Diary relating to the service of Major Charles Patrick Tracey, 1945 - Part 2

JANUARY 2603
M
Friday 15
Latest camp order to the effect

that we have to register everything

we possess of a saleable

nature. Story of a POW with

1000 Guilder note. Lt Takahashi

has threatened that unless it is

handled in in exchange for IJA

Malayan currency the whole

camp will be punished by 

the closure of the canteen.
T

Saturday 16
Trading with the natives and
IJA is banned by the IJA
administration though it still
persists. The fools responsible
for it leave the whole camp
open to these restrictions.
IJA very prone to this method
of collective punishment.
Even 'P' party now have
difficulty in bringing home even
a few cigars.

JANUARY 2603
W
Sunday 17
Duck food very scarce and
snails unprocurable the
result is no eggs for the 
last few days and no
prospect of getting any. If
I sell them to get some coin
and the canteen shuts the
cash will be useless so I
seem to be caught either way.
"Three men on a horse" at Cocoanut

Grove.
T
Monday 18
Pedro caught lifting wood
for the kitchen. Thompson
made a great mouthful
out of it. All areas under
Newey's control placed out of
bounds to him. This admn
certainly works hard for
the IJA. 380 odd Offrs are
penalised because timber is
lifted from the Japs!

JANUARY 2603
F
Tuesday 19

R. H. Anderson

4 O'Connell Street

Greenwich Point 

NSW

N. Johnston

c/o Public Service Board
S   [[four?]]  (NSW)
Wednesday 20

C'wealth Bk Bdg 
Sydney
George Polain,

128 Windsor Road,

Northmead, N.S.W.
JANUARY 2603
S

Thursday 21
John A. Taylor.
c/o P J Taylor Co Pty Ltd
Liverpool & Riley Sts
Sydney
or c/o R F A Downes Esq
Camden "Aston" Camden NSW
11Y
M
Friday 22
Spent yesterday & today taking
a copey of my plans into
a book as I doubt if
the loose sheets are safe
enough. Got the first egg
for a long time yesterday,
and sold one of my old
birds for $70 cash in 
order to buy some food &
tobacco.

[[*The sailors parrot trained to drop dead when aimed at.
- "Bloody clever."*]]
JANUARY 2063
T
Saturday 23
COL. J. HUSTON
c/o GLYNN MILLS & Co
WHITE HALL
LONDON
S.W.1.
Pedro caught
selling a
scrounging
wood. Hell
to pay because it
was for IJA kitchens!
W
Sunday 24
Takahashi has discovered
that $100,000 per month
are spent through the
canteen in excess of
the Camps income.
Is closing the canteen
for a week and talks
of limiting stock to
camp monthly pay.
total. Cocoanut Grove
show pretty good.
JANUARY 2603
T
Monday 25 (Tigus)
Clem Hill
c/o University Club.
Sydney.
Tps in from Town en route for
Saigon. Say we are all due
to go very soon!
F
Tuesday  26
8^th  Wedding Anniversary. Thank
God this is the last one
overseas - Will put on a
great celebration next year.
IJA put on an ARP practice
half-way through a couple
of B29s arrived but the
guards reconed it was not
right till the bombs started
to land.

[*Shortage of animals at Zoo replaced with men dressed
up. "Shut up you fool - well all be sacked.*]
S
JANUARY 2603
Wednesday  27
Three members of the Unit back
from A-Force in town. Ferg
saw Geo Waite who said
most of our team are still
at Camburie. Am giving Pedro
the use of my ducks for two
eggs per day. He must have
a private avenue of snails
to do any good where I have
had a string of misses.
S
Thursday 28
Tobacco very scarce and
dear. 40 cent cigars have
been selling up to $1.75.
Rup has lost all sense of
moral decency. Wont buy
smokes himself saying they
are too dear and then bights
the batmen who earn about
¼ of his pay. These things sound
petty but they get me very
disgusted at the lack of moral
decency
JANUARY 2603
M  Friday  29
Ferg, Geo McKay & I did a good
days work in our F.M.J. garden.
Dug out the clay, carted it away
and filled up with good
soil. It made me realise
how bloody weak I am after
nearly three weeks laid up.
Went to Gaol Theatre at
night to see three of Noel
Cowards short plays. B29.
T
Saturday 30
Did a bit more to garden.
Planted some bringles and
chillies. B29 over again no
a/a fire or fighters up. New lot
of guards in from Java who
are a pretty tough bunch.
Have been a lot of bashings
in the last couple of days and
protests to Takahashi seem to
do no good.

JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2603
W
Sunday 31
Ferg has developed a flair for
cooking. The rice issued now is
"cargo". Only partially husked
and tasting very mouldy. We
are able to buy some red palm
oil and after we draw our
rations Ferg builds a little fire
and fries up whatever is on.
The result is a hot meal of a
slightly better flavour due to
the oil. Taylor to Kranji
T
Monday 1
A beautiful B29 raid. Looked
like about 100 over the Island.
Came in flights larger than
anything we have seen since
we used be the wrong end
of the bombs in 1942. Lifted
the morale tremendously and
gave everyone something fresh
to talk of. Rations have been
particularly bad the last few
days.
FEBRUARY 2603
F
Tuesday 2
Have just read "By order of the
Gestapo" by Peter Wallner. A
tale of German concentration
camps. It made me realise
how little we have to
complain of here. Of course
we are lucky with our climate
that does not involve a
clothing problem. We wear
nothing but shorts, sox & boots.
S
Wednesday  3
Have felt very poorly for
weeks with a dose of fever,
then flue and now squitters
cheered somewhat by an
almost daily visit by air.
BJ has reversed his policy
on private selling and am
seriously considering getting
rid of my watch. It should
bring about $500.

FEBRUARY 2603
S

Thursday 4

No further issues of paper. The

implications are obvious. Of

course first & foremost is the

lack of cigarette paper. Had

Donald Cathie to mess and

later put on a sago feed

for Pedro and Sully. Sully

is 26. Almost a baby of

the unit. Coleman is a few

months younger.
M

Friday 5

Still not so good. Spent most

of the day on my back reading

"David & Destiny" and then

putting in a bit of time on

"The Fighting Soldier" by

Maj Dunlop. Pedro had got

it on loan from B J. Arthur

Muspratt & after 15 mths had hard

struggling looks like dying. Of

course there is nothing one can

do for him.

FEBRUARY 2603
T

Saturday 6

False alarm with Muspratt he

is pulling round nicely. In

addition to getting cargo

rice the wood position is

becoming critical. The ration

of 2.2 lbs per man per day was

never enough and now it is 

coming down to 1.54. All the 

doovers will be restricted and

stews take their place.
W

Sunday 7

I think the food position

is fast reaching a critical

stage. The IJA say we are to

plant two paw-paw trees for

each man in the camp (20,000

trees) as the fruit will soon

have to replace rice that

is becoming very short. If

rice cuts out we are rooted.

FEBRUARY 2603
T

Monday 8

Toying with the idea of selling

another duck for $80. The

trouble is that there is very

little that can be bought now.

Some tapioca root and

tobacco is about all that is

available. Perhaps a good belt

that can be pulled in would

be the best cure for this

eternal state of hunger.
F

Tuesday 9

Rations are certainly getting

light. From tomorrow Offrs

Area rice will be reduced

from 450 gms to 330. The

admin gp get 495 (F.U.J) and

the O/Rs go on to a sliding

scale. It virtually means that

Offrs doing heavy duty get less 

food than O/Rs on light duty.

FEBRUARY 2603
S

Wednesday 10 

Went down to the Swimming

carnival. Looked damned

funny seeing about 500

Offrs & ORs barracking frantically

for their respective teams -

all of them stark naked.

The standard was high and

everyone had a Hell of a good

time - We all forgot our

new rice issue.
S

Thursday 11

The swines have not only

cut food down but wood

issue is cut from 2.5 lbs

to 1.52. so we haven't enough

to cook much even if we

had it (How's that for Irish)

Thank God my apetite is

not so good and I get along

fine on what we receive.

FEBRUARY 2603
M

Friday 12

Pedro in bother again. The nip

who gave him all the ducklings

returned demanding 20 birds.

Pede settled at 17 but had

a Hell of a job raising them.

I sold him one duck for $80

and swapped the three ducklings

for $60, tin bully & a rabbit

so Ferg and I will have a feed 

for his birthday (19^th)
T

Saturday 13

Reg Swartz back from Kranji.

Been hoisted from his staff

job and not happy at being

put up in the hut with the

rest of the lads. Wants my

intervention with Billy Jeaher

Reg living with me, Bert Sabin

to the hut & Geo Polain out

and living with Gus.

FEBRUARY 2603
W

Sunday 14. 

Pedro has been ordered  into

the Gaol to live with the

Italian Offrs. He is not

allowed out under any 

circumstances. Dashing round

trying to square off all his

rackets before the dead-line

of 2100 hrs. Sully and I are

pooling the 12 ducks and 

looking after them jointly.
T

Monday 15

Went round the duck yard.

Pedro has sold two of my

good layers without my 

knowledge - Sold the rabbit

he had traded me and left

two tiny little cockrels in

their place - The bully-beef he

owed me was to be left with

Sully and that was not in 

evidence either - Looks like

another show-down.

3. yrs P.O.W today.

FEBRUARY 2603
F

Tuesday 16

Had the show - down with Pede

by note. Another stack of lies

and prevarications. Am

going to obtain a pass to

go in and see him on

Sunday night. Sold

another duck for $50 as food

is getting worse and I still

go halves with Fergie. Had

a week continuous rain.
S

Wednesday 17

With the scarcity of food

waste is cut to a minimum

with the result that there is

no food for the birds and it

looks as though they will all

have to go soon. A very poor

outlook for the hospital as

many patients are literally

kept alive on the eggs subscribed.

FEBRUARY 2603
S

Thursday 18 

Had a great day trying 

to act as Official Receiver

for Pede in his mass

of dealing and double - dealing

and nearly went

mad in the process. The

ultimate outcome is

the Yank now owns three

of Pede's birds and Sully

the other two.
M

Friday 19

Ferg's birthday which

he occupied in cooking.

One would think it was

the Hotel Australia instead

of starvation diet. We 

have been saving up for

the occasion and had the

two little birds plus some

towgay, rice, chillies and

cocoanut fried.

FEBRUARY 2603
T

Saturday 20

Though I know it is still

not a good plan to dwell

too much on thoughts of

home I find lately that

Jess & Lynne are rarely

out of my thoughts and

if something does not

happen soon I will be

going nuts. Three years POW

is enough for anyone.
W

Sunday 21

Felt a bit off this

morning and by lunch

time knew I was in for

another dose of malaria.

Spent the afternoon in bed

under three blankets, clothed

in shorts and pullover,

shivering till it hurt.

Issued with powered quinine

FEBRUARY 2603
T

Monday 22

Feeling pretty lousy. Old

Ferg brewing a bit of

towgay soup for the invalid.

Sucks laying three eggs.

Sully is an ideal partner

works like blazes and

fits in with any plan. At

present we are paying off

some of Pedes past efforts

and getting in a stock of snails.
F

Tuesday 23

Just struck me how funny

clothing looks these days.

There has been no issue of

any sort for 15 mths. Had a

good look at Bill Grevet's

shorts. Has 27 patches some

over others and in all about

six different colours and

materials. Feel like potted

death with fever and powdered

quinine.