大象传媒

Then came a week's notice of another regimental move. This time we were to go across the road beside an old railway crossing. not far from the cemetery. By now we had made our quarters fairly comfortable and were sorry to have to move again.

On the morning of the twentieth of September, we never heard why, the Japs paraded us to be weighed and measured. Some thought they were going to put us on a ship for Japan, and wanted to know how many the ship would hold!

Two days later we moved into our new quarters. I spent the first morning paving the mess floor with some slabs we found in a derelict building; in the evening we went to the camp concert as our turn had come round, and saw an excellent performance of "I Killed the Count".

Sport began to take an important part in our lives at this point, especially sports which did not need specialized equipment. Any with special skills were encouraged to lead the different groups. Someone persuaded me, against my better judgment, to turn out for hurdling; however my short legs were not made for leaping (except when under machine gun fire!), and I was not asked again, as I caused too many repair jobs on the home-made bamboo hurdles.

Until now I had no close friend or 'mucker' in the mess, but on September the twenty-sixth it was announced on our battalion orders notice board that Cpl. (Jimmy) Hume had been promoted to acting Lance Sergeant. Many of our Senior N.C.O.s (non-commissioned officers), had been lost during the fighting, and it was felt that there were now insufficient to maintain the high standard of discipline that the Old Man required. Several other acting appointments were also made at this time.

Jimmy was just about the best all-round sportsman in the regiment, a beautiful footballer, one of our best cricketers, and back home, a good billiards player. I was neither good at nor interested in any of these games, yet he and I struck up a friendship, sharing all we had until separated in Thailand, first by sickness, and finally, when Jimmy was sent off by ship to Japan.

We contracted many strange diseases as prisoners, and as we did not know the correct name for them they were all designated 'Changi' something or other. We had everything from 'Changi Ear' to 'Changi' unmentionables. I now contracted 'Changi Ear' which consisted of little boils right inside, and until they burst a week or so later they were very painful.

On the ninth of October, as I was returning from the sea loaded with salt water for our cooks, the news that there was another Red Cross ship in Singapore harbor was bruited abroad; it was said that we really were going to get a fair share of the loot this time. Two days later it materialized, sugar, gee (clarified and sterilized butter), lentils, jam, biscuits, bully beef, tinned meat and vegetable stew and condensed milk.

We held a meeting in the mess to decide whether to issue out the tins individually or to give them to the cooks to improve our general rations; in the end we decided to issue all the tinned milk individually, together with half the sugar and biscuits. The remainder went to the cookhouse. Our sergeants' meals now became comparatively good, although I noticed that the men's food did not show much sign of improvement.

Although we always drew the same rations as the men, in Changi, the difference in the end product was often surprising. The cooks in the huge men's cookhouse seemed unable to take the same pride and trouble over the food as did ours, who were cooking for only a couple of dozen. Also much of the food often seemed to 'evaporate' before it reached the plate, and that was why there were so many calls for change of staff. Apart from a few weeks in Chunkai, Changi was the only camp I was in where sergeants messed separately from the men.

Up to the this time, I had written up my diary in pencil each day, as, although I had a pen, I had no ink. Now I found an indelible pencil, thrown away because it had split in halves. Dissolving the core of this in water to make myself a bottle of ink, I re-wrote everything with my pen, and carried on with it until it ran out when we reached Chunkai in Thailand.

Apart from lectures on my special subject of weapon-training (before capture), I had never given talks on any subject. Now, however, I began to speak regularly to groups in the sick-bay, to help them pass away the time. I found, to my surprise, that I seemed to be able to find plenty to say about almost anything, whether familiar with the subject or not, filling the many gaps in my knowledge with conjecture.

My audience did not seem to mind, and I found myself much in demand. Among other subjects I remember lecturing on socialism, evolution, building, religion, and my experiences in the Independent Companies, (which later became merged into Commandos). Things were so dull and monotonous for the sick, lying in their hut all day, that it did not take a great deal to entertain them.

I personally found life a bit more bearable now that I had a 'mucker', and it was also convenient, while the Red Cross food lasted, to open one tin between the two of us, since food only kept for a few hours, once opened.

Jimmy was of a quiet and steady temperament, whereas I believe that I am rather more of the 'scratch and claw' type, a bit impatient and sometimes prone to fly off the handle when things do not go quite as I think they should. Jimmy put up with me very well. Although our friendship really began from expediency, we soon became firm friends.

Ever since I found the slab of Dunlopillo foam from inside a vehicle seat at the River Valley dump, I had slept on this, and far more comfortably than most of the other men. As it was thicker than I really needed, so I now split it into two thinner pieces and we slept on half each. Jimmy gave me half his blanket as I only had a sack up until then, and we pooled our cash, taking it in turns to hold the purse. He was to prove a great source of strength to me during the difficult months that were soon to come.

Our guards now blithely informed us that they were going to cease feeding us and that we were to grow our own food. As I had more experience of working under the Japs than most of the other N.C.O.s, I was given a ten-man gardening party, and reported to the guardhouse with them.

Moving off in the pouring rain, we were first taken into the vicinity of Changi jail (where Sikhs were guarding civilian prisoners), there to be issued with chunkels, axes, shovels and machetes.

Chunkels were to become familiar tools; as the workers out there do not wear shoes, they cannot use spades. The chunkel is a kind of heavy hoe with a blade the size of a spade; it is used in the manner of a pick-axe, for digging.

The area where we were told to make our garden was behind the jail. It comprised eighty acres of rubber plantation; the Japs told us to start work, and sat down to watch us. Needless to say, by the the end of the day not much impression had been made.

With the native tools, it had taken all our time to fell three of the large rubber trees and to dig the roots out. Again, we found that the water table was only just below the surface, and wondered how vegetables would grow in the mud, even if we did eventually manage to remove all the trees.

Returning from our gardening party, we found that fresh rumours were circulating; this time it was said that parties were about to be sent overseas. Although none did in fact go while I was there, it was not to be long before some left for Thailand (never to return to Changi), and half of us were to remain buried there. It was this night that my ducks, as mentioned earlier on, disappeared down into the culvert.

I had just about rigged up my new sleeping quarters satisfactorily, when I was ordered out of them, to make room for a Regimental Sergeant-Major, (R.S.M.) who was to join us from the Gordon Highlanders. I had to move out to share a tent with two others.

When he arrived he proved to be an old soldier of the spit and polish type, six feet three in height, and complete with waxed mustache; in fact a typical regular army 'Sarmajor'. I hoped he was uncomfortable on the bed I had only just completed from scraps gathered from the various rubbish heaps.

It transpired that the Old Man had arranged for this chap to be transferred to us to try to tighten our discipline even further. In time I was able to see through the 'bull' to the very sound man that was behind the appearence of that tall Scot.

Chapter 21

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