoners with no one guarding us, very few Japanese soldiers were to be seen although enough to know they were about.

Darkness overtook us & the order came back to eat but unfortunately it was followed too quickly by “Forward” & so munching a good old army biscuit (Arnots free advt) we continued.

Each mile post is now being eagerly scanned we turn left at the 13th someone sights the 11th but unfortunately he mixed up his Roman figures & it turned out to be the 9th, we still maintain he added 2 miles on to our journey. Plod! Plod! Plod! halt on, halt, on, 3 halts in a mile the men are getting harder to get on their feet again & tempers are not the best. At last the 13th M.P. & the guides says round here boys, another 10 minutes and then hot tea. Tea Lord our last meal was midday & now its past midnight & the thought of tea guides our steps & we count the minutes off but it was just another latrinogram & the ten minutes lengthens into half an hour & still no sign of tea.

At last barrack buildings & we call unit our units name & then wonder should we go right or left, we choose right and were wrong had we gone left 200 yds away was the long coveted tea. By this time the limit of endurance had been reached so we gave the order to halt for the night telling the men to get out of their sweat soaked shorts & shirts & to sleep raw in their blankets Dawn broke & pangs of hunger asserted.

25 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (4) itself, so we located our billet and settled in.

The Changi barracks cover a wide area with 3 main barrack blocks Roberts, Kitchener & The Gordons with the Officers quarters we were allotted 2 of the officers bungalows rather nice concrete two story affairs with a large room 50 x 25 sort of lounge-dining room and servery downstairs & 3 rooms 25 x 25 less bathrooms etc upstairs & we had to put 200 men in each house. The sanitary arrangements & the kitchens caused some concern and also water the scorched earth policy had been carried out pretty thoroughly & the pumps destroyed & no water. Luckily, the swimming pool was full & for some days we used it for cooking & drinking & washed the body and clothes in water from the drains, these drains always had fresh water running from them & we later discovered that they were connected with the underground Agriculture pipes. All drains in Malaya by the way are open a practise I believe common in the East, the covered drain being considered an excellent breading place by all the best of rats. Incidentally the same drains though smelly saved many a life during the battle being nice & deep & excellent improvisley (sic) our Raid trenches. My first wash at Changi was in 2 galls of very dirty water in a delightful porcelain bath & even

26 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (5) if I didn’t smell cleaner, I certainly felt cleaner.

One of the reserve M/T Coy still had possession of their transport & we borrowed a shovel or two & all the minor engineering works under the Army heading of Sanitation and Hygiene. We even got the water diviner to work & he predicted water at 45 feet but later when digging a borehole latrine we struck it at 18 ft through clay & again at 6 ft in fact it became quite a nuisance you see the planter puts down a 20 ft borehole latrine for every 10 natives living on the estate & it lasts 18 months & then is rested 18 months so two holes do 10 persons indefinitely but our trouble was 200 per house it looked like more boreholes than bomb holes & there was enough of these. However we decided on 10 holes 5 working & 5 resting & providing you use no disinfectants & you have at least 2 ft of water in the bottom the septic action is quite good, but we couldn’t take water so we poured some down & later it rained. That started underground springs and filled up the holes to within 2 ft of the top & it was weeks before we got them down again. Kitchens & cooking called for a lot of ingenuity but believe me the old 44 gal drum makes an

27 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (6) excellent Aldershot oven, our final effort was a masterpiece, we had at least 18 inches of packed clay all around the drum securely framed in & roofed but between the top of the clay & the roof was sufficient room for wood drying etc, & great was the service we received from that oven. We had to declare what rations we had & when they were finished the Japanese scale of rations came into being Rice 1.1023 lbs Cigarettes 40 per month Meat .11023 ″ Toilet Paper 100 sheets ″ Flour .11023 ″ later substituted for Vegs .22046 old copies of American Milk .033069 lls newspapers. Sugar .044092 lbs Salt .011023 ″ Tea .011023 ″ Frying Oil .011023

Enough to keep body & soul together & nils apart providing you got it, something always seemed to run out. Our HQ told us that there was two months rations & we were expected to be self supporting at the end of that time. So it was a case of dig to live but unfortunately, the white man is not particularly interested in growing anything except rubber and nobody knew where to purchase seed from. At last a seed merchant was discovered and he unloaded the seed of the ages & a good profit to himself but about a 5% return to the gardeners! Don’t ever believe this business of planting a seed & stepping aside as it springs up, not in the Changi region.

28 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (7) region anyway. The results after 3 months are distinctly disappointing & much manuring is required. Meals were a big problem & the work put in by various cooks in preparing different concoctions & cakes out of rice was deserving of the highest praise, we found a small family rice grinder & made rice porridge & that started the vogue for building rice grinders & many & varied were the result & the field bakery got its ovens built & turned out an excellent bread of which the ration was 1 slice per man per day & not a tin loaf either. We experimented with part rice & part wheat flour with home brew yeast and eventually made up quite a nice loaf of which we were able to issue one per man per day, using 12 oz tins as containers.

Breakfast consisted of a huge plate of rice porridge lunch more rice with some sort of vegetable or sweet gravy over it & tea some rice a rice pasty & bread with tea without sugar or milk for each meal. The rice pasties were good & paste made of rice and wheat flour filled with rice flavoured with herrings or bully beef (about 4 tins per 100 men) I’ll never forget the day we scored some mustard it just made those pasties cooked into them. We all agreed that the baked rice custard mother used to make was brintja (good) but then mother used eggs, butter & plenty of milk, but 17 ozs of rice with 1.7 ozs of meat well I’ll leave it to you.

29 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (8)

We often tortured ourselves properly by ordering our first meal home & I think the winning snack while waiting for a decent meal to be prepared was a mixed grill consisting of, a very large platter on which reposed a small portion of steak (say ¾ lbs.) flanked by 2 lamb chops a couple of porked sausages, kidneys done to a turn with strips of bacon, now on the steak say two fried eggs, & scattered around was tomatoes and mushrooms with the whole to be in a frame work of glorious golden crisp chip potatoes flanked by a piled plate of hot buttered toast and a quart pot of coffee, we all considered that by the time we got through that the main meal would have been cooked to a turn. A man is largely governed by his stomach when its full his thoughts turn, ... well in the army they do at any rate, but when its full of rice well as one of the lads remarked, if Cleopatra walked through the camp followed by a waiter with a decent steak on a plate poor Cleo would not be noticed, at least not until the steak had been consumed. Fortunately, we had a small stack of tinned rations to eke out the rice diet. Changing over from hard rations to rice which was sloppy had a very adverse effect on the system & diarrhoea & dysentery appear with very weakening effects on those concerned.

30 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (9)

The trouble being we had nothing to build up the invalids with after they had recovered from their bout. The Japanese were now taking batches into Singapore for working parties, as we thought for a week or two but to date only the sick have been returned to us. Those of the working parties received a slightly higher ration & were paid a few cents a day & had access to canteens so were able to supplement their rations. On the whole as long as they believed they were treated very decently by the Japanese, but several shrewd heads got their just deserts besides making things a trifle uncomfortable for the rest. Furphies of course were rife & then came the news of an overseas party, which rumour had it that an exchange of prisoners had been arranged, logically reasoning couldn’t quite decide where we had been able to capture sufficient for the purposes of exchange, anyway 3000 left on 15 May destination unknown, but speculation rife. Rumours then that we were to be allowed to write home but after 3½ months one despairs of even this. If only we could have been certain our folks at home knew we were alive we would have felt a wee bit more contented. Our after Xmas parcels which were lying in the G.P.O. eventually found their way to the Japanese wounded in Singapore. I hope it did them good. Several times we had to parade for inspection by the I. J. A. I. J. N. & the I. J. Admin.

31 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM

Blatcham Dried fish paste (looks like & smells like it)

June 17th Worthy of special note the canteen functioned, we were paid $7.50 of which $3.50 went to Regimental Funds & the menu was as follows.

Breakfast Rice Porridge 2 boiled eggs & toast (Toast 1 round of our rice bread no butter)

Lunch Mint Weed Soup Rice & Sardines (large) Rice biscuits

Dinner? Yeast Cocktail Green Soup Whitebait Rissoles Slice of Bread Tea

“Dreaming of my darling love of thee”

At last someone has assessed my true market value $7.50 a month plus contributions to hospital.

Hospital patients are not paid. As an Officer I’m valued at 25₡ a day my worthy N.C.O’s at 15₡ and my man at 10₡ & rumour hath it the dollar is now only valued at ½′ , verily ones pride suffers.

20 June 42 One letter card per prisoner with 6 printed lines allowed.

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The Beach Market came into being, the usual enterprising few risking much in the way of penalties went out under the wire, which we had by the way to erect ourselves & bought from the natives stocks of tinned Army Food, which had been looted or shall we say ‘minded’ by them. Of course the prices were in proportion with the risk & a tin of Condensed Milk cost $3.00 (8/9) & the much despised Herrings & Sauce $2.50 (7/3) a 12 oz tin of jam (7/3) and so on so you see it was literally, eating money.

Some of us supplemented our rations this way and eight of us used to have a tin a day. Usually with the midday meal 8 to a tin of herrings or bully beef:- One thing about rice it absorbs flavour & makes a good base for a meal. Breakfast dinner or tea had disappeared Rice Meal 1 – 2 – 3 being substituted.

H Q disliked the Black Market intensely and made strenuous efforts to stamp it out, contending among other things that it was ridiculous to buy back Army Stores, I afraid that its impossible to keep a hungry man away from food & though piquets were instituted to patrol certain areas the market just slipped around the corner, anyway tonight’s piquet was tomorrows customers, so what the hell.

One of the tasks given us was to wire ourselves in, first we had to root up the wire from the beach defences & put a double apron with 3 rolls of concertina around ourselves. after inspecting same our captors pronounced themselves pleased with the job & they gave us the job of placing sentry’s on all inter boundary gates. The whole of the area being divided into units. 18 Div Area, 11 IND Div. Southern Area (Malaya Comd 3 IND Corp)

33 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (11) and A.I.F. Area & each of these areas were wired in while the Japanese had thrown wire right across the point we were on

It was in between these different areas that we had to maintain 24 hr guards & flags and armbands were provided to conduct parties from one area to another. On the roads in between these areas, usually one found a Gipp guard whom one had to Eyes Right or Salute as the case may be or else —

Prisoners had to salute all captors irrespective the rank of captor & to take the starch out of the officers we had to take down all badges of rank and in place wear a pip on the left breast, like the Star of the East. They were very courteous in returning all salutes even when riding bicycles but if you forgot to salute then look out, because the old face got severely slapped, rather humiliating what! None of us objected to paying the necessary compliments to those who beat us in the fight, but to salute renegades hurt, but these things keep, the Indians have much pride and long memories.

22 June 42 Who wrote “Stone walls don’t a prison make or iron bars a cage” maybe he was right but they are awful retaining. My present residence would grace Toorak, Originally 200 of us occupied it but now we are down to 84 the rest having been absorbed in working parties Singapore & Pulua Bukum & the overseas (July 15) party. What a furore the overseas party caused the local prophet or soothsayer gazing into his rice bowl or what have you stated that they were the first of a batch to be exchanged for other prisoners held at home. Timor was the half-way house the balance were to follow.

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Shortly & the sick & wounded were to be sent straight home. Much money (against pay books) was laid one way or the other & heated grew the arguments. I wonder how long it will be, before the questioned is answered “where did they go”, Cambodia Korea & Formosa were suggested and an occasional Rangoon, it was at this time Rangoon was in Japanese hands. A spot of reconstruction work was suggested. So you see its rumour & counter rumour & the futility of our present existence is rather irksome certainly the view is good the climate delightful & healthy the British certainly know where to establish Base Camps, but oh for the wings of a bird. How often our thoughts fly homewards, have those lists of prisoners arrived home yet, do the loved ones know we are alive. It’s really surprising that we had so few casualty seeing the amount of scrap iron that “flew through air” especially the last few days of The “Battle of Singapore”. One bright spot is the Letter card we were allowed per gracious Permission of the Imperial Japanese Administrator.

Darling Rosa, Prisoner conditions satisfactory, I am still as well as ever not so heavy take care of yourself & the children. Put your trust in God. Regards to family All My love Doug.

Four & half months of letter writing condensed To six lines, almost back to my pre-war standard of letter writing. If the cards get home we all hope some mention will be made over the air and it perchance will filter through to us & ease our minds.

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Smoking is a problem, we are issued 10 per week and needless to say, they just aggravate one, the Black Market supply “Boong” cigarettes, packets of 20, original price 5₡ = 10, 10₡ = 20, for 75₡ and Very strong they are too. Now our glorious canteen is selling cigarettes at 1₡ per cigarette “Boong” cigarettes are native type & the quality can be assessed when one usually buys 20 for 3½d but they are a God send here, the more prosperous of all ranks indulge in cheroots at 4₡ each they look all the world like broken down book markers. I can assure you that not a butt is to be found throughout the area. Who was it said “There ain’t goin’ to be no core”.

Out concert party, gave a “Review” this Week 26 Jun 42 rather risqué & rather good we have some fine performers. (Female Impersonator) Jack Wood (R.K.O. London etc) Frank Rich (Wood) (Melbourne) Jack Smith Comedian Fraser Fred Trotter Baritone

All together they have put on some good shows 3 nights weekly in the Main Camp & once a week in the Hospital area, damn fine shows, and goodness knows where they get the dresses etc. Many a good mess but good to make

36 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (14) us a change of character. The female impersonator Jack Wood is splendid so good in fact that so many of us would like to hang around back stage. We have a good orchestra, 1 Portable Organ, 1 P/Accordion, 3 Trumpets, 2 Clarinets, 1 Sax, 1 Drummer, 1 Fiddle, Maestro Eric Beattie wields the Fiddle bow cum baton nearly forgot to include 1 Banjo, where the instruments came from Lord alone know probably from the same place as the news.

July 7 Standby for Overseas Working Party Leaving July 8 destination unknown, wild Surmisure as to where. Bit of a blow because I’d arranged for my birthday party Jul 10. It was only to be a tin of fish for dinner or perhaps a yeast cocktail but it was my birthday. So we had it Jul 7. Then luck was in Frank. H. from Singapore brought me in a few purchases of food. So we had ¾ of a tin of pineapple cubes each & then the doctor (Capt Speirs) turned on a flask, of brandy, four of us into a small flask Oh! Boy! You could feel it doing you good all the way down. To finish all off I had a glorious cold bath ¾ filled the bath, don’t sneer! We had only allowed ourselves 6 inches of water before & who knew when we would get another bath.

July 8 Off to Singapore 40 men to each 3 ton truck, 24 trucks moved 1000 men believe it or not. It was quite an adventure 14 miles to the wharves & seeing women and children for the first time for 5 months.

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The ravages of warfare had been fairly well obliterated, but where rows of houses & shops had been wrecked there were still the same though tidy. Arriving at the wharves we sighted several small cargo vessels and presumed that we were to go aboard them. We were soon disillusioned however because we were put upon one of them only the “YUBAE MARU” between 3-4000 tons. 1500 of us were crowded on board 350 in No1 hold 650 in No 2 & the balance 500 in No 3 hold abaft the binnacle, I don’t think any further comment is necessary remember we were in the Tropics The sanitary accommodation was simply small huts build on deck 1 stander & 3 sitters about 5 ft height in each into a trough which was hosed out 3 times daily, there were 4 of these, 2 forward & 2 aft. The food was tinned rice & vegetable stew 3 times a day and we prevailed upon the crew to allow us to hose the men down when we hosed the decks.

We were 10 days on the trip & none of us had a change of clothing during the whole of the voyage “Ever your best friends etc”, we called into Mirri for a couple of days anchored out from the shore, the night when the ship was not moving were just purgatory as you can well imagine. Our beds were mats placed on the iron decks of the hold & we used a lifebelt for a pillow it certainly made one appreciated the comfort

38 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (16) of a good hardwood floor as a bed. Next we arrived at SANDAKAN Borneo & were off loaded & marched on to the local Padang and gazed at curiously, the place fairly bristled with guards, ringed around at 10 paces interval & a trifle apprehensive we thought. That night we slept 1000 strong in the R.C. school & I enjoyed a cold shower, but still no change of clothing as our packs were down the hold of the ship.

July18 We marched 7 or 8 miles to our prison camp. I just made it & went down for a couple of days with a severe attack of the flu, this was the first cold or flu since the old Q.M. days on the trip to Malay, so it fairly knocked me over. I was not alone, quite a few of the boys were effected only to be expected after our incarceration in the ‘Altmark’ your pardon ‘Yubae Maru’, we were all certain that a few more days on that pleasure cruise would have caused serious sickness to break out with resultant deaths. However our semi starvation diet for 5 months at Changi stood us well & on the whole the behaviour of the troops was marvellous, the usual rats of course were present lounging around for scraps their pals soon put them in their place.

So this is to be our new home ABACA Sandakan Borneo presumably put up by us for internees, but the briter bit, slightly enlarged to hold us & wire, wire everywhere, Majors 6 to a cubicle Other officers 10 to a cubicle ‘18’ x ‘18’ approx. So we slept 5 aside on the raised sloping platform with a grass sleeping mat ¼” thick under us & our own blanket on bedding either over or under according to the weather.

39 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (17) should be very easy to run our accommodation House in the East you can always pack another one in providing you have a mat for them to sleep on. I could sleep on the top of fence comfortably now. I was then at Changi down 17lbs (10.2) but my shorts are now finding it very difficult to hang on my hips. The food situation we sincerely hope improves. At present 1500 feed from one kitchen, so all the rice is popped into a huge drum, the tea into another and the “goose gobble” ie vegetables dried fish or bully beef (30 12 oz tins) & occasional fresh fish are popped into the third. On paper this looks good, but try it 3 times a day & then have you ever smelt eastern sun dried fish. I used to positively shrink away from it in the shops, never ever thinking I’d be lining up at the trough for it. My wants at present are not great just a saveloy & roll will do, I’ll even say thank you for watered sauce.

July 25 Saturday & we had quite a dinner. The canteen functioned for the first time here, our share for 5 of us, one coconut one pomols (sort of grapefruit) 3 mandarines & 5 bananas. For dinner we had ½ a coconut between us & a banana each. It was goose gobble stew and rice followed by rice & grated coconut banana & a little golden syrup (as a special treat & the usual cup of sugarless & milkless tea, finished off with 5 of us dividing a mandarine between us. For supper Len Jackson & myself demanded our 2/5 of Pomolo (about size of rock melon) and both voted it, the finest we had tasted.

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From the sample of fruit we have had today, we are convinced that fruit of Borneo has more flavour than that of Malaya. To prevent any dissension all portions of fruit are divided & then the cards cut for them, highest takes the biggest. This sounds peculiar perhaps, but have you every had to exist on rice, three times a day for any period of time, it doesn’t bring out the best in one, “but thank God for a sense of humour!”

Our guards loftily munch bananas and toss the skins away, they were handing out the remains of their meal, rice & curried chicken etc at the gate, one hates to see fellow countrymen more or less scrambling for crumbs, so we arranged to have such food sent to our camp hospital, these together with a few eggs the Red Cross purchased making a welcome change of diet for the patients.

Our carpenters finished the operating table, out of old bits of building material, and are now concentrating on a dental chair. Our water from taps has been declared unfit for human consumption, so we catch rain water off the roof to fill our water bottles. It rains every other night. So ends our first week in Sandakan & on Monday I believe we start building the new airport, a three year job, so our prison commandant has informed us & we have been told to settle down & make ourselves comfortable for a long time. Now I wonder?

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July 28 My first appearance with the working party, pushing a road out in the direction of the proposed aerodrome, I became a ganger in charge of 50 men armed with picks shovels and shangkols (hoe) with baskets in lieu of barrows. The amount of work done would have broken the heart of any contractor but then one doesn’t aid the enemy & secondly on the existing rations 100 gms vegs 50 gms fish or meat & about 1 lb rice per day, sustained efforts are impossible.

As I was out on the officers agriculture party swinging a shangkol the next day, I am qualified to make the above statement all I got out of it was an empty feeling in the stomach and badly blistered hands.

July 31 Was my big day I take charge for the day of the initial working party of 200 of The Sandakan Aerodrome Construction Coy Unlimited. The British evidently had the idea and had done a bit of preliminary clearing, we have the balance to do. The Japanese estimate 3 years work, we estimate 30 years with the tools available. No mechanical devices at present available & no petrol etc to operate them even if present a good time was had by all at MIRI & the factory there is in operation.

Arrived back in camp 1750 & all was bubbling & seething a number of men had broken for the bush 6 from our Bn 4 of whom from my Coy. So today we have been counted & checked and addressed by our guard commander. If the food doesn’t improve a lot more will go as the lads say better to take a chance in the jungle than starve to death slowly in the camp. Our first death occurred yesterday (gastric ulcer burst). Strong representation have been made to the Japanese, & here’s hoping something will come of it.

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Under the terms of our capitulation, the officers were left in charge of their own men to administer & discipline by our army rules which do not allow the death penalty, where as the opponents rules contains much of it but we had to guarantee correct parade stats at certain times each day & notify them if any one was missing. This put a lot of the men against us, their contention being we should shield them. On the whole the thinking ones are quite satisfied with the arrangements because we act as a buffer between them & any officious guards particularly on working parties, on occasions we have to take a firm stand to prevent them being bullied & over worked.

Under the Hague Convention we officers would have reasonable conditions being segregated & paid with no work or responsibility. Under these conditions we have the same quarters as the OR’s the same food & have to go out & work if we are to receive any money, the highest rate of pay being 35 cents a day now that the dollar is valued at the same rate as the yen this works out at 6d sixpence (one of these days)

Aug 1 The first improvement in the food arrived rather ludicrous 33 tins of M & V to go into the vegetable stew for 1500 men work that out for yourself, plus 1 coconut to every six men the nuts at least give your teeth something to bite on to beside containing a lot of fats etc. The much despised coconut is not fully appreciated in Australia. A lot of food value forsooth. Then again so has a good beef steak. Ever the weavils in the rice

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Arrested in Sandakan 8 men escaped from and taken to Kuching by Ship Sandakan but were recaptured 10 days no wash Major Campbell & myself were 25 days no shower blamed for their escape & taken 35 days no smoke or shoes with them to Kuching for 48 days 1 Kit Japanese Court Martial

44 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (21) go down providing of course they are not too obvious.

I have had 3 days of ‘drome construction’ and am absolutely b______d being No. 1 ganger I have to follow the head man around & he walks the legs off me he forgets he’s on full rations.

Herewith is a good recipe for a tasty vegetable stew. Take quantities of Beans Egg fruit Sweet potatoes leaves and what have you add a melon or two. Wash and slice leave on skins. Boil for hours or till you think to look at it & thicken with flour. Serve with rice.

To vary add chopped up dried fish of ancient Vintage being careful that all heads fins tails etc are not wasted. It adds to the flavour to have a couple of fish eyes winking wickedly at you from out of a heap of glutinous rice.

I spent the day in bed under doctors orders. face & lips are in an awful mess from sunburn & small blisters break out on my knees and turn into sores. Must be very deficient in vitamin ‘C’ because every scratch festers, its really not the best.

Aug 9 It is reported that 4 of the 11 escapees have been caught, their ultimate fate time alone will tell. In Singapore the practise was to shoot them (nice hosts we have) prison life ruins chivalry 3 occupants of our cubicle of 10 procured 12 eggs, everybody smacked their lips, but alas they decided that 3 in 12 went 4 times! so the remaining seven sighed and ate their rice & goose gobble, give me a state school boy if this is the result of our Public Schools. Perhaps my perspective is warped, result of prison life, but apparently its a case of bother you Jack I’m alright.

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A welcome change to the diet corn cobs, we’ve been living on pig’s swill, now we change over to the poultry farm. It gives us something to chew & bite on to, so that’s much in its favour, it costs us 3 cents a cob. I managed to obtain by devious means a beer bottle of coconut oil. Len Jackson came in from the drome party with a millionaires cabbage ie the centre of the top of a coconut palm so here with submitted for approval the supper dish. Corn, chopped up, cabbage, grated coconut, cinnamon, (dried & grated by ourselves from local trees) a little coconut oil & fried Oh boy! Oh boy! is it or was it delicious, but I’m afraid unexpected luxury gave us a disturbed night but it was worth it. We also got 1lb of peanuts between the ten of us, shelled but unroasted, that’s another problem the roasting of same we can’t afford a jam tin because the solder will run & it would render the tin unfit for making tea, looks like baking them in clay.

Aug 18 Six months in captivity & we celebrated with a “Sandakan Special” see recipes. Voted as good a meal as we’ve had invented by yours truly with the usual scrounging & contacts (sympathisers) a bit of tapioca root (Ubi Kayua) a yam occasionally and even boiled nuts out of the “Jack” fruit we are having lots of fun. Also we have had the work spread more equally over the existing officers & get a day off in every three weird & wonderful are the workings of the amateur cooks.

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Aug 20 A day of apprehension & incidents on 93 men available for ‘drome’ 350 asked for, so out came the big shot with about 35 extra guards, who gave a great display of rifle exercises including elementary training in the standing load & then out with 300 A.B.C. class men to work. During the morning one lad didn’t walk fast enough & was struck over the head with the back of a bayonet, much blood and much laughs from the guards. Protest to High Auth treated with ignore. An officer stopped a back handed across the face. “One of these days we are going to miss you honey”.

Aug 22 Fun & Games, Warder won’t play so we refuse to account for numbers & submit parade stats, so out comes a puklpa guard & from now on we do as we are told. Jap Roll Call 0700 hrs & again 1830 hrs and no messing about either, I’ve now been shunned and unshunned by the wily full private (1st class) scrutinized & counted recounted & so on. They have a very effective way of ensuring obedience. 3 Haymakers to the jaw, starting from about knee level most painful I should say. I looked longingly & lovingly at the snaps of my loved ones at home, just to get back to normal.

I’m certain if friends called on us now I’m sure they would think us a trifle mad, we squat around & count our ribs & food, food, food! is all we discuss, & we spend all our time trying to disguise rice by frying it in coconut oil & also sweet potatoes & what have you. Sweet potatoes Tapioca root cinnamon bark ginger root chillies pepper corn maize cobs & an occasional egg are now purchasable from the canteen, from these & our rations we turn out some rare concoctions. We fry everything in coconut oil although utensils are hard to come by, all this being treasured & converted into billies etc! Authentic news of the outside world is greatly desired the usual

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Latrinograms are operating, which now are just plain ludicrous, according to the latest we are in the only position our relievers aren’t.

Aug 24 Selma’s birthday & not a bit of cake for me doesn’t do to let ones thoughts wander too far back or one may temporarily lose control. We still get a laugh out of life & are great hopers. I hope to be released by Rosa’s birthday.

Nov 4 From Aug 27 – Oct 13 I’ve aged 15 years

Aug 27 Interrogated, 30 on board ‘Burong’ destination unknown transhipped to ‘Margaret’ at Labuan, strange shipmates come aboard at Miri & we arrive at Kuching Sunday 6 Sep 42. we, being Major C. & the six recaptured escapees. We were checked in formally at the court & then taken to the local goal. Oct 13 we (Major & self) were released (not proven) taken to P.O.W. Camp where we met up with the newly arrived English P.O.W.’s from Batavia. They treated us well and fed us up. Nov 2 Married 7 years today — celebrated it by being transferred to another portion of the camp & meeting up with some of our compatriots from Sandakan. Lt Col Walsh, Major Fraser, Lawler, Blanksby, Workman Lt Col Pigdon, Capt Owen, Rolly Wilson, (Red Cross) with 4 O.R.S. together with most of my kit so I’m set up again. Nov 4 Last night the native P.O.W.’s had a sing song complete with guitar, beautiful harmonising, similar to the Tahitian voices & English songs it was really enjoyable. The rainy season has set in in earnest practically every day we get our heavy rain storm, not to good for the boot leather, shoes etc are getting rather worn & nothing to repair them with, however, we substitute with wooden clogs or trampers so everybody is happy. The Prison Camp is divided into Groups. Civilian Internees Male & Female the Nuns & the Priests of the various religious orders, the Dutch Officers the Indonesian Troops, then the British Troops & our Party of 14 separate. We are adjacent the Indonesian Troops and at present they cook our rations for us, they certainly know how to cook rice, we are becoming quite experts and judges of rice, which is of course our staple diet a loaf of bread & a pound of butter would be appreciated at this stage.

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Major Monty Blanksby has his accordion with him & each night we have a spot of music. Unfortunately its pitched a rifle high so we are either boy soprano’s or basoo profundos, a very welcome break however.

Sunday Nov 8 42 The canteen functioned today, the 14 of us who are segregated from the rest of the camp, managed to buy 20 packets of cigarettes & believe it or not 880 bananas. For the first time in my life I am or was the possessor of 60 bananas as a much need adjunct to our food. The canteen truck operates once a week on the cash up basis, here are the goods taken them or leave them, did we take them. I had my heart thoroughly examined today, pronounced 100% thank the lord, now only a slight swelling of the ankles to contend with & goodbye Beri-Beri.

Did I mention before that I contracted Beri-Beri a protein deficiency disease which occasioned me much concern especially in the calaboose BI tablets helped a lot to clear it up, fortunately mine started in the legs which takes a considerable time to finish you off, whereas the cardiac type is likely to bowl you over without warning as in the case of Mellor. 24 hrs and he was gone.

Nov 4 Am feeling 100% the food has been more plentiful the last week the bananas helping out a lot, I made some chilli sauce, hot stuff. As we are now cooking our own food, we can serve fried rice & veg for breakfast, the usual rice 1 oz pork & some salt fish and vegetable soup for the other two meals. It is very pleasing to hear the kiddies in the female section of the camp playing happily, with of course the usual tears, one gets a light feeling around the heart & small consolation out of gazing at the four remaining snaps of one’s own dear ones.

Living like a lord smoking cigars & cheroots cut up in my pipe otherwise the monotonous existence just carries on. My days at present are spent as follows. Rise at 0700 hrs. Cup of tea. P.T. 15 minutes Roll Call & good morning to the Camp Commandant. Breakfast. (Continued at rear of recipes)

49 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM Casualties & Missing

Cpl Bass, A. 276 Trafalgar St, Annadale Jurong Rd. 10/2/42 Dr Cornell, L.D. P. O. Minore via Dubbo ″ ″ ″ Corbett, N. C. Upper Bowman, Gloucester ″ ″ ″ Delaney, H. D. ″ ″ Lieut Garner, H. A. H. Iceton St, Burwood, Warialda ″ ″ Dr Hare, A. D. ″ ″ Sgt Mango, Jeffrey 74 Holden St, Ashfield ″ ″ Dr Miller, C. B. Terara via Nowra ″ ″ ″ Milton, J Melbourne St, Abermain ″ ″ Cpl McGlashen, A. 22 Frederick St Garfield ″ ″ L.Cpl. McKenzie, R. J. Kingsley St, Byron Bay ″ ″ Sgt Priest, G. C. 124 Liverpool St, Sydney ″ ″ Dr Reid, P. C. Kooroba, Tenterfield ″ ″ Cpl Richardson, C. F. 29 Garden St, Maroubra ″ ″ L.Cpl Robertson, F. D. 134 Murriverie Rd, N Bondi ″ ″ ″ Robinson, I. C. 58 Bennett St, Inverell ″ ″ Dr Smith, C. D. Londonderry via Richmond ″ ″ ″ Somerland, M. J. Died of illness, Malacca 10/3/41 Dr Verrent, G. T. Mullenderee, Moruya Jurong Rd. 10/2/42 ″ Banks, C. D. 263 Gympie Rd, Kedron Jurong Rd. 10/2/42 ″ Jenyns, W. Eagle Heights, Brisbane Jurong Rd. 10/2/42 ″ Len, J. A. Lewton St, Fairfield, Brisbane Jurong Rd. 10/2/42 ″ Mitchell, A. R. Box 10, Tweed Heads Jurong Rd. 10/2/42 ″ McGrath, A. L. The Avery Damar, Q Jurong Rd. 10/2/42 ″ Saunders, E. G. Walla Rd, Gin Gin Q Jurong Rd. 10/2/42 ″ White, D. A. Dalveen Qld Jurong Rd. 10/2/42 Dr Claridge, W. J. 3 Campbell St, Collingwood Died of wounds 28/3/42 ″ Conner, D. C. Killed Jurong Rd. 10/2/42 Cpl Fisher, I. 17 Cook St, Essendon Missing Jurong Rd. 10/2/42 ″ Hawker, H. C. 16 Wakanui St, Northcote Missing 11/2/42 Roberts, K. S. Jurong Rd. 15/2/42

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Dr Hutchinson, E. F / Ardock, 226 Dandenong Rd, E.St Kilda S.W.P. ″ Jacobsen, P. A. / 41 Ballarat Rd, Footscray S.W.P. ″ Johnson, C. J. Laanecoorie P. O. ‘A’ Force ″ Johnson, T. J. / 19 Scott St, Essendon Transf. 2 Ech. 26/10/41 L/Sgt Jones, R. / Anzac Ave, Sassafras S.W.P. Dr Jones, V. / Mt Pleasant Rd, Monbulk A.W.L. – believed sailed 11/2/42 ″ Jupp, E. C. / 6 A’Beckett St E St Kilda Repat Aust 19/8/41 ″ Kemp, H. T. / 72 Bell St, Coburg ‘A’ Force L/Sgt Kemp, M. W. X 3 Villiers St, Elsternwick Sandakan ″ Kilsby, J. A. / 172 Bridge St, Benalla S.W.P. Sgt Kent, H. H. X William St, Narrandera ‘A’ Force L/Cpl Lindsay, K. P. / 28 Foster St, Prahran S.W.P. Dr Love, E. J. Leongatha Broken Leg, Hospital, Changi ″ Lyon, E. J. X 38 Station Place, Glenhuntly S.W.P. ″ Mann, H. L. / Summer St, Healesville Pulua Bukum 70 Gooch St, Thornbury ″ Margetto, R. W. / 4 Claremont Cres, Canterbury E7 S.W.P. ″ Matt, E. F. / 18 Newham Gv, Ormond S.W.P. Mellor R.N. X 33 Beryl St, Burwood Died of illness Changi 28/4/42 ″ Mills, J. H. / 163 Buckley St, Footscray S.W.P. L/Cpl McCoomb, J. S. / 19 William St, Frankston S.W.P. Dr McGillvray P. O. Neerim Pulua Bukum ″ McNamara, G. K. / Adelaide St, Dandenong S.W.P. WO1 Napier, H. L. / 400 Hawthorn Rd, Caulfield Repat Aust 21/8/41 6 Almond St. Caulfield Dr Nicholl, J. C. X 11 Maybury Ave Brighton Beach S.W.P. ″ North, G. L. X 4 Loris St, Sunshine Trans. Prov. 13/10/41 ″ Northfield, H. G. 187 Church St, Geelong A.W.L. 11/2/42 believed sailed ″ O’Bryan, J. K. X Yarram St, Yarram ‘A’ Force ″ O’Rourke, N. L. / 40 Thomas St, Windsor S.W.P. ″ O’Rourke, T. J. X 40 Thomas St, Windsor Sandakan

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Dr Patterson, J. D. / 1 Oak Gr, E. Malvern S.W.P. ″ Prendergast, H. W. / P. O. Cockatoo S.W.P. ″ Quinn, J. E. X Whorouly via Wangaratta Changi Hospital – Bad foot Cpl Rice, E. J. / 27 Shamrock St, W. Bruns S.W.P. L/Cpl Robins, W. J. / 30 Westbourne St, W.Coburg Northcote S.W.P. ″ Roe, S. W. / 1 Oak St, E. Malvern Hospital Changi, B/Beri Cpl Rorke, E. J. 36 Alfred Rd, W. Essendon Appendicitis, Changi S/Sgt Scholefield, R. B. X 472 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn Sandakan Dr Searle, L. E. X 502 Pt Nepean Rd, Brighton Trans.2 Ech. 22/10/42 ″ Seekamp. E. D. 63 Were St, Brighton Beach S.W.P. Cpl Simpson, L. D. X 63 Cookson St, Camberwell Sandakan ″ Sunderland, C. L. X 204 Church St, Richmond S.W.P. Dr Swan. C. W. X 25 Hurtle St, Ascot Vale Sandakan ″ Tanner, V. G. X 35 Hudson St, Coburg - ″ Tily, A. G. / 176 Lower Heidelberg Rd, Ivanhoe S.W.P. Sgt Warnock, K. H. / 10 McCarron St, Essendon S.W.P. ″ Trotter, C. E. / 30 Lorne St, E. Prahran Concert – Changi Dr Weymes, W. A. / Laanecoorie Vic S.W.P. 24 Royal Gve, Glenhuntly L/Sgt Wilson, R. J. X 108 Clarendon St, Ballarat Sandakan Dr Davisdon, J. H. Box 51, Pinola S.A. ‘A’ Force ″ Dorward, L. Poonindie via Pt Lincoln Repat Aust Dec 41 ″ Fenwick, J. J. James St, Mt Gambier ‘A’ Force ″ O’Loughlin, J. A. P. O. Morchard, S.A. ‘A’ Force ″ Tremellan, C. L. 199 Gillett St, Adelaide S.W.P. Dr Batt, V. W. 15 Newman St, Thornbury A.W.L. 11/2/42 believed sailed ″ Burrell, F. W. ‘A’ Force S/Sgt Beith, H. J. / George St, Albury Changi Sgt Bennison, R. J. X Bethanga Sandakan Dr Broad, T. A. A.W.L. 11/2/42 believed sailed

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Dr Munro, G. J. O. Leopold St, Geelong S.W.P. ″ Murdoch, R. H. A. 1349 High St, Malvern Trans 2/29 Bn 20/2/42 ″ McVeigh, E. D. / 5 Eleanor St, W. Footscray S.W.P. ″ Nixon, J. H. X 340 Toorak Rd, S. Yarra Sandakan ″ O’Callaghan, J. E. Shepparton East S.W.P. Sgt Olsen, S. Meeting Rd, Johnsonville S.W.P. Dr Pettigrew, J. W. A. / Shepparton East S.W.P. ″ Pope, L. F. X 4 Rowe St, W. Coburg Changi ″ Powell, J. C. S.W.P. ″ Rochford, F. Sandakan ″ Schonewille, H. Iona P. O. Via Bunyip S.W.P. ″ Stuart, H. 446 High St, E. Prahran S.W.P. Cpl Wapling, J. H. X 32 Washington St, Essendon 2 Coy ASC Dr Willis, A. F. Carrajung Lower, S. Gippsland S.W.P. ″ Willis, H.R. Carrajung Lower, S. Gippsland ‘A’ Force L/Cpl Willmott, K. W. A. X 105 Howson St, W.Bruns Sandakan Cpl Morgan, H. B. P. O. Morchard, S. A. ‘A’ Force Cpl Hall, F. W. C. Whitehorse Rd, Blackburn, Vic ‘A’ Force Hall, C. J. / 143 Westbury St, Balaclava

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Dr Alderson, R.J. Lanncoorie Vic S/pore W/K Party L/Cpl Archer, W.W. 15 Hammerdale Rd, E. St Kilda S/pore W/K Party Dr Bell, A. A. / 95 Boundary Rd, W. Melb 99 Rosslyn St, W Melb ″ Bell, R. H. A.W.L. 11 Feb 42 believed sailed ″ Bennett, G. W. 1 Russell Place, Auburn S/pore W/K Party ″ Bills, W. R. 142 Riversdale Rd, Hawthorn Sandakan D 28/2/43 ″ Bird, J. K. 670 Malvern Rd, Toorak ″ Body, H. / Epsom, Bendigo Repat Aust 12 Jan 41 L/Cpl Bollom, H. G. / Drouin, Vic ‘A’ Force Overseas Dr Britton, C. / 26 Ebden St, Elsternwick Repat Aust 12 Jan 41 L/Cpl Bush, A. H. / 44 Railway Place, Newmarket S.W.P. Dr Canning, B.C. X Chelsea Hotel, Vic Sandakan ″ Chandler, M.A. X C/- G. Herbert, Graves St, Kadina, S.A. Sandakan ″ Claridge, W. J. X 3 Campbell St, Collingwood D.O.W. Changi 28/3/42 ″ Clarke, F. J. / Main Rd, Sassafras ‘A’ Force Burma ″ Clayton, F. C. / 146 Hopetoun Ave, W. Bruns S.W.P. ″ Cogger, S. E. / Camp St, Benalla ‘A’ Force ″ Cornish, J. R. Market St, Balranald N.S.W. Pulua Bukom ″ Cornish, Tom / 20 Market St, Sth Melb. Pulua Bukom ″ Cousley, H. T. / 36 Jolimont Terrace, Jolimont S.W.P. ″ Craig, A. R. / 110 Leveson St, Nth Melb Repat Aust 12/6/41 Cpl Duchett, M. F. 967 Mt Alexander Rd, Essendon ‘A’ Force Dr Edwards, L. G. / 131 Primrose St, Essendon S.W.P. Cpl Fisher, I. X 17 Cook St, Essendon Missing in action Jurong Rd 10/2/42 Dr Fitzgerald, H. R. X X P. O. Redcliffs Sandakan ″ Gooch, C. W. Koorland via Mildura S.W.P. ″ Harrington, T. I. X Whoranby P. O. (Whorouly) Died in goal Kuching Dec 42, Sandakan ″ Hill, W. X 6 Fergie St, Nth Fitzroy Lieut Hiddleston, F.W S.W.P. Dr Holt, L. J. / 74 Mitchell St, E. Bruns S.W.P. ″ Hore, H. R. / P. O. Toowoonga Vic Repat Aust.

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Dr Burrell, F. W. ‘A’ Force ″ Buckton, T.E. X Briar Hill, Greensborough A.W.L.S. 11/2/42 BS ″ Clarke, F.J. / Main Rd, Sassafras ‘A’ Force ″ Clinton, R.S. / 51 Yarra St Heidelberg ‘A’ Force ″ Cooper, W.W. S.W.P. ″ Currie, J.C. S.W.P. ″ Dopper, S. G. Walwa, Vic. Repat Aust 21/9/41 ″ Dunn, L.K. 27 Strathalbyn St, Kew S.W.P. ″ Ellen, E. J. S.W.P. ″ Fulford, J.W.H. Long St, Swan Hill S.W.P. ″ Garland, R. A.W.L. believed saild 11/2/42 ″ Golledge, E. S.W.P. ″ Grimwade, F. W. S.W.P. ″ Haley, G. S.W.P. ″ Hastie, L.G. X 103 Boundary St, Kerang Sandakan Cpl Hawker, H. C. 16 Wakanui St, Northcote Missing 11/2/42 Dr Hayes, W. H. 29 Woodward St, Golden Square A.W.L. 11/2/42 ″ Henderson, L.C. / 16 Wellington St, Flemington S.W.P. ″ Hedrick, W. C. P.O. Benambra via Omeo S.W.P. ″ Huston, F. L. / 58 Whitehorse Rd, Blackburn ‘A’ Force ″ Jackson, G. F. S.W.P. ″ Knight, H. R. X Fosters Gully, New Norfolk, Tas Sandakan ″ Launer, R. E. Moana, Beckham, N.S.W. A.W.L. 11/2/42 BS ″ Law, D. M. 40 Lennox St, Moonee Ponds A.W.L. 11/2/42 BS ″ Martin, C. B. Glengarry Vic S.W.P. ″ Miller, R. A. 40 Pleasant St, Ballarat. W. A.W.L. 11/2/42 BS ″ Mason, T. B. / 10 Kelso St, Frankston S.W.P.

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Reorganisation of Dir. R.A.S.C.

1 Up to July 41 R.A.S.C.W. Est. were made up to the requirements of the unit concerned. In addition we talked of Coy. Sec. & Sub. Sec. Infantry talked of Coy. Plns & Sections. Next, if it was necessary to change & Corps Pet Park into a Div. Pet...... , owing to the requirements of a different theatre of war, it was essential that the Pet. Park reorganise before it could adopt its new role.

2 Finally many 3rd line units in France were tied up with loads at the expense of general transport requirements.

3 Eight nuclei were decided upon to cover all Field Force R.A.S.C. organisations including Trp. carrying Coy’s. but excluding Motor Coach Coy. The eight nuclei were, (a) H.Q. of Command R.A.S.C. Organised two Comd & Admin 2-5 Coys. It could also throw off a small H.Q. if necessary. (b) H.Q. of Tpt. Coy to command & Admin 2 – 5 Plns (c) Transport Pln. To operate 30 vehicles of any type or size ie L of C. M.T.Coy would have 6 tonners L of C Railhead Coy would have 10 tonners most of the others would have 3 tonners. With 3 tonners it can lift an Inf. Bn. or 90 tons of stores. (d) Amn Pl. To provide Amn duties clerks armourers etc within the Amn Coy. (e) Supply Pl. As for (d) but for supply duties also to operate a Fd. Supply Depot. (f) A Composite Pl. To provide Amn. Pet & Supp duties to an Amn. Bde. or as a mixed body of troops. (Note a normal Div Pet Coy has one Sec. of a composite Pl. “C” Sec only. (g) Relief Driver Increment. To provide additional drivers. for a Tpt Pln. Also to provide loaders.

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(h) Workshop Pl. For workshop duties & consists of one or more sections depending on the number of vehicles to be maintained. ______

Organisation of Normal Div R.A.S.Co. H.Q. of Comd R.A.S.C.

Supply Coy Amm Coy Pet Coy H.Q. Tpt Coy. H.Q. Tpt Coy. H.Q. Tpt Coy. 3 Tpt. Plns. 4 Tpt. Pl. 2 Tpt. Pl. 2 Supp Pls (for Double Ech) 2 Amn. Pl. 2 R.D.T’s 2 R.D.I. 2 R,D,F,’s 1 Comp Pl. 1 W/shop. Pl. 1 W/shop. Pl. 1 W/shop. Pl.

Organisation of Div R.A.S.C. when Bdr Gps are likely to work independently.

HQ. of Command R.A.S.C.

Div Troops Coy 1 Bde 2 Bde 3 Bde 2 Tpt Pl. 2 RDI’s Pl. ditto ditto ditto 1 W/S Pl.

These companies are readily identical with the exception that the Div. Tp. Coy has one R.A. Off. attached for Amn. Duties. This is unnecessary and in this formation he has been transferred to H.Q. 3rd line units such as Corps Amn Plns. Ret Plns. and Corps Supp have ceased to exist & are replaced by General Coys (Transport) placed at the disposal of the formation comd. who will be responsible that reserves of Amn Pet & Supp are kept available. B Corps of 3 Divs will have a HQ. of a Comd & 3 General Tpt Coy each consisting of HQ Tpt Coy, 3 Tpt Pln, 1 RDI & 1 Wkshop Pln In addition he will have a general Tpt Coy of HQ Coy 4 Tpt Pln each of 30 six tonners.

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1 Amn Pl 1 R.D.I. & 1 W/Shp Pln with a total left of 990 tons

A Res MT Coy is now called a general Tpt Coy & consists of H.Q. Tpt Coy. 4 Tpt Pls 1 W/S Pl Thus any R.A.S.C. Field Force Coy can now be found from a combination of the eight nuclei. ______

Summary of Tpt requirements for Normal daily collection & distribution of Amn. Inf & Pet (including reserve clothing etc) ______

3 Ton Lorries 3 Ton Lorries 3 Ton for 3 Ton 3 Ton 3 Ton required for For Pet & Reserve for for bulk for detail Amn Lubs Clothing & G C Blankets supplies load supplies 26 7 X 3 7 8

Total 51

X All res clothing & A. G. Equip are carried in Div Tpt Coy ______

Loading Table for 3 Ton Explosive Lorry

Weight in Pounds Serial Item Amount including container 1 G/C Slabs Wet 8 cwt 1600 lbs 2 Amn 18 cwt 2753 “ 3 27 Det 600 42 4 33 El Det 600 60 5 G/C Prim 1800 390 6 Safe 5760 ft 258 7 Fid MK III 8000 390 8 Frymatch 420 Boxes 54 Pt Driving “Driwall” 9 50 100 Camoflet Eg Unit 10 Tubes “Driwall” 8 320 Cable El MkII 11 4 300 approx Reels 110 Yds double Tubes rubber for 12 36 40 boreholes 6837 lbs

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Pet & Lubs Required for 50 miles

3 Inf Bns 509 Gals ea 1527 Bde HQ Sigs & LAD 192 Fd Regt ″ ″ 1035 MG Coy 112 Fd Amb 330 Fd Coy 189 Bty A/Tk Rgt 150 Inf. Bde Tpt Coy 950 Gp R.A.O.C. 150 Bty Lt HA Regt RA 320 Stationery Engines 100 Total 5055 gals

Tpt requirement (760 gals Pet per 3 Ton) 7 x 3 Ton lorries 5320 gals Inf Bde Gp Coy Lorries for Blankets only 383 Tons ______

Supply Transport Requirements based on scale of 10 lbs per man per day.

Ration Strength Tons Cwt 3 Ton Lorry Inf. Bde HQ Dep Pl Sig Sec 184 - 16 L A D Pro Sec A/T Bty 123 - 11 1 M G Coy 144 - 13 Fd Reg Bty Sec + L.A.D. 720 3 4 1 Inf. Bn. 806 3 12 1 Inf. Bn. 806 3 12 1 Inf. Bn. 806 3 12 1 Fd Amb 247 1 2 Gp R.A.O.C. 118 - 11 1 Fd. Coy R.G. 245 1 2 Inf Bd Gp Coy RASC 317 1 9 Lt A. A. Bty R.A. 281 1 5 1 Totals 4797 21 9 8

Tpt for Bulk loading 7 x 3 Ton ″ ″ Detail 8 x 3 Ton

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Amn Load Tables

Nature Rds per Total Rds 3 Ton veh of Amn 3 Ton Load Bde Gp Coy required 25 pd. HE 184 1512 ″ Smoke 200 168 10 ″ A.P. Distribution over 120 all amn. Veh 2 Pd A/Tk 928 576 1 40 mm HE 1032 2400 3 ″ A.P. 960 576 3 in Mortar HE 432 972 3 ″ Smoke 480 288 2 in Mortar HE 1746 1440 2 ″ Smoke 1944 864 .55 A/TK 17280 5700 .300 Bdr 88000 130200 .303 Ctn 99840 141600 5 VMG. MK.VIIIZ 76000 18000 .45 Auto T.S.M.G 120000 177000 .38 Pistol 134280 2454 Bren 36 m 2880 “ 68 A/Tk 3094 700 approx 1 “ 69 5576 “ Wrigleys Pyrotechnics Various 1 Total 28

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War Establishment of H.Q. Cond R.A.S.C.

Officers WO’s S/Sgt Sgt Cpl Pte Total or Drv Lt. Col. 1 1 Major (a) 2 2 Captain (Adjt) 1 1 Captain (b) (F) 3 3 RSM 1 1 Clerks (f) (e) 1 1 3(c) 3(f) 8 Drv 1/c veh 1 6 7 Drv 1/c batman 2 2 Batman Drs 4 4 Office Ord 1 1 M.O. Ord. L/Cpl. 1 1 M/e. 1 L Cpl (F) 6 6 Total 7 1 1 1 4 23 37 Attached R.A.M.C. M.O 1 1 A.C.C. Cooks 3 3 Total Incl. Atta 8 41

Vehicles

Bicycle 1 M/C 6 Cars 4 Stat (d) 3 Vans 15 Cwt 4 Lorries 3 Ton (g)

Weapons On ….. or No Res. Total with gun Pistols .38 14 12 84 252 Rifles .303 25 20 500 L.M.G. .303 1 1000 500 1500 A/T K.Rifle .55 1 200 40 240

Notes on 1st Reinforcements Details left at base Subaltern 1 .38 Pistols 1 Amn 12

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(a) One to be responsible for Pet. Amn & Sup details One to be responsible for the co-ordination & repair and maintenance of all R.A.S.C. vehicles in formations to which the Comd. R.A.S.C. is allotted. The senior to be 2 I/C. (b) For Amn Pet & Supp duties as required (c) Includes one for allotment to Amn & one to Sup Duties as required (d) One of these will be available to M.O. when required (e) Includes 2 to form nucleus of additional Coy if necessary to improvise a composite unit for a detached role (f) One for Medical Equipment ______War Establishment Inf Bde. Tp. Coy. R.A.S.C.

Rank A B C D E F G Total Majors 1 1 Capts 2 2 1 5 Subalts 1 1 1 3 M.S.M. 1 1 C.S.M. 1 1 MSS 1 1 CQMS 1 1 S/Sgt Clerk 1 1 Sgt Art 2 2 Sgt MT 2 1 1 1 1 1 7 Sgt Clerk 2 2 Sgt Butcher 1 1 Cpl MT 2 1 1 L/Sgt Cpl Art 2 2 Cpl TMT 1 1 Clerk Cpl MT 3 5 5 1 14 Cpl Clerk 1 1 2 Cpl Butcher 2 2 L/Cpl Art 2 2 L/Cpl M/T 3 7 7 1 1 19 L/Cpl Issuer 4 0 4 Pte Art 1 1 23 25 Dr Med 26 39 39 10 29 29 8 180 Dr I/C

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Rank A B C D E F G Total Pte T. MT. Clerk 3 3 Pte Clerks 4 4 Pte Butchers 1 1 Pte Issuers 8 8 Total 41 60 60 37 31 31 46 306

Attach Sgt Cook 1 1 ″ Cpl Amm Exam R.A.O.C. 1 1 Cpl Cook ACE Pte Cooks 2 2 2 1 2 9

Total inc Attach 44 62 62 39 31 31 48 317

Ist Reinforce 2 2 2 1 7

A.B.C.D.E.F.G. refer to Pl. Letters. Each Est. has been marked to show which pl. The reason of marking HQ with “A” is because of serial numbers.

The serial number for embarkation of X Bde Gp Coy. A. Age. will be say . 31659. The HQ. Pl. will be 31689(A). This even on embarkations serials differentiation is given owing to their separate W.E. ______

H.Q. of a M/T Coy Vehicles Motor Cycles 6 Cars 4 seaters 1 Trucks 4 wheel 15 cwt utility 2 ″ ″ for ……. MG 2 Lorries 3 Ton for Petrol 1 ″ ″ Cooks 1 ″ ″ Baggage 1 ″ ″ Unit AG Reserves 1 Truck 15 cwt Water 1 16

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Wine

Eden 2 Parts Dry Sherry Porphrey 1 ″ Sweet ″ Eggspoonful of distilled water

Chablis Equal parts Still Hoch Gin Burgundy 2 Vermouths Sauturne Distilled Water Claret

64 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM 10 Nov 42

Choice for Pie Night

Pies should be made for each person and served in pyrex dish as baked thin puff paste crust and plenty of filling. Fried vegetable balls see recipe & Green Peas Egg & Bacon Steak & Tomato ″ & Mushroom ″ & Kidney Savoury Mince (Minced steak, onion, bacon & seasonings) Rabbit & Bacon Minced liver & Bacon

Apple Apple & Rhubarb & Raisin Apple & Plum Cherry Apricot Loganberry & Apple Gooseberry & “

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Indian Curry

8 ozs Tumeric 16 ozs Coriander Seeds 4 ″ Cummin Seed 2 ″ Poppy Seed 4 ″ Fenugreek 2 ″ Dry Ginger 1 ″ Mustard Seed 2 ″ Dry Chillies 1 ″ Black Peppercorn ______

1 lb Coriander Seed 4 oz Saffron 1 oz Pepper 3 oz Funugreek 3 oz Cummin Seeds 12 oz Dry Chillies ______

1 lb Coriander Seed 6 oz Saffron 2 Peppercorns 2 oz Cinnamon 1lb Dry Chillies 2 oz Cardamon 8 oz Cummin Seed ______

1 lb Coriander Seed 5 oz Saffron 2½ oz Peppercorn 1 oz Cardamon 1 oz Cloves 9 oz Dry Chillies 2 oz Fenugreek 4 oz Cummin Seeds 1 oz Cinnamon ______

Method Roast slightly the Coriander, Red Chillies, Cummin, Fenugreek & Pepper corns. Which must be well pounded, sifted & carefully mixed.

Mint Jelly

1 cup of Vinegar 1 cup of boiled water 1 cup sugar ½ packet of Gelatine 4 Tbspoon chopped mint. ______

Cooking Oils

Peanut Olive

Garlic judiciously smeared around a salad bowl as to the flavour of the salad.

Listerine as a mouth was is recommended.

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Curry Tiffin

Boiled Rice Curried Fish or chicken, curried prawns curried Eggs Grated coconut, sliced banana, sliced pineapple, cucumber, grated chilli, fried onions, sliced eggs, sliced tomato peanuts. ______

Egg-nog

Beat separately whites & yolks of six eggs Add ½ cup of sugar to yolks while beating. Add ¼ cup sugar to whites after beating very stiff. Mix & stir in 1 pint of cream 1 pint of milk 1 pint of whisky & measure of rum. Serve ice cold with grated nutmeg. ______

Full Curry

Take ½ teacup of water, ½ teacup Soy Sauce 2 tablespoon of Paw-Paw juice, one teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoonful salt & mix well together. Cut chicken into small joints & soak in the above mixture for one & half hours. Obtain 3 coconuts 3 ripe coconuts drain off milk & grate meat into basin & cover with water, after soaking place into piece of muslin cloth & squeeze into basin repeating process to obtain full yield of milk. Place fat & oil in large frying & heat until fume are given off – Put in the chicken & if desired a little chopped garlic; fry until brown and remove & place in dish.

P.T.O.

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To the residue in the pan add a little more fat or oil & 2 or 3 dessertspoonsful of curry powder to suit the taste. Stir curry powder & fat together to form a bind, add coconut milk and finally the chicken. Allow to simmer gently for an hour or until chicken starts to leave the bone. Add a little hot water if necessary ½ hr before serving. Also several boiled potatoes cut up. One or two hard boiled eggs & a little chilli paste if desired. When done put into dish & serve With sambols (sidelines) ______

Curry Powder

1 Part Gingelly (Gingili) 2 Parts Red chillis 2 Parts Tumeric 1 Part Coriander Seeds 1 Part Dried ginger

Grind separately with curry grinder or mortar and pestle mix together dry bottle ready for use. ______

Sambols (sidelines to go with curry)

Shredded cucumber in vinegar Devilled Almonds Stoned Raisins Grated coconuts Walnuts Diced pineapple Chopped ginger Mango Chutney Small crisp pieces of Onion fry brown & crisp crisp bacon Chilli paste Chopped prunes Chopped bananas and any other condiment Fried prawns that may be desired Sliced hard boiled eggs Peanut Chopped figs or dates.

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Nasi Goreng (Chinese)

Boil rice separately, strain drain & steam dry. fry in pan with just sufficient butter not to make greasy, turn continuously until brown.

Mix nothing with rice while cooking.

Add to cooked rice.

1 2” squares of boned boiled fish 2 Strips of fried bacon 1” x ½” 3 Thin strips of fried liver or pork (not to much) 4 Prawns 5 Eggs (see below)

Mix thoroughly & serve either with good chilli sauce or tobasco.

Egg: This is mainly shredded among natives, same result obtained by beating whites stiff mix & beat small quantity of milk with yolks Mix all & cook in shallow pan. In addition or as a substitute, two eggs fried hard Try adding small quantities of raisins or peanuts. ______

Malay Curry

It is essential of Malay curries that they be thin & hot, recipes same as other. Start with heap of rice pour curry over it & add extras mix well together. Eat with spoon & fork. ______

Harmless Vegetable Food Colouring Dyes

Green Chlorifeat Yellow Golden Maize Try R S Wilson Violet or Etc. Fletcher Chester (?)

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Vegetable Balls

2 cups of cooked vegetables 2 tablespoons of grated cheese 2 tablespoons of fat 2 tablespoons of minced onions

Mash vegetables & mix with remaining ingredients Allow to stand 10 minutes. Roll into balls and dip in egg & breadcrumbs. Bake or fry in shallow pan in moderate oven. Season to taste. ______

Tomato Cucumber cocktail

2 cups canned tomato juice ⅓ cup of grated cucumber 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 2 teaspoon Lemon Juice ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce ¼ teaspoon Evaporated Horseradish

Chill stir well before serving. ______

Jellied Tomato Cream Cheese Salad

2 Tablespoons Gelatine ¾ cup of Water 1 tin of Tomato Soup 3 ozs Cream Cheese 1 cup of Mayonnaise or salad dressing 1 Tablespoonful of Lemon Juice

Sprinkle gelatine on the top of water & leave for 5 minutes, heat tomato soup & add gelatine & water. boil until dissolved. Remove from fire & add cheese & beat until smooth with egg beater. When cool fold in mayonnaise and lemon juice. Pour into mould & set. Serves 8 on lettuce leaf & bread & butter strips. Sprinkle with Parsley.

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Tom Collins

Serve for One

2 ounces of Gin 1 Lemon 1 Teaspoonful of powdered sugar Soda Water

To mix: Squeeze lemon juice (about 2 tablespoons) into glass & add sugar & gin. Drop in ice & add soda water to ½ inch from top of glass. Stir well. Slice of lemon impaled on side of glass. ______

Loganberry Cup

1 cup of loganberry juice Juice of two lemons ½ cup of powdered sugar 3 pints of ginger ale

To mix: Add powdered sugar to fruit juices stir until sugar dissolved. Pour in large pitcher half filled with ice & add ginger ale. Garnish with fresh fruits. ______

Frankfurt Dishes

Split frankfurt insert strip of cheese and wrap in strip of bacon, grill until bacon is crisp. ______

Split frankfurt spread inside with mustard and sweet pickle relish, grill & serve in buns. ______

Hint

Hot lemons yield about twice as much juice as cold one. Heat them until hot to touch cut & squeeze.

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Sandakan Special 18 Aug 42

Take some cooked rice to which add grated uncooked corn cob (maize) shredded coconut Pour coconut oil into pan & after mixing above together thoroughly, fry well, stirring continuously, when considered sufficiently fried add chopped up bananas & fry briskly for a couple of minutes. Serve immediately & eat hot. ______

Suggested Recipes

Cream of Spinach Soup Rissoles wrapped around a boiled egg & fryed Entree: Spinach with poached egg on top in pyrex dish Grilled boiled Tripe on Toast Savoury mince with baked egg Fish mornay using flake or salmon trout as a base Cauliflower au gratin as an entree. When unexpected extra arrives for dinner. Serve Pork & Beans Spaghetti or tinned Tomatoes & Cheese on Fried Bread as an Entree, if considered necessary finish the meal with a savoury such as grilled cheese on toast or sardines etc. ______Omelettes:- Whitebait Tomato Cheese Mushroom Onion Parsley Savoury Mince ______

Tender Green Peas baked in Strong Cheese Sauce

Green Peas bound with Cream Potatoes & coloured with chlorophyll

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Cold Crab Ravigote

1 Pint best Crab Meat 2 ripe tomatoes 1 large green pepper 1 pimento 1 tablespoonful of chopped parsley. mayonnaise

Method Remove seeds from pimento & pepper then chop finely with tomato, mix all together with the chopped crab meat, & enough mayonnaise to make mixture moist. Serve on small shells & garnish with lemon slices and anchovies. Decorate with watercress or shredded lettuce. ______

Baked Salmon loaf

2 cups Salmon 1 cup diced & cooked carrots 1 cup of cooked celery diced, ⅓ cup of cream, 1 onion minced, 1 tablespoon butter, 3 yolks of eggs beaten, seasoning.

Saute onion in butter until golden brown & add carrots & celery. Mix with salmon, cream, egg yolks & seasoning & mould in forms of loaf. Bake in buttered baking dish. May be brushed with butter & garnished with parsley. ______

Puff Pastry

Always roll away from you turn board. Rock Ammonia, Powder enough to cover sixpence.

Scones

Mix half of mixture with hands the other half with a knife.

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Sauce Mornay

1 pt cream sauce, 3 egg yolks. 14 teaspoonsful of melted butter, 2 tablespoonsful gruyere cheese, 2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese.

Mix cream sauce with egg yolks & add cheese & butter, which have previously been mixed together & strained. Pass sauce through a fine sieve. The sauce should be cooked in a double boiler over a moderate fire. For use with fish one wineglass of fish stock to each pint of sauce. ______

Vegetable Meat Loaf

1½ lbs of mince, 1 cup of onions 2 egg yolks 1 cup of spinach 1 cup cooked carrots 2 tomatoes Chop spinach mash carrots chop onions & tomatoes into very small pieces. Mix all vegetables & seasoning with meat & egg. Put into deep well buttered baking dish. Bake in moderation oven. ______

Scrambled Eggs in Sausage Baskets

Cut 2” or 3” Beef Sausage into ½” or ¾” pieces Fry which will turn sausage into basket. Fill with scrambled eggs & serve with creamed potato. ______

Scrambled Eggs with Shetland Cod

Flake cod & beat up with eggs Cook usual way. ______

Baked Crab or Lobster

2 Med Crabs 4 Tsp Breadcrumbs 1 Tsp Butter ½ “ Grated Lemon rind 1 Green Pepper 1 “ Mango Chutney Salt Paprika

Method: Pick all meat from crabs, chop finely mix with other ingredients, put back into shells, sprinkle with breadcrumbs, put small lump of butter on top bake in hot oven for 20 minutes.

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Household Medical Kit

Asprin gr 5 Equipment A.P.C. gr 5 Quinine gr 5 Clinical Thermometer Dover Tabs Medicine Glass Cascara Sagrada Gr 5 Eye Bath Epsom Salts Eye Dropper Castor Oil Scissors Parafin Oil Forceps (+ Ends) Soda B/Carb Tabs Glass Syringe Citrate of Magnesia Cotton Gauze Seidlitz Powders “ Wool Peroxide of Hydrogen Lint Milton Bandages Collodion Solution Tinc Benzoin Co Calomine Lotion Gentian Violet Sol Methiolate Sol (x Iodine) Glycerine Glycothymoline (mouth wash) Methylated Spirits (+ Hygiene) Ether (2 oz) Argyol (10%) (Agarol?) Zinc, Sulph Drops Wintogen or Vicks Vapor Rub Antiphlogistine Pot Permang Syrup of Cochilina Elastoplast Patches asst sizes Z.0 Plaster. 3” 1” ½” Tanafax Lanoline Vaseline Golden Eye Ointment Zinc Ointment Sulphur “

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Controid (“G.P.,” Chemical Industries, Macquarie St Sydney)

Semenol

A good starter on the day of worry.

Overdose of Quinine take experimental dose of 10gr if ears don’t ring 15 gr is dose, before dinner 1 hour after dinner hot hip bath keep adding hot water 1 Packet of Epsom Salts & so to bed.

76 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (Page 26) Diary continued

Bake & crush some rice for porridge & potter about doing odd jobs & read until lunch. Bake the salted dry fish crisp for the evening meal & read. Dinner and Roll call a walk up & down our enclosure & occasionally wave a hand the Female Internees in the distance or yarn & so to bed.

Nov 18-42 Pay again looms up the I.J.A. called up our Pay books & the longed for pay after 9 months captivity seems to be a little closer who knows, this is the land of tomorrow. We each bought 24 bananas and some tobacco yesterday, but unfortunately the fruit was ripe & had to be eaten immediately instead of being able to spin it out a few day’s.

The result 3 small bananas left to last me until Sunday. It doesn’t take one long to start grouching, when, I was suffering the pangs of incarceration I’d of willing given a fiver for one overripe banana & here I’m growling because I received 24 for approx 1/6 (cries of shame).

Monty Blanksby is busy at the moment frying banana fritters he claims to be an expert, time will tell. Time has told the fritters flopped, Monty still has to prove himself an expert. However we can’t complain they were made under difficulties.

Sugar has been so scarce that I now detest it in my tea. Last week we were issued with 10 days supplies about a cup full this I husbanded carefully. Sunday the canteen sold us a 4 gallon tin of Gulah Borneo (sugar from the Nepal Palm) then we received another issue today Nov. 19 so the problem is now to keep the ants away, but believe it or not we’ll manage. My rice diet is now divided in two & part eaten sweeten, so energy is again gathered into our bodies, salt however still remains a problem & causes a lot of night rising which is inconvenient but at times an urgent necessity.

Nov 21.42 Received 3 months pay from I.J.A. $67.50 this should help out providing canteen goods can keep up with us. The canteen this week was a washout 12 bananas only per man no tobacco or cigarettes.

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Nov 25 Folks at home will be preparing their shopping lists for Xmas, we have a feeling here that perhaps we may be allowed a letter from home as it is 9 months since capitulation & also the Repatriation boats are working between Lourenco Marques & here or rather the Malay Penn.

This would undoubtedly be the best present any of us could receive for Xmas. To know that folks at home are well, that they know we are alright would be a welcome relief. However we now expect things when they are in our hands & not before as the Salvation Army says “Small contributions thankfully received.

Nov 28/42 Today I’m suffering from Nostalgia in its worst form, if I had the necessary I’d get as drunk as a lord, any moment now I may turn my face to the wall, weep copiously & gnash my teeth. Bloody!!! in fact more Bloodies!!! This silly senseless inane stupid existence is driving me cuckoo. Its apparently affecting the other members of the hut as well, the existence is not nostalgia. Jim Lawler has (sic) looked directly at me or spoken to me for 95 hours obviously I’ve offended him over something. John Workman persists in doing P.T. in the nude whether this is a latent exhibitionism coming to the surface or just softening of the brain who knows. The rest of us keep sharp but furtive eyes on one another, to make certain we get a fair share of anything that comes in, the matter, of dress to the meal tables is not treated by some as others would have it or the noisy eating of others just plain bloody silly simple things, but here treated as matter of grave importance. Result a spot of whispering in corners in a manner not only unbecoming Officers & Gentlemen but unmanly. Getting that off my chest has made me feel better already, it is silly isn’t.

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Very nearly had my wish to get drunk some native spirit arrived in don’t ask where from, a couple of shots & WOW! Call out the fire brigade complete with water its certainly needed up the back of the neck then wallop, one down & three sitting 2 hours work, then peace and quietness & sleep.

2 Dec 1942 So the last month of 1942 commences more of the Indonesian Troops camped alongside us moved out for places unknown. The canteen allowed us more tobacco yesterday my issue 50 cigars (excellent) 100 cigarettes 2 ozs pipe tobacco cost $2.70. Food has improved in quantity & I’m actually putting on weight, about time too, I’d estimated my total loss of weight at approx 2½ stone which is a lot for me, Campbell lost 1 cwt of flesh which no doubt you’ll laugh to scorn, nevertheless its a fact he weight 22 stone on enlistment and he got as low as 13.7 work that out for your self.

Actual fact he reduced his waist belt by 12 inches (1 foot) measurement.

Requirements in clothing for overnight stay including bedding clothes you stand up in plus sleeping gear waterproof cape to sleep on & in, shaving gear & toilet gear pack into haversack and hope for the best 48 days later get access to more kit, its great try it some time.

I must describe my present abode, it is part of the camp used by the local forces B.C. (before capitulation Ed.) we occupy an atop hut 120’ x 18’ facing near north, one half is used as Officers (10) sleeping quarters one quarter as mess the remaining section for the 4 men sleeping quarters, behind it we our kitchen-cum bathroom & in the distance the usual.

My bed is 4 9” planks 6’ long about 10” off the floor the head right under the window (no glass) equipped with louvered shutters in case of rain beating in. I have the table I’m writing on a piece of a 9” board bracketed out from the wall 2’ 6” either side of the window a little shelf one for books etc the other for toilet gear & sauces if any bottle of sugar syrup.

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Various nails neatly arranged hold up my pack & bits of clothing etc. My mosquito net hanging from one of the rafters to air & also to give me a modicum of privacy from the mess section of the hut. My lamp is in the language of my wife a pet, it consists of a 2 ozs cylindrical tobacco tin, a piece of pyjama cord for a wick, a clear glass bottle which I successfully detopped & debottomed, for a chimney, a piece of silver paper stashed to one side of the chimney for a reflector & a mixture of coconut oil & kerosene for fuel. It supplies me with a 2 c.p. glimmer which helps out the other lights in the hut.

Today Friday 4 Dec 42 I rebuilt our set of shelves & fitted in, for me, a neat little rat proof (1 hope) cupboard I feel rather proud of it, as we are now settling in comfortably. I suspicion we are due to be moved, because it invariably happens thus. I had an egg fried & a piece of boiled pork for breakfast, last night I managed to purchase a ⅓ of a pound of salt 10₡ my word it made all the difference to the vegetable stew at lunch time. Canteen day around again 125 Bananas to me and 50 cigars & 200 cigarettes. Tobacco to burn as it were. Some of my fellow prisoners are making calendars for 1943 sincerely hope we don’t remain prisoners for another year, I’m rather tired of the existence I wanna go home. I’ve never been a vegetarian & I don’t like being even a 95% one. Trevor Oliver designed our Xmas Card the scene our hut plus barbed wire addressed to Gordon Bennett word “Lest you forgot” “Wooden Walls don’t a prison make or Barbed Wire a cage” & “If I had the wings of an Angel”. Trevor has a glass eye, (he is ex Indian Army Officer) which he takes out & places on the shelf to watch over his bananas while he has his afternoon sleep. I played him chess yesterday, after the match he complained that I had had him at a disadvantage he

80 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (Page 30) had left out his glass eye.

A nasty piece of work supplied from Sandakan Camp as one of our servants went to Detention for 28 days today, saw service last war but is an absolute reprobate threatened to put our weights up if action taken so action was taken & I.J.A. guard marched him off like a lamb to …… lines. I hope there are no repercussions. My number is now 3023 Campbell and self both have a few words in the remarks column probably on prison record. Never again will I be able to give a truthful No to the question have you ever been in gaol. It’s an experience I could have well done without.

My contributions to science for 1942, 125 banana’s are beyond the capacity of a body of my size & make as a weekly consumption. I received due warning from my digestive organs & have come to the conclusion that 50 per week will suffice. I have now definitely established that I’m Napoleon, Trevor Owen is obviously Nelson while Campbell is Henry VIII without his beard but we can’t get him to admit it. Bill Fraser apparently thinks he is Red Ned G.B. but we daren’t suggest it to him, he’s very sensitive of late he has apparently, lost what small sense of humour he possessed and is taking himself & the M. Campaign very seriously.

There has been a curtailment of extras of late and hijacking is suspected, Campbell & Yours truly have been suspects, we have much fun leading the C.I.D. up the garden path. Result every move we make after dark is a case of me & my shadow. Now as you are aware I hate being suspected and act accordingly, it’s fun consuming contraband under the very nose of the excise dept (nuf sed) Jim Lawler still resolutely refuses to look at or talk to me “he’ll earn me the insolent you pup” Our camp commandant told us to put in our Xmas order, so its meat & bread that leads the list he suggested he might let us have some native wine a mule in every bottle with a brick in every leg. I want Santa to give me a one way ticket home, I’m sure the lawn wants cutting or something. (What’s that daddy?)

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A spot of authentic news would be appreciated at the moment I feel sure the world events must be interesting at the moment, I wonder what happened for the 1st Anniversary of the present conflict?

Sunday 13 Dec 42 two months since C & self were released from gaol the worthy Camp S.M. came in to do a spot of trading (we received another pay yesterday) COTAB pure Virginia tobacco cigarettes they are very mild after the native tobacco we have been smoking. I expect I’ll be smoking Black Twist out of a clay pipe to get any satisfaction when I get home.

A lesson in local hygiene, our latrine pit is rather crawly, we put in for some disinfectant, but no along came a ‘long handled ladle & 3 drums carefully marked W.C. The wrigglers were carefully scooped off and carted about ¾ mile away & dumped in another trench. Presumably a centralised fly park.

Tuesday 15 Dec We buried Tom Harrington today he died in the local goal, he was one sentenced to 4 years for escaping and being recaptured he was buried in the Kuching R.C. Cemetery by the local civilian priest. Poor Tom his the third lad of mine we have buried. I believe the other five have been taken to the goal at Singapore here is hoping their health has improved.

Today (Wed) the Camp Commandant sent down about 200 beautiful banana’s & a dozen papya a beautiful gesture on his part after every funeral a consolation to the mourners. Comment please.

Saturday 19th we were informed that between 4.30 pm — 6.00 pm we would be allowed to go for a walk around the sports ground unfortunately at 2.30 it started to rain & so far has not ceased so goodbye walk. So I completed “Saucy Sal” my model topsail schooner, dressing her in her sails which I cut out of one of Owen’s handkerchiefs. She’s only 8” long but looks a smart craft. We all thought of doing a cruise of the islands in her after the war. How John would love to have her especially now its beach time at home, I plan to build him one when I get home, I suppose boys are still interested in ships. I must take him for walks around dockland, to see some of the big ships it used to be a favourite haunt of mine with three penneth of honeycomb or else peanuts.

I potted a small fern in a jam tin & have it swung on wire outside my window, it seems to be doing alright

82 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (Page 32) also nailed a herring tin full of ferns on the rubber tree outside my window & put in seeds of a nice creeper I brought with me from Changi. The maize I planted in the rubbish heap has all come up, so I scattered some more seed about. It all gives me a slight interest in life. We are still doing nothing at the double on this our 206 day of captivity. Xmas is one week away we all thought (wishful thinking) that we would be home by Xmas but as somebody remarked we didn’t say which year. Here’s hoping Easter will bring something good for us all.

Xmas Eve. The Xmas spirit is abroad our captors have been most generous the Q.M. has done wonders 4 eggs each 5 fowls coconuts a large tin of biscuits soya bean sauce & vinegar at our expense but thankfully received nevertheless, last but not least ½ a loaf of bread each. Campbell opened his tin of Australian butter so its toast & fried eggs for breakfast tomorrow. Whacko. In the afternoon we went over to the new recreation area the tommies gave a good concert which had to be toned down considerably, because the bishop & numerous brethren of the religious orders were in attendance. It was all very enjoyable. The rain started after tea thoughts wandered homeward. I thought John got rather excited he’s getting a bit doubtful as to the authenticity of old Santa, next year he will be a complete wake up we mustn’t let him spoil it for Jennifer, dear kid she was very anxious that Santa’s supper should be left out for him.

So much for pipe dreams.

The Indonesian’s next to us had a very nice concert singing Xmas carols, Granny would have had a delightful cry when they put over “Silent Night” I got a trifle emotional myself.

Xmas Day, We collected all the sarongs available but down boughs of rubber & decorated out hut, we even have a Xmas Tree hung with our issue cigarettes & a couple of coconuts to make weight also our lamp. (Tree collapsed Lamp broke) Concert between ourselves & next camp now in progress

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Very nice gesture on part of Camp Commandant he caused the wives & children of the internees to be brought out. At present the Tommies Concert Party is entertaining them & their husband’s on the rec. area. So near & yet so far.

Just finished Xmas Dinner, poultry, pork biscuits, pomelo, banana & finished off with a cigar, wouldn’t it. The evening meal chicken broth biscuits & fruit.

The tummy found it remarkably had to return to the usual fare of rice & vegetables after our splendid Xmas fare, didn’t like it in fact. The week has passed uneventfully & now it brings us to Hogmanay the last day of the Year. The various camps had their own sing-songs while we listened in from afar. The sisters of the various religious orders together with the female internees, returned to their old quarters in the camp, from Kuching. Their quarters at K. were a trifle cramped, besides its nice to be able to see your husband if only in the distance.

1st Jan 43 What will the New Year bring forth the P.O.W. & Internee Comds were the question of the Camp Comd Major Suga for a glass or two to welcome the New Year.

At 1030 we all went to the recreation area and mingled together, had a great chat & a good impromptu concert. Bill Fraser found two Scotchmen Lieut D. Montgomery-Campbell & Mr McAlister both of whom could play the bagpipes, Bill produced 2 sets, the air rang with appreciation of the music or otherwise produced by the said Scots. Bill’s as proud as a dog with two tails he’ll be talking with an accent or is it brogue, if we don’t watch him.

The choir of male internees sang several carols the Tommies put on some smart items, one of our orderlies sang “Danny Boy” so we also received an honourable mention. The camp Q.M. gave us a present of 4 loaves about the size of a small Vienna loaf so melting down my cube of pork fat, I had a slice of

84 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (Page 34) of fried bread with my rice & vegetable stew, very nice too. As the last letter I received from home was for last New Year I reread it. John is six tomorrow he’ll be quite grown up next time I see him I wonder how he will like starting school after the holidays. Our Jennifer three next Tuesday she & I will certainly have to be reintroduced to each other won’t that be fun. I wonder what change my darling will find in me & whether she will love just as much as ever. I’ll have to court her all over again & that will be fun.

My days are spent with one hour’s study of the dictionary each morning & a spot of accountancy in the afternoon followed by a walk in the recreation park after which I rub down my two patients John Workman & Rolly Wilson have a shower, dinner, then fill in time till bedtime.

Tis the custom for us each & all to wish our kiddies Many Happies when their birthdays arrive so I received two ovations, one for John & one for Jennifer. Did I mention we were allowed to send home another card, I am well I received pay please do not worry etc. things are looking up, I hope this one gets home safely especially after the pre execution threat letter I had to write which I never saw again & sincerely hope was never sent home, to cause undue worry. We ran a trifle short of firewood so were taken out to fell some rubber trees results large blisters for all concerned & a plentiful supply of firewood for the time being.

Curious rations arrived 3 parts of a bucket of fresh fish of all types what looked like small garfish the size of your little finger, flounder a shark occipus (octopus) shrimps several prawns a couple of crabs all in proportion, we fried them all together and ate them shells, claws bones & all. Not to be recommended really, just mouthfuls of bones very trying but worthy of mention. We have to move our quarters & are taking over one of the huts formerly occupied by the Indonesians.

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We have had rather a lot of fun rebuilding the interior to suit. The O.R’s have a room to themselves the mess is partitioned off, Bill Fraser carefully measured out the amount of space for each of us, wonders of wonder myself a mere crepulous captain among so many field officers has been allotted a window. The Indonesians are moving the barbed wire entanglements to wire off our new area then we move in. Should have moved today (Tuesday) the rain stopped us, its been raining solidly for the last 12 hours. You can’t put fowls into the pen until its properly wired, so here we stay for the time being.

Bill Fraser is organising the move, I find it best policy to sit back when someone else is chief organiser, you have less work to do, then everybody is happy, especially one’s self. Did I mention the return of the Female portion of the Internees, their quarters in Kuching were a bit cramped so they applied to come back. They tell us they have always been treated very courteously, by the Japanese, the children being supplied with eggs milk & fruit each day.

Trevor Owen & self have been indulging in a trifle of chess of late, he is a very good player so I’m taking lessons to improve my play our first two games lasted exactly 4½ minutes it rather stunned me.

We moved into our new hut & have settled in quite comfortably, dug new drains & constructed new paths, we have been told to start a garden.

Jan 14 Three hundred & thirty third day of captivity, the Camp Commandant admired my pot plants consisting of ferns in ½ coconut shells & empty fish tins. My piece de resistance is a ground orchid which is doing reasonably well in a pot. I shall at least be able to talk as an authority on orchid growing.

The firm’s motto of “Harmony in every transaction” hardly applies here at the moment things get tense at times & I’m afraid my tongue will get me into a spot of bother sooner or later probably sooner. It’s rather awkward because being a prison officer

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I’ll have to allow my assailant if any first hit, to avoid being placed under arrest, as you are aware the first hit is the best, so it puts me at a decided disadvantage. This life has its amusing side and we are all terribly childish but none of us will admit it.

Jan 29 Trevor Owen & self started gardening a week ago, transferring the maize I had previously planted on the rubbish heap. We have three beds of healthy looking maize, a bed of Kachang Hijau (Green Pea) full of “B1” Vitamin, unfortunately the occasion was not propitious for planning K.H. for it rained incessantly for three days, with only a 5% return of plants for our efforts, so this morning we replanted & now hope for the best. Trevor cusses at the gardening, as he remarks for years he has been looking for a women to wed, who would not require him to garden, many a women has he disappointed because she wanted him to garden, at last he found one, only to become a P.O.W. & have to garden such is fate. Rations have been a little lighter than usual, it may be the rainy season has something to do with it. The internees are starting a Pig Farm with some 300 pigs, that ought to keep 1500 of us going for a day or two at the rate of approx 2ozs per diem per -

Borneo is certainly a great spot for an entomologist, the variety of bugs & insects that infest the garden would break the heart of any gardener. We have hope that we may get news from home, it is rumoured that a couple of parcels arrived in the Camp, we know some clothing came from the Red Cross it is also thought a letter or two arrived from S Africa, once they start more should follow. T.O. in a fatidical mood foretells that we will receive our first letter in March. I hope he is right but my experience with the Indian Chirognomist makes me so what sceptical of these so called soothsayers.

Feb 3 Consternation & much cussing our bucolic efforts at gardening are not meeting with the success as deserved the second attempt at Kachand Hijau despite the pre-natal care & attention, seem reluctant to come up to face this cold hard world. The rain washes them out, we put them back again. We decided on a nursery, so far have three seed boxes two planted with onion seed, one with cucumber here’s hoping we are more successful. A nasty accident occurred this morning two I.J.A. soldiers carrying a container of Hot liquid food tripped, one had his back badly scalded, he was in apparently terrific pain but walked to the first aid hut to have it dressed.

I been planning for the future, but realising that all plans are subject to the approval of high command (my darling wife) my plans are in consequence only tentative, also subject to the amount of money available.

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My idea is to run around the hills until we find a suitable spot with or without a small cottage on it, to be used as a weekender and for holidays. It could be made self supporting by renting for holidays to selected tenants & would thus supply a retreat for sickly folk who cannot afford a holiday. Although a few lines suffices to put the idea on paper it has occasioned me my hours of pleasant thoughts & planning together with much discussion with T.O. we sit out on a log in our compound wrangling over the pros & cons of the idea. Another lad died in the English lines yesterday (18) . We managed to get a few cackleberries which were thoroughly delightful. Campbell is on the sick list suppurating ulcers on the legs nasty red streak running up one leg plus swollen glands in the groin. These tropical ulcers are beggars of things, they take at least 3 months to clean up, so he is not too happy about it. T.O. & self as expert gardeners received a nasty smack in the eye this morning. Noel Watson our cook, threw a lot of seed out among the long grass, result today he transplanted a bed of beautiful plants (KH) it certainly made us hang our heads in shame, the jeers of our hut companions are hard to bear while T.O. is looking askant at me, stating I claimed to be an expert a statement which he views with apprehensive & concern.

One phenomena I have not mentioned is the flying lizards little creatures 1 ft or 18” long, they don’t actually fly, but run to the top of posts or trees and volplane to the next post or tree, I’ve seen then in flight, but never seen them take off, not having sufficient patience. At Sandakan the flying fox used to give us an exhibition from the top of his 100 ft tree working on the same principle as my friends the lizards. In T.O. & my opinion John Workman is spending too much time indoors, so this morning we made him a seat out where he can watch us gardening.

Feb 9-43 A beautiful sight a new moon with the evening star alongside which John took as an omen that Turkey was going to figure prominently in the news, sure enough next day the local paper had mention of Churchill’s conference in or about Turkey. Nobby received six of the best today We had a few additives to our eating gear a soup plate & a glass mug each per medium of the canteen together with a pair of sunglasses and 1 bottle of orange crush cordial (very nice too). The British Officers have now separated from their men & occupy 3 huts adjacent to ours just out of speaking range, Heavy rains still persist in washing out our gardening efforts Oh! for the patience of Job. I get into paroxysms of rage. T.O. calms me down pointing out that after all, it does fill in time & at least we are hungry for our meals. Meanwhile the mug gardeners still have good results. Feb 20 We have more than completed our first year of captivity, looking back the last six months have gone remarkably quickly. Major Buga our Camp Comd went on a visit to Sandakan, he kindly agreed to take some

88 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (Page 38) money to our batman, I managed to send $10 to Blue, I sincerely hope he is well. We managed to keep our cigarettes alight with the aid of a few flints. I’m using my sarong to sleep in now finding it rather strange after pyjamas but supposed to be cool. More wood cutting yesterday I managed to collect another crop of blisters. One of our OR’s went to the British lines we hope permanently a really nasty piece of work, its his second trip there. Feb 25.43. T.O. & self very proud we were able to supply nine cobs of maize from our garden, our first return. Another batman applied for transfer to the British lines, application granted. Biggest pineapple to date 16” long 20” circumference, not bad ah! My time is now spent 2 hours garden 1 hour etymology, exercise & rest lunch 1 hour garden 3 games of chess, rub down John Workman dinner? chat till bedtime. We built a seat in the garden for J.W. have since put a shelter over it & call it the “Postliming Club” its great to sit out there and get away from the others.

Mar 4 We decided on a campaign against rats, J. Workman is very annoyed, a rat wet him during the night so he set to work and manufactured a rat trap, a real back breaking spring job, his bag to date is three rats. The wire used is single strand barb, the barbs having been laboriously cut off with a pair of pliers. His first effort out of sheets of old tin was a real “Heath Robinson” effort, guaranteed rat proof. I borrowed a cage type trap & to date have caught one rat only. Now I’m going all out to beat J.W.’s record. We borrowed a phonograph from the British Officers lines together with a collection of records, old and well worn but still music, reminds me of the old cylinder type machines a good night out with my wife a dinner & dance would do me the world of good at the moment. We had (T.O. & self) a long talk on the anticipatory joys if the first day home the boat arriving in, then out to the clearing camp a taxi home, the thrill of the greeting, the astonishment of the size of the children (nuff sed).

Mar 21 How time flies, lets be thankful for small mercies, I’m now exercising on my rowing machine Col. Sheppard Jim Lawler & John Workman so am feeling fairly fit, if we were on a meat diet I would be putting on condition as it is I’m putting on a bit of weight, no longer are the ribs poking through. Great night last night we had another concert twas really good, unfortunately we could not give an item no artists, the Tommies put on a Revue “Mr. Meek comes to town” The Brit Officers did a Bagpipe & a Ronald Frankow, The male internees choir the Ladies choir, the Dutch Officers choir the piece de resistance as far as I was concerned was the choir of the Priests, that was music, I feel really hungry for some more. The kiddies did some

89 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM MENU, 31 Aug 45 dropped by plane RAAF Our first taste of civilized food & “Time for a “Capstan” (152 men)

7.30 am Corn & Rice Porridge with Gulah Nippon 11.30 SALMON RICE BREAD BUTTER JAM (18 LBS SALMON) 3.30 PEANUT NASI SMITH’S SPECIAL NOUGAT 7 PM OX TONGUE RICE BEANS PEAS ASPARAGUS (28 LBS TONGUE) 9 PM CUP BOURNVITA ½ SLICE OF BREAD & BUTTER

A “Capstan” Cigarette & Aug 22 “ARGUS” to read, first newspaper I’ve seen not dated 1941 for years.

First Bread & Butter for 2 ½ years I had almost forgotten such things existed

First all civilized meal

Tuesday 4 Sep 45

2 Slices Bread & Butter 4 ozs tongue with Mustard Sweet Corn Serve with condensed milk Supper Slice of Bread with Vegemite.

Meal Times 1st 7.30 2nd 11.30 3rd 3.30 4th 6.30 Supper 9 PM

90 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM (Page 39) quite well Mrs Bouchier’s adopted native turns aged three looked the part in their little sarongs & badu’s, they caused much laughter with their antic’s & highly tickled the sense of humour of our camp comd. We are all highly grateful for the permission to hold the concert, the Tommies certainly put a lot of effort into the stage & lighting effects.

Apl 1 I caught the whole crowd this morning, it happened this way I was on duty to hand in the Parade State (Tenko Paper) sometimes the guard comes in & lines us all up, sometimes not. So handing in the paper at crack of dawn I rushed back, shouted Tenko, result & wild scramble out of bed, everybody fell in, I retired gracefully after reminding them of the date. Have mentioned our little club house just a lean to with a garden seat in it, T.O. & self built it primarily to get J. Workman out into the garden & sun, he spent much time there made two excellent rat traps which cleared our hut of rats, one trap was sent over to the Nun’s latest report 3 rats caught.

The environs of the club look rather attractive 2 small papaya trees Some coconut shells with ferns together with several clumps of ginger. Trevor put a little knee high fence around it & sweeps the area meticulously twice a day. We sit out chatting & admiring the sunsets every evening. Yesterday the Indonesian boys moved into Kuching, the neighbourhood is very quiet, we are all wondering who will take their place.

Apl 2 We wonder no longer last night 500 Australians & 500 British troops arrived from Changi the Aussies stayed over for one week & then went on to Sandakan leaving behind 2 Officers & 2 O.R.’s Majors John Fairlie & W. Carter to swell our ranks. The break with the other officers in the exchange of news of old friends was just a gift from heaven They had received mail from home so ours should be here shortly some of them even received snapshots its’ made us a;; very restless, letters so near and yet so far. One of the Aussies got across a live wire, we buried him in the local cemetery - unfortunate.

Apl 25 Easter Sunday we attend the unveiling of the Memorial to the P.O.W. who have died in Kuching a very impressive ceremony made possible by courtesy of Major Suga, I raise a blister through wearing unaccustomed boots, it seemed funny doing a 4 mile hike after being cooped up in the compound. I’m suffering from a cracked rib, tinea & my Beri-Beri is back again, still fairly healthy otherwise, my weight 9 stone 13 lbs only 19 lbs underweight a vast improvement on six months ago.

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May 20 We were entertained at an excellent Band Recital last night given by a I.J.A. Military Band 90 members in the Band a pleasant 1½ hours of music much appreciated. Today we send off our 3rd letter card dated 5th May.

I am expecting my first letter soon, I hope you are all well. Tell John to work hard at school give Jennifer a big hug for me. Should parcels be permitted include a pipe all toilet requisites marmite these months supply of the best ‘Vitamin ‘A’ & ‘B’ tablets I do not require any money. When you write enclose snapshots of you all my spirits are good & I spend a lot of time in our vegetable garden. Give my love to all & regards to the people at the office. I love you. Doug.

June 6, /43 They buried Lt Col Russell of the British today the Camp Comd. Major Suga gave a very nice oration.

June 12 Saw my first picture show tonight some very good gazettes a nice musical, floral show, & the Malayan Campaign, it made a nice break from the usual routine of camp life.

Aug 31 1945 Diary returned, what a turn up.

Aug 15 “Cranny” told us of the capitulation. Smithy, Charlie Filmer, Graham McLeod & self read the thanks giving service from the Prayer Book two of us both married with tears just pouring out unashamedly. I know the real meaning of “I’m so happy I could cry” they just came and wouldn’t stop. After, Jock Britz came over from the sick bay & we fell into each others arms & blubbed again like a pair of women.

Sunday 25 Mar 45 10.15 hrs sitting out on our stage grousing with Claude Rickford, when a roar of planes, more-B-N-S, but out of the clouds burst 2 huge 4 engined American Planes dropping pamphlets. I stopped grousing who wouldn’t have?

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7 Sep 45 Planes still dropping food clothing and medical supplies. One unfortunate internee a Mr Hammond stopped a 100 lb packet of clothing dropped from approx 500 ft. they buried him straight away. “Kismet” what a pity. 8 Sep 2 Aust Officers Lt Col Morgan & Major Hutson Medical Officer 9 Aust Div arrived in camp today first free Aussies I’ve contacted for 3 ½ years they certainly get done what is required if they don’t see through the recent window dressing they will soon be enlightened. 600 in the grave yard can’t be explained away nor 410 stretcher cases of an original strength of less than 3000 Most past on since Xmas.

When the food started to come in from outside our S.M.O. decided to start enlarging our meals in number & quantity 4 meals a day.

After being used to two ounces of protein, port or salt fish usually once a week it came as a shock to the system to have 2 ozs of tinned protein at least 2 a day, it is very much like Xmas time what are we going to do with all the food. Had 2 tinned sausages dehydrated potatoes local pumpkin & tomato sauce for dinner last night preceded by ¾ pint of tomato soup with plenty of dehydrated onions in the rice that came with the meal I gave away believe it or not I just couldn’t get it down. I record these things so that in later years I can look back over this record and appreciate the good things of life I’ll be enjoying

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9 Sep 45 For instance the height of luxury, this mornings breakfast plain rice & custard porridge with ¼ tin of condensed milk per man & WHITE sugar as much as you wanted. Followed by scrambled dehydrated eggs & tomatoes & onions. Tea (no milk or sugar) just that no more yet to us a marvellous meal, work it out for yourself.

We have gone back to 3 main meals a day with morning & afternoon tea supper almost human again. We have lost 5 officers in the last 2 months so the end of the war came just in time we were starting to follow the O.R.’s over the hill.

Lieut P. Stewart “ Pascoe-Pearce “ James Flett Capt Cyril Young Major G N S Campbell

94 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM The Syonan Times 12 Mar 42

Position G.B. Tokyo Mar 11 It may be one of the seven wonders that G.B. defeated C in C in Malaya, is now allowed to attend the Supreme Army Council of Aust & to relate his defeat over the Radio as a distinguished soldier. G.B. as everybody knows fled to Aust. from S/pore leaving behind 17,000 subordinates & 80000 Allied Forces. It is certainly a mysterious state of Allied Affairs that such an irresponsible comdr is having a good time in the Sunny South without being court martialled .

We are dumbfounded by a Canberra report that G.B. went through certain formal procedures prior to fleeing to Aust. remarked Tokyo, Radio announcer today. This report has deepened the mysterious feelings of both belligerents instead of diminishing them.

It is widely rumoured in Tokyo that G.B. is already planning where he should flee & to whom he must submit a war report if Aust surrenders to Nippon.

95 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM Translations of Malayan Verse (1)

Whence the dove on outstretched pinion, From the swamp to fields depart, Whence the dawn of loves dominion From the eye it fires the heart.

However high the palmtree stretches Higher still the smoke of fire, However high Mount Ophir reaches Higher still my hearts desire.

Though many a star on high there be, Yet the moon alone is bright Though many a sweet young maid I see Yet you alone are in my sight

Padi Stems when young are slender Touch them not for fear they break Youthful hearts are always tender See that you make no mistake.

If its grain, why, say its grain Do not keep me winnowing late If you want me, say it plain Do not let me sit and wait

Fledgling minahs sit a-basking Nid Nod Noodling on the ……. Kiss her if her teeth be lacking, In the dark you’ll never know.

96 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM Translations continued (2)

Gunong Daih has triple shoulders, Pandan’s isle is fair to see, Though in the grave my body moulders, Memories bear my thoughts to thee.

A hollow tree is ill to fell, Live trees to the fire are fed, On charity tis ill to dwell I would defer far be dead.

Should you journey up the river Fetch me frangipani bloom, Should you die the first however, Wait for me beyond the tomb.

Why attempt to light a lantern If the wick should not be in it Why attempt to smile & wanton If you really do not mean it.

Gems may fall to earth alas, Scintillating on the lawn, Love is dew on blades of grass Bound to fade when comes the dawn.

Tod Walker 51 Devon St Annerley Qld

97 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM MAJOR R. E. MAFFEY, JOHN ST, SINGLETON N.S.W. ______

MAJOR G. ARMSTRONG C/O CUMMINS & CAMPBELL LTD WHOLESALE MERCHANTS, FLINDERS ST, TOWNSVILLE QLD ______

MAJOR H. RAYSON MANILLA N.,S.W.

CAPT. I. H. SMITH 553 MILTON RD, TOOWONG QLD 56 PARK ST, MAITLAND N.S.WALES CAPT I. HEINZ FLAT 1, ‘LISSERDERN’, TOORAK RD, S.YARRA

REV. R. HENTHORNE, C/o S.P.G. 15 TUFTON ST, WESTMINISTER S.W.1 ______

SANDAKAN DIRECTORY Capt. C. C. FILMER C/o Flat 1, “Telopea Flats” 121A Williams Street Sydney NSWales. ______

Lieut. Graham McLeod No 5 Valmar Flats Dolphin St Coogee NSWales ______

Capt. S. Wood C/o State Audit Dept. Pirie St Adelaide, South Aust. ______

Mr G. Hedley A.D.O. Jesselton Borneo

J. Smallfield “ “ “

E. Bomphrey C/o F. R. Lomas Box 201 Warwick Q SELALANG SARAWAK

W. H. MISSINGHAM MAUNDRELL RD CHERNSIDE BRISBANE

Jock Britz 4 Trevellyn St Cronulla NSW

C. J. Scrivener F.C.O. (Arcadia?) P. O. Box 538, Townsville Qld

J. B. J. Lawler “Dalina” 3 Hunter St Strathfield

L. J. H. Byrne 27 Provincial Rd Lindfield

98 Last printed 25/11/13 10:26 PM

The Property of

VX40178

Capt J. D. Scrivener

1 Coy A.A.S.C.

Please forward to

Mrs R. J. Scrivener 223 Highfield Rd Burwood E13 Victoria Australia

Received back 27 Aug 45 What a turn up never expected to see it again

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