大象传媒

Part two of an edited oral history interview with Mr. Ronald Turner about his experiences as a P.O.W. of the Japanese in Thailand. The interview was conducted by Jenny Ford on behalf of Bedford Museum.

鈥淲ell, time went on and I don鈥檛 know how but we did hear that the European war had finished. Well the Chinese, those of Chinese blood as it were, the Thai鈥檚 they weren鈥檛 so, but anybody connected with the Chinese they were good to us. Because obviously the Japanese where in China and the Japanese were very cruel to the Chinese from about 1936 so they used to help in any way possible because they were working as well you see, they came up from Malaya. They were separated from us.

But there used to be rumours, the European war and that used to be over every three months! And then it was! When the war ended in Europe we had to dig big trenches, not all camps but in our camp, we could have driven a mini car up and all the dirt was put up on the outside and there were pill boxes at the corners. The Japs used to say, 鈥楢mericano鈥檚 come and you go in the trenches鈥� and they would shoot us, they used to tell us that. Fortunately they never had the opportunity. That鈥檚 why I say and many others, they should have dropped one or two more bombs and then asked the questions. But everyone鈥檚 who is of the younger generation don鈥檛 see it that way - who had no idea of what went on.

But anyway we did hear that the war had finished against the Japanese 鈥� well I was working and I heard a Jap Sergeant say to two Chinese 鈥楥ensure finish.鈥� I think some word like censure is war in Japanese and I heard him say this and then rumour got through and then it was officially announced. And Mountbatten ordered them, well our people, where I was - to get us down to Bangkok and we flew from Bangkok to Rangoon, we had a month in Rangoon. Then we got onto a boat called the SS Worcestershire. Well, the P.O.W.s went to different places. Some went to Australia, some went over to America I鈥檝e heard since, but that鈥檚 where we went, we were flown up to Rangoon.

They sent in lots and lots of boats in and around Singapore and the injured and unwell were taken on Red Cross boats. Another pal of ours, the first day we were free we caught a duck and we plucked it and cut it up and fried it in coconut oil, I do remember that. But I can鈥檛 remember exactly how long we were waiting to go to Bangkok because they used to drop food down by parachute. When we were in Rangoon they treated us, we were met by Lord Mountbatten and General Bill Slim and we had sliced peaches and custard! We鈥檇 had three and a half years on rice we couldn鈥檛 straight away go on roast beef and Yorkshire puddings.

The Japanese vanished, although it was their responsibility to provide transport to get us down to Bangkok because we were quite a few miles from Bangkok and they did have to do that. Any other little details I can鈥檛 remember it being so long ago. But I know we did that. Everyone was elated naturally! As I say, I was younger than a lot because I still am the youngest of what was our Bedford and District P.O.W. Association. Our oldest member is 91 and I鈥檓 still 84 you see so I was only fairly young. We had about a month in Rangoon and then we got on the Worcestershire and came home to Liverpool. As they were at that time of day the dockers were on strike so we had to bring our own kit off the boat at Liverpool. They were always on strike at that time of day!

Well, we were sorted out 鈥� different trains where you should go and then we came into Bedford St.John鈥檚 station because there were quite a few from this area as you know. Met by my family because I鈥檇 already sent a telegram, met by my family. Yes, that was wonderful! But as I say you never, I mean it was always 鈥� when we get home but many poor souls didn鈥檛. 140,000 I think they said had died or were killed.

And then after four months I had to go into Bedford Hospital on Gifford Nash ward for a kidney operation. My wife was a young Sister there then. And while I was in there I heard that a Korean guard called 鈥楾he Undertaker鈥� who I had been hit by several times had been sentenced to death for war crimes so of course that helped me to get better a bit quicker. Anyway, I recovered from that and we鈥檝e been married 54 years!

I was in Queen Mary鈥檚 in Roehampton twice and I was in Woolwich Military Hospital on another occasion because they used to do these TDIs, Tropical Disease Investigations in Ely. And the Chief was on the TV programme last night and he said they still found worms after 40 years in some men. Every so often you could go up to TDIs. There was one at Liverpool, various ones throughout the country but there is only about two now I think for Tropical Diseases.

And the Burma Star we always have a Service, the Burma Star P.O.W.s - on the 15th August when the Japs finished although we didn鈥檛 know until the 17th.鈥�

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