大象传媒

The mosquitoes on the Manipur Road were fierce and full of various types of malaria. The incubation period was between one and three weeks. A few miles from milestone 105, a particularly virulent type of mosquito transmitted malignant cerebral malaria, which can kill without hardly a warning sign.

Malaria gave you a temperature of 104F or 105F every second day, and the fever lasted between five and seven hours. At first, you felt hot and flushed and your temperature went up. When the fever broke you sweated profusely.

Shortly after we arrived at the rest camp, I felt weak and sick. My surroundings began to recede and become more and more unreal. I passed out and was picked up off the floor. My next recollection was of waking up on a stretcher in an ambulance bumping along a track full of potholes. 鈥淲hat hit me?鈥� I asked. 鈥淣othing鈥�, I was told. 鈥淵ou just keeled over. You鈥檝e got a dose of malaria. - now just lie still鈥�.

I was unloaded at a Jungle Field Hospital near Dimapur and lay on a camp bed feeling 鈥榣ousy鈥� next to others in a bamboo 鈥榖asha鈥� (hut) with a thatched roof and split cane walls which had been whitewashed on the interior. Much to my surprise, I was attended to by a Queen Alexandra nurse, who I learnt later was one of two who had courageously volunteered to help the overworked Indian staff to run the Field Hospital.

I remember, in my weak state, that there was a shortage of bedpans, and I was most upset that the rats had eaten my soap during the first night. I was in the hospital for three weeks, and was very thankful to be discharged as it was very 鈥榖asic鈥� and understaffed.

I arrived back at 鈥楥鈥� company headquarters to hear that the Brigade was being entertained on the next day by an E.N.S.A. show before packing up to start once again pursuing the Japanese. So much for my 鈥榬est period鈥�!

It was after we had left the jungles of Assam, and advanced into the plains of Central Burma, that we were warned of the dangers of Scrub Typhus. This was another source of fever. This was transmitted by a small mite, that lived on the tips of the long grasses and leapt on anyone passing by! Scrub Typhus could result in a serious illness and perhaps death.

Such is the perils of fighting a war in conditions which, at the best, can be described as appalling!

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