Notebook relating to the service of Major Charles Patrick Tracey, 1942-1944 - Part 2

For Mercy, Courage, Kindness, Mirth,

There is no measure upon earth.

May, they wither, root and stem,

If an end be set to them.

 

Overbrim and overflow,

If your own heart you would know;

For the spirit born to bless,

Lives best in its own excess

Laurence Binyon

 

Lose this day loitering, 'twill be the same story,

Tomorrow, and the next more dilatory,

For indecision brings its own delays

and days are lost, lamenting o'er lost days.

Are you in earnest? Seize this very minute,

What you can do, or think you can, begin it

only engage, and then the mind grows heated.

Begin it and the work will be completed.

Goethe.

 

He either fears his fate too much,

or his deserts are small,

That dares not put it to the touch,

To gain or lose it all.

Earl of Montrose.

 

Man with his burning soul

Has but an hour of breath

To build a ship of truth

In which his soul may sail -

Sail on the Sea of Death

For Death takes toll

of beauty, courage, youth

of all but truth.

John Masefield

Philip the King.

TO-DAY

For all we have and are,

For all our children's fate,

Stand up and meet the War.

The Hun is at the gate!

Our world has pass'd away

In wantonness o'er thrown.

There is nothing left today

But steel and fire and stone

Though all we knew depart.

The old commandments stand:

"In courage keep your heart,

In strength lift up your hand."

 

Once more we hear the word

That sickened earth of old:

"No law except the sword

unsheathed and uncontrolled";

Once more it knits mankind,

Once more the nations go

To meet and break and bind

A crazed and driven foe.

 

Comfort, content, delight, -

The ages slow bought gain,

They shrivel'd in a night,

Only ourselves remain

To face the naked days

In silent fortitude

Through perils and dismays

Renew'd and re-renew'd.

Though all we made depart,

The old Commandments stand:

"In patience keep your heart,

In strength lift up your hands.

No easy hopes or lies

Shall bring us to our goal,

But iron sacrifice

Of body, will, and soul.

There is but one task for all-

For each one life to give.

Who stands if Freedom fall?

Who dies if England live?

Rudyard Kipling

Before Agincourt.

Foe he today that sheds his blood with me

Shall be my brother: be he ne'er so vile,

This day shall gentle his condition:

And Gentlemen in England now abed

Shall hold themselves accursed they were not here,

And hold their manhood cheap whiles any speaks

That fought with us upon St Crispins day.

Wm Shakespeare (Henry V)

-----------------------------------------

Arm yourselves, and be ye men of valour,

and be in readiness for the conflict; for it

is better for us to perish in battle than to

look upon the outrage of our nation and

our altars. As the will of God is in heaven,

even so let him do.

Church Collect, "Accingimini."

-----------------------------------------

To Bombing Raiders

How are ye blind,

Ye treaders down of cities, ye that cast

Temples to desolation, and lay waste

Tombs, the untrodden sanctuaries where lie

The ancient dead: yourselves so soon to die!

Euripides, (The Trojan Women)

--------------------------------------

Cargoes.

Quinquereme of Mineveh from distant Ophir 

Rowing home to haven in sunny Palestine,

With a cargo of ivory

and apes and peacocks.

Sandlewood, cedarwood, and sweet white wine.

 

Stately Spanish galleon coming from the Isthmus,

Dipping through the Tropics by the palm-green shores 

With a cargo of diamonds.

Emeralds and amethysts,

Topazes, and cinnamon, and gold moidores.

 

Dirty British coaster with a salt coated smoke-stack

Cutting through the channel in the mad March days

With a cargo of Tyne coal,

Road tails, pig lead,

Firewood, dinnerware, and cheap tin trays.

John Maxfield.

 

A wet sheet and a flowing sea,

And a wind that follows fast,

And fills the white and rustling sail,

And bends the gallant mast;

And bends the gallant mast, my boys ,

which, like the eagle free

Away the good ship flies, and leaves

Old England on the lee.

............................................................

Oh, for a soft and gentle wind!

I heard a fair one cry;

But give to me the snorting breeze,

and white waves heaving high;

and white waves heaving high, my boys,

the good ship tight and free -

The world of waters is our home,

and merry men are we

...................................................................

There's tempest in yon horn'ed moon,

And lightning in your cloud:

And hark the music, mariners!

The wind is piping loud:

The wind is piping loud, my boys

The lightning flashing free,

While the hollo oak our palace is,

our heritage the sea

Allan Cunningham

-----------------------------------

The Fighting Timiraine

 

There's a far bell ringing

At the setting of the sun,

And a phantom voice is singing

of the great days done.

There's a far bell ringing,

and a phantom voice is singing

of renown for ever clinging

To the great days done

 

Now the sunset breezes shiver,

Timiraine! Timiraine!

And she's fading down the river

Timiraine! Timiraine!

 

Now the sunset breezes shiver

And she's fading down the river,

But in Englands song for ever

She's the Fighting Timiraine

Sir Henry Newbolt.

 

You may well have a greater prince,

but you shall never have a more

loving prince.

Queen Elizabeth addressing the 

citizens of London

149

Lieut Fukuda    30.5.43

Camp Supervisor

Following on yesterday the submission

of a memorandum signed by myself

Majs Tracey & Anderson & SMO. Mg Hunt

I now submit an extract of a report

received today from the S.M.O.

"During the past 24 hrs the medical situation

has gone from bad to worse. 447 men

attended sick pde today. Of these only 190

are fit for very light work. 183 have been

excused all work. about 25 new cholera

cases have been admitted about 50 new

patients have been admitted to the Gen Hosp.

Of the above adms 10 have been nurses & the

supply of nurses is almost exhausted.

In view of the above and the generally

debilitated condition of the so called "fit"

men, it is obvious from the medical point of

view that the present cessation of road &

railway work must continue indefinitely.

Fewer & fewer men are available every day

for work and within a few days there will

only be sufficient work fit men available

to maintain essential camp services and

to nurse the sick" Signed Bruce Hunt. Maj

 

The figures quoted in this report only

refer to the result of todays sick pde.

The present camp sickness position is as

follows.

Total men in Hosp- Cholera 114

                                      Others  240

       "      '           unfit for duty   183

         "     "  fit for very light duty  190

         "     " on hospital staff            116

                                                            843

It will be seen from these figures

that the cholera epidemic is showing

no improvement yet, but on the other hand

sickness generally has become more prevel.

due to the high incidence of fever.

Thus the recommendations outlined in

yesterdays mem. is being justified by

continued evidence of deterioration in the

health of POWS in the camp & in the circs

it is considered to be of extreme urgency

that the cessation of work - from both the

position of the work in camp & the ultimate

requirements of the work itself in FIT men-

be continued indefinitely.

xxxxxxxxx   Maj.

 

O/C    29.5.43

Shino Sonkurai Camp

The medical situation in this camp is

extremely grave & is becoming worse

every hour. At the present moment cholera

is raging - there have been 37 deaths (by 2.6.43

total deaths 63) & over 90 patients in hospital -

new cases are occuring at the rate of more

than 25 daily. Dysentery is still a very

serious problem and men are so debilitated

from prolonged dysentery or diarrhoea that

they will be many weeks before they are fit

for any form of work; meanwhile their

resistance to cholera or any other disease is

seriously impaired. Malaria is rapidly

increasing and we anticipate that within

a week or two there will be hundreds 

of sufferers.

Taking the situation as a whole it is

our anticipation that within one month a

week or two there will be hundreds of sufferers,

one month there will NOT be 250 men in this

camp fit to do a days work. The reason

for this situation are that the men in this

camp have been subjected to treatment

which is wrong for any civilised nation

to inflict on its POWS.

In detail:

(i) The men before leaving Changi were

weakened by dysentery and deficiency

diseases (beri-beri & Pellagra?) and were

in NO condition to withstand infectious

diseases.

(ii) An assurance was given by the I.J.A. at

changi to Comd A.I.F. at Changi that food

would be better here than in Changi and

that tps would NOT have to march from

the railway to their destination neither of

these promises have been kept. Relying on

the second promise many men totally

unfit to march were included in the Force -

Very many of these are now in hospital -

some have died.

(iii) The hygiene of the camp on the road was

appalling and hundreds of men were successively

infected by dysentery, by malaria, and

finally by cholera - the present tradgedy is

the result.

(iv) The conditions of marching were extremely

arduous and in some cases unwarrantably

mad. Still men were driven out onto the

road night after night, in some cases

with high fever or dysentery. As a result

when men arrived here they were

completely exhausted.

(v) After arrival men were put in an unhygenic

badly situated camp, roofless, and with very

bad latrine accomodation; all conditions

ideal for the spread of disease were present &

disease has in consequence, rapidly spread -

your own report that 53 positive results for

cholera were found in about 500 men apparently

healthy men shows how rapidly and wildly

the spread took place.

(vi) No adequate rest was given to men nor was

any assistance given to requests for help. On

the contrary men were sent out to work and

kept out of camp 12-13 hrs a day in pouring

rain conditions typical NOT to the honourable 

treatment of POWS but of slave labour.

At the present moment (approx)

37 men are dead of cholera

95 in hospital with cholera

250 "     "            other diseases

140 excused duty on account of sickness.

and many of these would be in hospital

if there was enough room, drugs & nurses.

150 men are so weakened by illness that

they are only fit for light duty.

120 men are being (or have been) used in the care

of the sick - of these 30 have already become as sick

as to have been admitted to hospital. Thus about

500 men out of 2000 have been invalids or have been

required to nurse the sick within 14 days of the

arrival of the tps in this camp - and the number is 

likely to increase rapidly.

In view of the above facts we demand:

1. That this document be forwarded to the rep. of the

 International Red Cross in BANKOK or RANGOON.

2. That all work shall cease, NOT for 3 days, but

indefinitely until the recent cholera epidemic

has been got fully under control. In these conditions 

we draw your attention to the promise given on

the 27th May 43 that all work would cease for 3

days. This promise was broken the day after

it was given.

The reasons for asking for all work to cease are

a) To enable all necessary constructive work

around the camp on latrines, roofing & drainage

to be done

1. To enable hundreds of debilitated men to rest

and recover their health.

2. To permit of enough men being allotted to

nursing work & give adequate treatment to the

hundreds of sick and the rest of the present 

overworked and exhausted nursing staff.

3. The supply of adequate drugs, disinfectants,

soap, lights and other medical supplies.

4. The supply of blankets for the sick.

5. The supply of invalid foods, soups and tea &

sugar for the sick.

6. The improvement of the camp diet by extra

vitamin containing food. eg. Rice polishings

Towgay, meat, oil & fats.

7. The supply of suppressive atabin for the whole

camp - the present small dosage of quinine

is quite inadequate and without effect.

8. The supply of water containers, especially 44

gallon containers to enable water to be used

on a large scale, also smaller containers

for water boiling to make sterilisation

possible.

9. The supply of a large number of waterproof

tarps for the cholera area which is

expanding daily. At least 30 large tents for

are required apart from what is now in

the camp.

10. The supply of oil for dealing with mosquito

breeding places in the camp - a visit from

Capt Wilson, malaria expert at H.Q. camp

is urgently necessary to locate these.

11. The supply of protective clothing - white

coats for nurses handling cholera.

12. As soon as the health of the camp has been

improved which may NOT be for several

months, the evacuation of the area by tps

and their subsequent treatment in a

manner befitting the honourable Japanese

Nation whose reputation must suffer

gravely if the present conditions continue

We demand that this document be laid

before Lt Col BANNO and the Senior

Japanese Medical Officer for the area

and also before Lt Col HARRIS at the earliest

possible moment - preferably tonight.

Signed N. JOHNSON, MAJ Comd AIF Tps

Shino Sonkurai Camp

BRUCE HUNT  MAJ  SMO. Camp

C. TRACEY         MAJ  Comd No 1 Bn

R. ANDERSON   "           "        No 2 Bn.

31.5.43 Took over cmd of camp - Got

all men kept in camp for day to do essential

work on latrines, blgs, etc.

Again prevailed on Japs to leave men

1.5.43 in camp and continued works

2.5.43 Broke number down from 500 to 45044

3.5.43     "           "                 "        "         "     to 400

Had an increase in rations. All

above at the expense of much argument and

strain which I am beginning to feel a bit [[?]]

--------------------------------------------------------

hopes on Court of Inquiry held about

13/7/43 into the loss of $1200 by us.

Members.  Pres Maj Johnston 2/30 Btn

Maj Anderson 2/30 Btn

Maj Hunt AAMC

Circumstances   At changi all train

comds were given two lots of $600

for delivery to Col Kaffe' when

required. We signed two separate

receipts for these amounts on

a very large number [[?]]

P.S

Regarding the anticipated trip

to the Truck dump on April 26/43.

this trk was very definitely

inspected by Capt Swartz , for, when

I appointed him in a spirit of

some chagrin at being unable

to get at my truck, I was

assured that representation had

already been made for a faster

trip, & that the tarp would most

probably take place during the

a.m. 26 Apr 43 - not only did this

trip not eventuate, but a

request to draw further medical

supplies from the camp was also

refused. [[Doub?]]  [[Hary?]] - Capt

Shine [[Sork?]] 2/26 Bn

24.7.43  Case cancelled 30/12/43

Following letter dropped by IJA

plane & delivered to Malayan

Command 10 Feb 42

------------

Lieut Gen Tawayaki Yamishita

High Comd Nippon Army

To High Command

British Army in Malaya

Your Excellency,

I, the High Comd of the 

Nippon Army in the Spirit of Japanese

Chivalry have the honour of presenting

this note to your Excellency advising

you to surrender the whole force

in Malaya. My sincere respect

is due to your Army which, [[?]] to

the traditional Spirit of Gt Britain, is

bravely defending Singapore, which

stands isolated & unaided.

Many fierce & gallant fights have been

fought by your gallant Offrs & men

to the honour of British Warriorship, but

the developments of the General War

situation has already sealed the fate

of Singapore and continuation of futile

resistance would not only serve to

inflict direct harm & injuries to

thousands of non-combatants living in

the city, throwing them into further

miseries and horrors of war, but also

would not certainly add anything

to the honour of your army.

I expect that your Excellency, accepting

my advice, will give up this.