Part II

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Section 30

UP  COUNTRY 

10^TH May, 1943,

to Rataburi – Thailand

(70 Miles South of Bangkok)

 10^th May, 1943. 

This has been, is and will be absolutely bloody.  The organization is bad, heat, dirt, dust, no water, disease, no transport and marching in full kit 15 miles per night.  Building a railway through Thai jungle. 

I was paymaster to number one party (600) men, that meant climbing into a lorry at 4 a.m. at Selarang on the 5^th May with 76 men under me.  We went to the station and were given a cattle truck, with sliding doors each side, it was about 20’ X 8’.  In this we lived for 5 days. 

Starting at Petchaburi, Rayburi (Bang Klam Boi Tham).  We were then marched to a transit camp, a filthy hole, where we awaited orders to March..  I have had to jettison half of my Kit.

On the other hand, a compact and comfortable kit, good boots and a 15 miles per night is a good march and a jungle camp along side a river, will not be at all bad, and  a completely new set of views to paint and draw.  

I managed to get some sleep under a tree last night.  At 3 o’clock I went bathing, so I could get clean for once; the lack of washing facilities have started pimples, still, apart from a little stiffness I am feeling OK and have now cut down my kit drastically, half a towel,  half a blanket, and half a mosquito net, books have gone, but I have still got a flute, notebooks and drawing materials.  It’s very hot, dry and dusty.  Out of my 27 people, 14 are fit enough to carry on, which is considered good.

This place is so filthy that I shall be glad to get away.   Allen is here sick with piles and also Stewart and Cooper.  The Dutch arrived this morning in a sorry state.    Bob, I gather is headed for a camp 170 miles from here having sold his kit.

I can buy from the exorbitant native canteen here.   Water is 0.5 per bucket, coffee and fruit available my lads go and get some for me when they go themselves! 

Dam these flies!

There are all sorts of new birds I saw and wished I could have looked them up in a book.  The crow and pheasant are common and a much richer russet.  The long-tailed drongo is also common.  There is a white and brown bird which hovers over rivers and suddenly swoops down.  While we were bathing we all got bitten by the fish – its and odd country!  There are lots of things here I could write about if conditions weren’t so shocking.  The Thais store lots of POW kits overnight.

The medical tents are crowded all the time poor MPs and short of everything. 

I understand we are to cut off into jungle tonight.  Why on earth 18^th  Divsion, 7,000 were told to bring up pianos etc., I cannot imagine – every ounce, counts on this march.

There was a 16 mile tramp last night along a jungle road where dust lay about 10 inches deep.  The columns made a dense fog and many of the lads wore cloths over their mouths and noses.  At the halting place on the river, I even now have only three blisters.  We all washed off the cakes of dirt from ourselves and our clothes.  A native canteen provided us with breakfast for 45 cents and again I lay under a tree shelter for a sleep.  It’s very hot, otherwise this place would be interesting for its religious significances; there are many new and some old Siamese temples and shrines here.  There is a move on foot to get 8 bullock carts to carry the men’s loads to their next camp tonight!   The flies are so numerous that they sit on twigs like willow catkins.

In spite pf promises the bathing parade was cancelled yesterday so Dr. Miller and Ted Wells went down to the well with a bucket.  I had a good dipper bath and lay in the shade.  We made a bucket full of limewater and made beasts of ourselves waffling some 20 eggs made into omelets by the locals.  I am sitting in a sarong that Luton gave me on the riverbank.  A bamboo raft has just come down on the swift current and run itself aground just opposite with much verbal annoyance!  

That night we had to walk 25 miles, in full kit, over mountain passes and dried river beds, moonlight helped the first half, but later it was very dark.  We arrived in this camp about 9.00 a.m. on the railway we are building there is no water and no bathing because of cholera etc.

The Japanese were awkward and prodded my willie with a stick and I got cross about it and ticked him off, so I got my face slapped.  I  daren’t wear your watch for fear of it being taken from me, we have no redress.  The sick came up by rail today  (only 151 walked out of  600).  I have slept and slept  and feel much better.   Dysentery  here is bad the hospital is an appalling mess, less than 30 squirts per day is considered fit enough for work.  Tonight we march again for  24 miles.  Yesterday we disobeyed all orders and went down for a glorious swim.  Eating raw eggs and bananas on the river side sitting on a boat stark nude forgetting the native women, one offered to get us away down river for $35.  She also found us some cigarettes!   The food here is spasmodic, stewed pumpkin and boiled, rice with hot water and salt.    We craved for hot lime water, sugar and salt. 

Last night we had hot, sweet coffee at a Thai hut, very jolly, until the Japanese came by.  The camp we are going to is about 100 miles away from Kang Pong.  Last night’s march was short, in all 10 miles, at first through very mountainous

Country, climbing most of the time, until about 3.00 a.m.   It was very cold at 5.a.m.  We passed through about 4 or 5 camps, some native, some Dutch, an English lumber camp etc.   But still we went on, although we were promised we would finish last night, but now we find ourselves in a jungle clearing bedded down until 4.00 a.m.  When

we marched again,  Timothy and I pitched our mosquito nets under some tall dry bamboos which swing in the breeze and creak with the noise of pattering rain.  The meal today was plain rice and a piece of salty fish.  There is a Dutch camp in the jungle here, for road works, their officer brought us in when we arrived.

May 27^th.  God, what a hell these last 9 days have been!  It’s been too bloody to write about, but at long last we arrived.   I have been beaten up three times by the Japanese guard.  After a march of 7 miles we reached this spot.  It is 2 miles from the river a jungle clearing,  we were then issued with tents – 25 to a tent!   Not waterproof, and no fly sheets.   

Fortunately I have found an engineer Nip guard who regularly wants a party of 40 men as a chain carrying sand and gravel from the river up a bank; he speaks a little Malay, so we can often understand one another.   He calls me ‘Captain’ and I sit in the shade by the working party and see that it goes smoothly.  The job is part of the Bangkok-Rangoon Railway and at this spot a large viaduct is being built using all local timber trestles, tools are poor and machinery scarce,  They have 1,000 Australians some Chinese and our 800 on it, but its very primitive and I shall be surprised if is finished by August 31^st as it is expected to be.

I have endeavoured to run a canteen for the men – eggs, sugar, tobacco etc.  This got me into a lot of trouble with the guards.  I bought 1,500 eggs, 126 lbs sugar and other stuff at Kangu river camp.  I helped to carry the eggs to the English camp at the top of the hill, 600 feet up and got 1,200 back before the weather made the road impassable.  We then had sugar and 300 eggs left, I arranged for two of us fetch what we could on foot without Japanese permission.  We went to the river, I packed 50 lbs of sugar in my pack and climbed to the top.  There two of us, carried – (Good Lord our guard Haneko had just shared a bottle of local hooch between the lot of us !!! – What next?) 300 eggs and the sugar all the way back to camp (7 miles) along a road  so muddy that no transport could pass.  We were caught by our guard and beaten up (slapped on the face)they created an awful fuss later so that’s the end of canteen for a week or so.  Still we’ve got the stuff back, sugar, onions, tea, coffee, soap, tobacco one tine of strawberry jam etc., all into camp and saved the eggs from going bad.  “Good Show!” said everyone. 

I met Len Carter at Kangu English Camp, looking seedy with ‘squirts’, he came and had a coffee with me at the canteen and were we pleased to see each other!    Brian Vaughn and lots of others were there too.  Mel looked almost dead.  They have one death per day there from Dysentery.  I think due to the Thai canteen.   I hope old Len can live through it, he is a great lad.  I wrapped three eggs for him in pig fat.  

In our camp now the rain has stopped and it is possible to get fairly clean, but when the monsoon breaks, life will be hopeless.  Len has been here for six months having been towed up river in a barge, 60 men in a boat with pouring rain and standing room only.   The Nips are the trouble.  They send out sick men to make up numbers and have threatened to kill any with dysentery.  They steal our rations from the cookhouse and the camp and bash you if you if you’re sitting down, with no respect for our officers, they take a delight in hitting us!!  It’s better really to get away for the day.  They persist in trying to buy my watch and are a perfect nuisance.  Their method is to borrow it and then try and fool you into taking $10 for it.

The flute is good company here and I sometimes play for the lads in the evening.

‘Pop’ Davy was out with a party of  18 sick men yesterday  on hand drilling and  with hammers,  They couldn’t work and he got hit across the head, arms and legs with a stick, he’s quite an old man too, it’s rather difficult.

Last night we had a pork stew with the rice, some of it was ‘off’ and gave some of the lads squirts but I enjoyed it.  I collected money for exchange until dark.  I find I’m fairly well liked  in our tent which makes things pleasanter but we certainly are a motley crowd.

3^rd June 1943,  I am far too busy or there is no light to write, things get worse.  There are about 70 flies  on one handkerchief in out tent.  Grant’s back shows another 50 the place is swarming .  Dysentery increases by 10 cases per day and nearly everyone has diarrhoea.  We have 121 men out of 500 bedded down sick.  It rains most of the day and serving breakfast an hour before dawn on a mirror like skating rink of black mud, and pouring rain is an appalling business.  Every available man is set to work including officers; the result is that only the sick men are available for improving camp conditions. 

Also we should move every few weeks further up river.  Water is difficult to get and washing is rather difficult in spite of bamboo showers in the AIF camp.  The top officer was supposed to come today but he hasn’t.  Still I was kept in to get the cash ready.  The Japanese, knowing we shall have many complaints, are very short of food with one bucket of rice for 30 men.  Sugar, fish and vegetables have been taken by Japanese from the cookhouse.  We have 24 men in a leaking tent 15 feet by 12.  It’s really a tough time.  They came and talked and gave us some cigarettes.  Also they increased the rations for the day and we had a larger if not appetizing meal.

Roy Stamford is better and seems a nice chap but we are carrying a lot of passengers. 

The latrine is disgusting!

Sketch of a place by the river with the following words in the corner saying

‘Siam Konyu 28.5.43

Section 31

Yesterday I was allowed to bathe in the river – buy eggs etc., and cook them – I  brought six back to camp but they have gone to the sick.  Every day sick men have to go out and are often brought back in very bad condition.   Septicemia has developed in many cases and there is very little treatment.  So the guards have tried to be pleasant today by increasing rations and had some of us in for a chat, so I took the opportunity to go and fetch the sugar, now a liquid mess I expect.

After looking at an area of mud for days, I happened to see the peak over us in the evening sunlight, it was beautiful, mockingly so. 

My guard now owes me three eggs.  They have been promising me some sugar tomorrow, because I explained the bad food position.  Agawam, paid me half the next day, he was cross, so I drew his portrait for him and it cheered him up, result, the men got off early!

12^th June.  What a lot of things have happened since I last wrote anything.   On my day in, Tim Wicks, Calder and myself, oh and Logan, were told to go to Canu to collect two pigs.  Panic!   No time to get ready.  Long waiting!  Bash!  No shirt and hat it rained and rained, the lorry stuck and we had to walk.  We found the pigs in 1 foot of mud , one escaped into the jungle and we hunted him until he was killed with an axe; all 5 were killed.  We had to carry them back dead. 

That day was the blackest day physically, of my life my colleagues packed up before I did, so I took most of the load, 5 ½ miles of mud and slime, staggering, slipping, falling down and in pouring rain, bitterly cold.  True our Nip helped a little but not for long.

Well, I got a chill and had a temperature that night.  Next morning I was called immediately with Tim and Gavin to Canu HQ.  We packed in a hurry and I left leaving some of my precious kit.  Arriving eventually at HQ I was immediately given $17,000 to get ready for the Japanese.  I fed and turned in, preferring to dry clothes by the fire rather than go to the noisy Nip (propaganda) Picture show.

Next morning I was very cold, I was told to pack and go by lorry to Tarso and on to Bangkok with Yanakawa.  I packed, took all the cash, a very heavy load, and then at 2.30 there was no lorry and had to walk!  So I walked with a fever! I fell over twice before first camp and stopped there to clean up.  We made it to Dutch camp somehow where my guard took some ORs to carry my kit.  The Dutch camp was a disgrace with 291 sick, 2 dead, shortages of tents, blankets and no latrines!   bad food, so depressing.  They gave me more cash so I had to leave more kit.  I slept the night in the Forester’s camp next door!  I sweated and shivered and felt better next morning.  We caught a lorry and got to Tarso after a mad hair-raising drive.  I found Cooper, Brown and Wills in the officer’s party in camp 5.  Yanakawa sent me to a Dutch camp where I stayed for the two days counting cash in the office, having fever and eating pork, pork and pork.   I was lucky to get a shirt at the English camp for $1.  I met a number of pals and had a good and quiet  time.  The food did me good too.

Next day I was ordered back.  Captain Unwin (dentist) went by barge and I went by lorry.  Two lorries loaded with medical supplies, tents, blankets, boots, clothing, disinfectant, all in quite insufficient quantities, but a least something to help the appalling state of affairs up above Tarso.  Another startling drive and I eventually arrived back at Canu. 

I told all the news and went to bed with half a tent allotted to 3 of us it was very comfortable indeed!.

Next morning I had a delightful bath in the clear spring and came back.  My temperature rose to 103.4 by midday, so I was ordered to bed and I’ve been there 1 ½ days.  Yesterday I was almost delirious.  Last night I sweated into every piece of clothing I could find, but today I am much better. 

Last night, from somewhere, arrived, a plate of boiled potatoes, roast pork and green peas with a fried egg!!??   This HQ is heaven compared to the camps.  Why do I always fall on my feet?   My original camp has had 5 deaths already.  Cholera is in the valley.     In No 5 camp, officers have had to bury 20 coolies; there were over 100 deaths in one coolie camp.  Coolies are leaving in droves.  I saw one dying on the roadside, poor chap!!!  

 27^th June, 1943. 

Cholera is bad, 6 deaths at Col. Wills camp, 80 cases at Col Beech’s camp, 10 deaths a day.  It gets into a camp and seems to  run riot in spite of all the precautions.  All bodies have to be burnt and it’s a pretty ghastly job.  Then at the Camp where Len works they have averaged 4 deaths a day this month that is over 100!  mostly from dysentery. 

Padre O died two days ago, and Major Thomas, also Wallace, Brown, Len and others I know.  Len Carter has been moved up to K3 as a fit man.  They are now trying to evacuate Canu No 1 camp, 50 per barge down river and sick cases, which is very slow work.  We are all expecting to move up to a higher part of the line.  With a day’s rest here I was sent for by the Paymaster to go to Tarso and fetch the money.  The roads were drier so I walked with a very light kit and did the return trip in 30 hours, paying out to camps on the way back.  The Japanese took $20,000 and only changed $12,000, the balance they handed back to me.  Very tiring.  I got back in the dark and some Japanese kindly gave me a candle to light my way.

Tim made me some excellent coffee and I turned in.   The next day I was supposed to rest but of course, I had to put my accounts in order and then I got a demand for pay returns, so I worked until 10 p.m. until I finished them.  

It seems a far cry from here to rejoining you; if only I can live through it and I will!

29^th June.  Yesterday was the Col.’s birthday and I was detailed to get things in with a ban on the canteens due to cholera!  Anyway I got a tin of Nestles condensed milk for $2.85, 70 eggs, tobacco, sugar, coffee etc.   The Major (Thorn) came up from No 1 camp with Padre Newman.  We had a party in the office.  An attempt to get spirits and fish failed but Ben Weber made a delicious trifle with bananas, biscuits and the milk.    We made a present of 200 cigarettes and a packet of tobacco to the Col, in the morning.

Well, the officer’s party moved en route North of here and upset things a bit but we had our meal.   Fortunately the Japanese had killed a pig and we got a good pork stew, a sweet potato and rissole, boiled eggs, omelet’s, trifle, roasted peanuts and glorious coffee thanks to Paul.  We had sweet biscuits, sugar syrup and rice.  What a change from the rancid stew and rice we usually get.

We’ve found a good Batman in Vining, in Eurasia and with cholera about he is invaluable.  Men are dying in 10s or so per day in one camp alone; funeral papers burning and grave digging parties are continually working; it’s ghastly, I’ve got scared.  I am down again with fever and I suspect dysentery too.  I found blood and mucus in my stool.  I have been on salts and liquids for 3 days and already I have lost a stone and feel much weaker.  I can’t afford it with so much disease about.  I must build up my resistance.

Money is always very short, so much for camp.  On the job I do rather better; except for the 1 ½ hour walk both ways in mud which is very tiring!  Fortunately I now know five different guards.

Section 32

I am fit again, and I am eating every thing I can get, to try and put back some of the weight I have lost.  This is essential.  I have never lost weight so rapidly before, about half a stone per day.  There have been no eggs for 5 days so we had to have tinned fish and the Colonel was cross.  Eventually, I went out and brought back a hundred. When I was out on the prowl, I met Ray Sims, it was a treat to see him.  He is in the same camp that Manly was in.  He has been ill and hopes to be evacuated down stream with the others, but he is looking all right.

  I am worried about Manley; he might just get well enough to miss the evacuation and get sent up country for another spell of work – he’s got no resistance left and there is too much cholera about.  I also met Denton (the architect) down by the river he is now an orderly.  Ray, fortunately has a soft job in the Japanese store room I am pleased about that!   But Bill Manley is an unlucky fellow! 

Gavin Mae is a disappointment.  I fear he is too eccentric and unstable.  We bought a yak yesterday and today had a meat stew for lunch and I believe another good one is on tonight.  It had a lame leg so the drover was persuaded to sell it cheaply.

I prepared my first set of accounts and got them audited by Tim Wicks.  The Colonel was impressed and wants them calculated under confidential cover.  I am sure he doesn’t understand them as he has not asked one single question!

It is very difficult to observe all the cholera precautions.  I cannot resist eating brown sugar and peanuts before they have been sterilized and the pipe mouthpiece and water bottle top are all catches.  Still I must come through fit!  I have now had four goes of fever and I do not think it is Malaria.  I’ve made up all the weight I lost because the food has improved amazingly due to 18 head of yak arriving here.  Also improved transport facilities but we do lack vegetables, as a result, we all have a touch of beri beri.  My legs and ankles are slightly swollen and getting worse, so we are eating peanuts and eggs.

I went down to the river yesterday to lay in a further 100 eggs and looked up

Bill Manley.  We were pleased to see each other and he was amused and grateful for my poem about him.  It did him good, I think.  He told me an alarming story of K3 where he was removed for railway work.  He was disappointed not being evacuated (after 8 months of it) with the rest.  He lost his glasses but he was in a tent with 15 others.  Every precaution was taken against cholera except stream water was brought in for washing as a result, Bateman (I knew him well in Singapore) sleeping next to Manley helped to nurse him.  It was soon diagnosed as cholera and he died the next day.  Immediately the whole tent was isolated and two more died.

The remainder went away from the camp to live by themselves.  By the Grace of God Bill escaped it.  They were then moved to Kanu River for evacuation.

When I last saw Bill he was painting sores with potassium permanganate.  He has a running nose, a rash on chest, neck and rear, rather like mine, but much worse – and not much to treat it with.  Still apart from that he is fit and I hope he gets a fair deal down below, though that is very much in doubt, with cholera patients just around the corner, their cook went down yesterday.  I felt most uncomfortable with flies alighting on my lips or pipe mouth piece etc.   When I got back I had a hot bath and washed my clothes.

Mr Tenai came back from Bangkok binging a tin of cheese, a bottle of whiskey, a pack of cards, and 8 bread rolls.   Well, we spent the evening eating bread and cheese - what a treat!   Then bread and strawberry jam, coffee and fried peanuts; very pleasant.  Mr Tenai also brought some Japanese tourist agency books on Japanese art that was wonderfully published with wood-cut prints, flower arrangement etc.

With further rain cholera is worse in   No. 1 through 6 camps, and 7 deaths per day.  Over 10% of our force has died in the last 7 weeks.  I hope we leave this place soon although I believe there is cholera in Thailand.  Tenai says Bangkok is promiscuous vulgar, cheap and trendy and prices are outrageous.

We have had trouble with our Nips, Col. Saunders was casual and did not salute Our Chief Nip soldier.  He got beaten up, so did Cooper.  Col. Jackson when he complained and the Nip was ticked off.  As a result he has taken it out on us ever since.   We have all been moved into one tent, no hardship for 6.  We’ve lost our batman and we are off the Japanese messing strength, cheers!  The lack of a batman means that we have to take it in turns lighting fires, boiling water and serving food, a tiresome business.  Still we are promised that we all will go back to Malaya by the end of next month; I wonder! 

We have now established a base hospital at Caudrin and all the sick are being evacuated there; except for those with dysentery and cholera, This will help a lot and we are told that as H force is so weak we are to stay put and other POWs will move up country.  Len Morris has gone up or so I am told by Roberts, whom I met as a member of the plate-layers gang who was looking very fit.

My watch is still much sought after.  I am told it is the only one of its make in the Valley.  Had it not been for your inspiration, I should probably have been forced to sell it. 

Anyway the remaining fit men in the camp are feeling better.  The large number of deaths has given more room and more food.  Canteen supplies go further and meat has become available but working treatment is still bestial in many instances complaints only make it worse.  H Force is regarded as a ‘dead’ loss by the Nips and it will be too! 

Last night Tenai brought back from Bangkok a box of 50 Havana’s; so I had a cigar what luxury!   We are getting beef, rice and a sweet every evening, plus two eggs.  I have been stuffing myself with peanuts these last few days and Bill managed to get me some rice polishings.  I am pleased to say that the beri beri  has practically disappeared.  My pimples, all of which turned septic are getting better.

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