大象传媒

Palembang 1944

March Rations - a small piece of soap each - the first for months! Only one green
bean per head! Still no meat. Local
people tore up some of our railings
for firewood. The guards angry.
7th Margot caught a chicken!
9th Rations worse. Eating Kangkong (water
spinach) stalks thrown out by the
Dutch. Have done so for months - now
even they are eating them.
13th Fainted again. Seen Dr.Goldberg. Am to
have complete rest for one week.
16th Several Japs came round the camp.26
people from Block 6 to move out and
make room for 20 policemen.We were all
squeezed up closer than ever. We are
now to be handed over to the military.
Goon Sai Boon no longer our protector!
All had to go outside to be checked. I
am counted amongst the sick so lay
down outside. All the others had to
stand in the hot sun, most were
collapsing when the Japs had finished
checking everyone. Hardly any wood.
23rd Another check of every individual in
camp. This took two hours. Changing of
the guard at 8:00. Exit of police.
Just heard the latest order. Tengko
(roll call) at 6:30 to be followed by
grass cutting in the compound. A Jap
General or Governor came round. Jennie
ill and Mary Jenkin getting swollen
ankles again.
April
3rd Palm Sunday! Sacks of maize arive.
Trying to find the easiest way to cook
it! Find that by pounding it into
course flour is the best way, but very
hard work. It is old stock and full of
weevils, normally used for pigs! I am
developing tummy trouble again, but
have had 6 weeks respite. More trouble
over people not wanting to cut grass -
it has now been decided that each
morning 8 people must cut grass for an
hour.
5th A few toys arrive for the children - I
wonder what will happen next.
6th Greatest excitement for two years!
British women from Djambi arrived,
including Netta Smith a nursing sister
and friend of Jennie MacAlister, also
Dr.Thomson and some Eurasians. There
are rumours that many more internees
are coming to join us.
7th Shelagh has fever again. Mary Jenkin
looking very tired and I feel as weak
as before my rest cure.
9th Easter Sunday. We got up a concert in
spite of having little energy. The
Japs gave us a tin of meat, which was
shared by the eight of us. It was
given as a prize for an item in the
concert entitled 'A Musical Market'
and I sang 'Cockles and Mussels'.
Great logs of wood sent in for us to
chop. Everyone is so tired. There are
few axes and these are blunt and the
handles are coming off.
20th Hitler's birthday. Capt Siki visited
us. Beef arrived, the first meat
ration since September, just enough
for a tiny stew. New order - six
people from each block to do four
hours gardening daily. After much talk
it was decided that each group could
have a plot to look after. Have been
out to clear ground ready for seeds.
27th I sold my gold watch - hope to get
some extras to eat if possible. Latest
order: have to go outside the barbed
wire and into the road to cut the
grass verges. Felt very weak the rest
of the day. The first parang (type of
sickle) I was given broke, then my
tromper fell into a flithy drain. I
got covered in mud getting it out.
Praise be the water in the wash room
was still on, so able to bathe and
wash my hair and clothes. We were told
that it was difficult to get coolies
in Palembang, so we must now sweep the
roads etc. Capt. Siki informed us that
there would be no repatriation until
the end of the war and that our living
conditions cannot be improved.
May
3rd Mrs.Colley ill. Mrs.MacLelland died.
5th Chickens with the rations! One small
chicken for 14 of us. I was the cook
for our group and stewed the bird for
midday and had the soup at night.
After not tasting chicken for over
two years a 1/14th of a small bird
seemed a feast for the gods! What
treats we have in store when we
eventually get free! Another Jap came
round and we had to stand in the
blazing sun for ages and bow to him as
he inspected us.
7th Fresh fish arrived - they were still
alive - it is several months since we
had any - these must be river or mud
fish as they have long feelers on
their heads.
11th Mrs.Curran Sharp died. I ate chopped
banana skins for the first time, which
helped to fill a corner. The fruit of
the bananas were given to the sick.
Every day fresh orders from the Japs
about gardening and grass cutting. Am
getting used to being a road coolie
and now understand why they spend half
their time sharpening their parangs!
The last time I went out, poor Maudie
Hilton cut three blades of grass and
then her finger.
18th Several planes in the air and alerts
sounded but still no news. Fifty more
Dutch and Indonesians arrived from the
camp in Djambi. We are now to have
communal cooking. All our small
fireplaces must be removed and the
bricks used to build large fireplaces.
No help was given us but some of the
Dutch helped us, they worked like
beavers and by the next day it was
done.
19th Another batch of people from Djambi
and 43 more from T.Karang - many of
them are nuns. Capt Siki gave us a
talk with an interpreter about fire
precautions and air raids - so we are
all optimistic. Some eggs came with
the rations - one for every 12 people.
Getting very short of water as the
well is almost dry. No rain and it is
very hot. Hardly any vegetables sent
in to us. A few people allowed
outside the camp to go along the road
with a guard in search of edible
plants. Weed soup! For the first time
the Japs seem really anxious about the
food shortage.
June
11th A samll wild boar brought into camp -
the bully guard stole a leg off it,
the rest made into stew and much
enjoyed, although only about 1oz of
meat per person. There are now 594
people in the camp. There is a
flourishing 'Black Market' here, some
of the local guards (known as heyhaws)
chat to the Indonesians and the Dutch,
for high prices they purchase goods
for them. They also buy local
cigarettes and sell them at a profit.
Alice Rossie and some of the others
long for a cigarette- am thankful I've
never been keen on smoking.
14th Lucky Day! We had an egg and a piece
of pineapple each!
19th Sally Oldham died - she was a middle
aged missionary - very Lancashire,
although she had spent years with the
Chinese in Singapore she could only
speak English. She was a simple soul
without much education, with the
result she did not get on well with
the other missionaries. Very hot and
no rain, the ground is as hard as
stone. Every day workers are sent out
with chunkels (a type of hoe) and
picks. The whole padang is to be
cultivated with sweet potatoes and ubi
kayu (Tapioca root) and now even the
ground outside by the barbed wire is
to be dug up.
24th Latest camp job, manuring the sweet
potatos with the contents of the
septic tank.When the rice is brought
in, all the sacks have been
tampered with, someone is stealing
it before they arrive here. Any report
to the authorities only makes matters
worse. Everyone is getting thinner and
weaker, I am trying to fill up by
drinking water.
July
3rd One month's sugar rations arrived 3
tablespoons. Sometimes a few eggs come
but Dr.Goldberg claims most of them
for the sick. One day there was a
horrible stink just outside the part
of the dormitory where Mary and I
slept. The guard let us go by the
barbed wire and as we were searching
round, Fatty (the Jap officer) walked
past us - he was wearing yellow silk
pyjamas - we did not notice him until
he had gone by as we had had our backs
to him. When we returned to the guard
room we were shouted at and made to
stand in the hot sun for an hour -
because we had not bowed to Fatty!
4th Felt ill and fainted again. The Japs
complain that the children pull faces
and laugh at them. More threats to cut
rations. Mackenzie ill with dysentry.
19th Still no rain - water ration reduced.
Baby Darling died very suddenly.
27th Grace Guer died. She had only been ill
four days- a great shock to us all.
She was young and pretty and had kept
fairly fit. A high official visited
the camp so we had to do up the
dormitories and sweep the road.
31st Capt Siki made a speech - the black
market must stop - we continue to work
hard and we must obey all orders.
Squads now go out to the water hydrant
1/4 mile away and fill up tins,
buckets etc. Sometimes we are allowed
to use the water for cooking but often
the Japs insist that we water the
sweet potato plants with it. This is
infuriating as this water is clean and
we have to use muddy well water to
cook and bathe with.
August
4th Genuine air raid in the distance. The
Japs very exited. The Dutch as usual
expect to leave here any day. Shelagh
Brown is ill with malaria. All the
missionaries ill - Mischa has
diahoraea and vomitting. I was on duty
so had a hectic time looking after
them all.
7th Fresh fish arrived - they were still
alive - it is several months since we
had any - these must be river or mud
fish as they have long feelers on
their heads.
11th Mrs Curran Sharp died. I ate chopped
banana skins for the first time, which
helped to fill a corner, the fruit of
the bananas goes to the sick. Every
day fresh orders from the Japs about
gardening and grass cutting. I am
getting used to being a road coolie
and now understand why they spend half
their time sharpening their parangs!
18th Several planes in the air and alerts
sounded, but still no news. 50 more
Dutch and Indonesians arrived from a
camp in Djambi. We are now to have
communal coking, all our small fire-
places must be removed and large ones
built from the bricks.

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