大象传媒

My father, Jack, went to live in Singapore in 1936 with my mother. When the war broke out in Europe it didn't affect them too much. I was born in July 1941 but in December of that year war with Japan was declared.

By Christmas it was decided that in view of the Japanese advance, the Malay Peninsula wives and children should be evacuated on a voluntary basis. My mother and I left for Australia in January with just one suitcase each. Two days later the Japanese carried out a bombing raid and my father found that two men in his battery had been killed and several injured. The Japs landed on Singapore Island on 8th February 1942. He was not allowed to fire guns against land targets as it was possible the Japanese Navy might attack. On the 8th February they were given targets to engage and they continued nonstop until midnight on the 13th February Jack's bridadier told him to destroy his guns. My father asked to continue firing and was given permission so long as the guns did not fall into enemy hands. They stopped firing at 5 a.m. on the 14th February as the gun detachments were completely exhausted and there was very little ammunition left. He gave orders for the guns to be blown up.

The purpose of Coast Defence Guns was to prevent a Naval attack and they were 100% successful and Jack's Battery also fired at land targets.

On the 13th February the last of the Navy and Air Force left with several nurses. Approximataely 40 ships left but most were sunk in the Banka Straits.

Singapore capitulated on the 15th February and Jack heard the news just after midnight. He told the troops and they thought that they were all P.O.W.s then and ranks no longer mattered. They then went all over the Island collecting whatever they could for themselves. My father stoppped this by getting them all on parade, dividing them into squads, each with an NCO in charge, and giving each a job to do.

On the 25th February, my father's CO, his Adjutant and a Japanese Lieutenant Colonel arrived to give them instructions on their future movements. He did not wish to salute the Japanese officer so met him bare headed but was promptly told to bow to him!

Two days later they crossed to Singapore Island by launch and marched to Changi in north east Singapore. It took them 9.5 hours to cover 15 miles, it was hot and humid and they were all very heavily laden. Jack wore 3 canvas packs and carried a kit bag, He took with him a blanket, mosquito net, spare clothes, boots and shoes, soap, food cigarettes, mess tin, knife, fork and spoon.

Changi was wired in and divided into large areas. They were guarded by Sikhs who had joined the Indian National Army. They settled in a routine with lectures, concerts, plays, discussion groups and playing bridge etc.

On the 24th October my father with a large party set off to Thailand. They had 5 days and nights in the train - 30 to each luggage van. They couldn't all lay down at the same time as the metal sides of the vans could not be touched because by day they were too hot and by night were too cold.

The Japanese wished to improve the communications between Thailand and Burma and decided to build a road and railway.

After completion of the railway in October 1943 the workload decreased and they lived in the jungle doing maintenance work on the railway and doing camp chores.

During this time cards could be received from home. They were limited to 25 words and arrived in batches of 3 or 4, none of them less than a year old. My father was allowed to send one card with 25 words in June 1942 and my mother received it in July 1943. He sent four further cards during the rest of his time as POW.

The Japanese allowed them to have news sheets pinned up on notice boards but in Thailand two brothers ran an illicit wireless set and the news was passed on to all Officers. They did this even though a Subaltern of my father and an RASC Captain had been beaten to death because they were suspected of working a wireless set.

Their food was mostly rice but they didn't have very much. In the early days in Changi they had some tinned food and one tin of corned beef helped 32 of them get the rice down. In Thailand they just had stewed vegetables in the rice.

Many suffered ill health through malnutrition. Dysentry was the first killer, cholera outbreaks were not uncommon and Malaria probably killed most. Tropical ulcers were very painful and could be enormous. For some the only cure was to amputate the leg at the knee.

The POWs managed to retain a sense of humour and my father mentioned several instances when a practical joke or story had been shared.

Treatment by the Japanese was not good. Bashing with fists or sticks was pretty general. One of the first jobs my father did after the surrender was to bury about 60 Chinese men and women. The Indian troops said burying bodies was against their religion but Jack told them digging holes was not!

The soldiers were paid for each day's work but nothing if they were sick. The Officers were paid in accordance with the Geneva Convention except that deductions were made from their pay for food and accommodation, a reserve account so that there would be some money for their dependents if they didn't survive and a sick fund, at their request, so that food could be bought for the sick. After the deductions they were left with about 10/- a month.

In February 1945 they returned to base camps. Officers and other ranks separated. In August they heard rumours of the end of the war with Japan and when these were confirmed they moved to Bangkok Aerodrome. On the 20th September 1945 my father sailed for home.

My father was always adamant that if it had not been for the atom bomb they would all have been shot down with machine guns. The Japanese plans for this were found later.

Jack insisted he did not hate the Japs. He said they had missed 150 years of civilization and he was sure that prisoners of war in the days of Nelson or Wellington would not have been treated much better.

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