大象传媒

This story has been submitted to the People's War website by Jean Holmes of the Lancshome guard on behalf of Jack Booth and added to the site with his permission.

I travelled out to the Far East on the so-called hell ships. We were packed like sardines below deck for four days. Temperatures reached 140掳F. We were allowed ten minutes fresh air each day.

I was taken prisoner at Singapore in October 1943 and sent to work on the Burmese railway. Previously I worked in Saigon, working on the docks loading ships. It was hard work, but not as bad as working on the railway. There, the men died like flies. I carry a roll of honour in my wallet of the 57 men in my battery who died in the war. Of these, 32 died as prisoners of war.

There were no medical supplies and lots of us got badly bitten by insects in the jungle. Mine went septic and I got what we called jungle ulcers which were eating away at both legs. The medical officer told me I had five minutes to make up my mind. Have my legs amputated or be buried in a rice sack. They had some anaesthetic but it was a bit hit and miss. Some men never woke up from the operation. Mine didn鈥檛 take at all and four men held me down while I lost my legs. Only two of us survived amputation. I have no idea why I survived when so many others died. I passed the time making shoes out of old tyres for men who had no shoes.

The atomic bomb saved us. The Japanese had no intention of ever letting us get out alive. When people ask me if I feel bitter I have to say that I would have been happy if there had been fifty atomic bombs.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.