Chapter Three

The Japs employed a lot of coolies on some of the menial jobs and turned up with a printing machine on a lorry, printing the cash necessary to pay them out on the spot. The result of such actions caused a very high rate of inflation, examples of which were clothing, the price of which ruled the working population out of the market. Cheroots went up by one-hundred times at least.

There were two Aussies who had escaped from a Jap-held island attempting to row to India but landing up in the Rangoon river, were captured and joined us in the camp. It was amazing some of the things we did to amuse ourselves. One of them was to play the children's game of 'do or dare'. In playing this one of the Aussies who was about 6'3" in height had to stand on a stone edifice stark naked as a dare professing to be Eros.

The Japs decided to set up a sort of netball court. A party was organised to go to a local high school to bring back the netball posts which were constructed from a very heavy teak and had to be manhandled for the mile or so to the jail. When set up the Japs formed a team to play us. The only thing was that they had a different set of rules and their game was much like rugby whereas we were not allowed to tackle them.

We had to attend Tenko (roll-call) every day and we rapidly learned to count in Japanese as we had to call out, numbering in Japanese. One day a Scottish regiment were numbering and when it got to No. 7, which in Japanese is 'hichi', the Scot pronounced it 'hechi' which appeared to be the nearest he could get to the Japanese word because of his accent. The Japanese guard exploded, yelled bugaro at him (stupid) and knocked him about. The following day the same thing happened so an Englishman was drafted in to No. 7 to counter this.

On one working party a hefty Jap, proficient in martial arts, picked on an Irish prisoner who had recently lost his twin brother and commenced to throw him all over the place, not ceasing until lunchtime. After lunch he continued the treatment until the end of the working day. This was about ten hours in duration. When the young chap returned to the camp his mind had completely gone. For fear of what the Japs might do to him this was kept secret.

When he attended Tenko he was positioned in the back row and one day he broke ranks, went out to the camp commandant, shouting "I want a word with you" and his cover was blown. The Japs then put him in solitary confinement with a big Korean on guard. One day a meal of rice was handed in to him on a plate which he took to the tin used as a latrine, the contents of which he poured onto the plate. The Jap watched apparently expecting him to eat it standing at the bars of the gate. He received the contents in his face to his surprise.

Later, when the prisoners were released, he boarded the hospital ship taking the released prisoners to Calcutta and refused to get dressed — walking about everywhere naked. I doubt if he ever recovered his mind.

A most exacting task was performed in the wood yard shifting large lengths of teak to load onto lorries and taken to various workplaces. It was very heavy and dangerous work, taking all our strength to lift these onto our shoulders and having to drop them, jumping aside on either side of the teak beam. It required very good co-ordination. This was particularly difficult because of our lack of bodily strength as our average weight was six stone.

We went out on a working party at some distance away and were transported by a short-sided lorry; the party filling the lorry standing and holding on to each other to remain on the lorry. After a day's work we returned in the lorry still clinging on to each other except that one man had ceased to hold on and was flung into the path of a following vehicle which ran over him. Recognition was impossible but he was identified by a distinctive cap that he wore. On return to the camp we were greeted by the chap who had loaned his hat to the deceased prisoner!

The officers in the camp had a particularly bad beating up from the Japs, for some unknown reason, ending with them being ordered to face each other and beat each other up. On one occasion, after the bombers had been over and killed the guard, one officer made a comment that yesterday's bombing was very, very good to a Japanese corporal whose best friend had been killed in that bombing. For some weeks after, the corporal came and asked for the captain to be brought to him, stood him to attention and slapped him repeatedly.