Notebook of Avon Reah Smith-Ryan, 1942-1945

Work moves along just the same & I go out to the
Central Gardens every third day. Some of the
people have been coming down to work on the Gardens
since they arrived and think it is a splendid job - with
plenty of room & hardly a Jap to be seen. Apparently
on  they were more closely confined, and had the
 boys roaming through their quarters.
Tuesday 12 Oct 43  I am now going out to the aerodrome
job - I thought it wouldnt be long. Party was being
run by some locals, and it wasnt satisfactory so some
(Capts?)from 'A' [ were tried without success and finally
the A.Q told Alf that I'd have to take it. — It's really
no trouble and the Japs on this job are soft after the ones we
handled at Adam Park.
Lt Col Lineham (2/3 (?)Bn) and some of his officers were to
afternoon tea at A.I.F. HQ last Wed. and I was invited over.
They are in the special party of about 40 and were to be
(glass?)added next day - they expect to move on daily.
Ted Lineham told me more of Pte. Wood who is shown as
missing from 15 (D Coy) on Monday 9 Feb 43. He must
have caught the ship leaving here on Tuesday (Empire Star)
to reach Java when he did. Lineham said he heard of a
machine gunner at Soarabaya & realizing it was one of his
own missing men had him brought to his camp. It was
Wood & Lineham says he tells strange & inconsistent stories.
They also raise their eyebrows when (WO Riley's?)name 
is mentioned.
Padre Bindeman had dinner 
with us on two occasions. He
has lost about 5 stone but looks fit enough.
The A.I.F. Concert Party continue 
to entertain us with really
good Farces &  at a Company at the
 

 prevent its in any way dangerous to
the Japanese. The system of 
allowing our officers to
remain such and for our is
because our captors could not find
 any other method of
handling such a vast number of 
prisoners. Our men
do not take our orders very well 
under our present
circumstances and we have to 
be patient and take a lot
of hard chat even amounting 
to abuse at times but
hope that some day they will 

realise that having us with
them and the senior officers in

 contact with Japanese
senior officers has been a real 
buffer that has (?)
many a (?) that may have set 
off the (cap planted??)
in each man with the resultant 
explosion. There are quite
a few who see it now & if
 ever the  get out of hand
I believe there's enough balance 

in the remainder to bring
them back to earth again.
We move to the area (??)
 are detailed to our Camp
 for the day and the
Japanese leads the  of 4 or 5 
working Coys to
its men. There Japanese
overseers take charge and give
instructions for work required.
 Punishment in the
 

is so frightfully old.
 I'm glad that  at that
time - 15 months ago - 
was well and seemingly 

contented
& that all our families 
are well too. 
says he had just had
 an operation for  &
hope it was successful &
that his recovery has been
satisfactory. Three days before 
those letters I received one
from Aunt Nell Smith.
 (undated) apparently about
Sept. She too writes good 
news of them all. I must be
due for more letters as at 
least Louise &  must
have written many times up 
to November which is the
date of  letter, but I haven't
rec/d them. There
are still a few 
more at the Gaol 

so I'm hoping. There
are some of our 

officers who have
not received any mail
at all - poor blighters.
Sunday 3 Oct 43.  Another 
party has arrived
from establishment
of 1500 & 1000 & a small 
party of about 40 

including Lt Col Lineham
present C.O 2/3 Infy 
Bn & Padre of
 th3/40 Bn originally
our Padre at Northern Camp.
 The small party is certainly
bound for Formosa. 
A Japanese  ship is 
off the Jahore 
Straits at present, 
said to have 1500 on board &
bound for Goa 
(Portugese India). 
It is said that about 15
American & 
Canadian internees 
from Changi Gaol are to join
her.
There is a hitch in receipt of 
Red Cross from &
therefore officers' & Red Cross holders 
pay is reduced to try
to maintain the Central Messing Fund. 
We are informed
that pay for all officers will be $12. It 

is not so much for
the A.I.F. (mine was $17) but the British 
Officers who have all
along been in a much 
higher rate (Subalterns $22 will feel the
(rench?
 

Japanese army is swift and physical. I have seen on
various occasions an N.C.O. order a man to attention & then
slap his face several times very hard. This is their own
men. Such an assault is undreamt of in our army
and when our men found that on occasions Japanese
overseers struck our men with billets of wood 
and one man was chased with an axe, another with a
saw, they felt very 
aggrieved. 
There have been a fair
number of these cases
 and many 
hand slaps when patience
is lost through an order not
understood but actually
when you think that we have

6000 workmen  the
occasions are few. All trouble I 

think both between the
men and overseers and 
between our troops and 
theirs is caused
by misunderstanding.
 Their language is certainly 
difficult
 for us and
 I expect they dont 

find our easy. I am
picking up a little 

of their language 

but dont ever expect
to become fluent. H.Q. has a really

 excellent interpreter.
He is 57 years of age and was a Padre - 
30 years in Japan and
27 years in England.
The overseers have instructions that all orders
to our men must go through the 'Captains''. All officers are
'Captains'. & all wear as our badge of rank, one star
 

and antecedents for future 
reference.
Another minor
 move took place 
Saturday when we had
to evacuate 1 Coy's House for 
the Japanese Guards who are
mounted on Gate - which is 
now in the perimeter.
The occupants are spread far
 and wide until some huts
are completed for 'B' Coy 
when we get a house in this
vicinity to replace the one lost.
I have been given a job to 
organise a snack-bar for
this  - a most distasteful job,

 as is anything to do with
food or money these days and 

the amount of non-co-operation
met from H.Q. - to our own is
 paralizing. I am
not doing anything else
 at the moment.
The enemy have are building a 
fighter strip just East of our
quarters & xxxx first plane used it 
wrong Its a good sign
that they now deem it expedient 
to do this type of work.
Wednesday 22 Feb 43  The Japs have 
demanded a working
party for the fighter strip 
referred to above and
last. Saturday 700 have been going

 there daily. We are still
required to provide parties for the 

Central Garden so it
means that camp duties are 
cut to the bone and all
hands including quite 
a few virtually 

no duty' are going
out. Thank goodness 
the snack-bar 

scheme has  out.
Firstly because of no 
building available
 and secondly, now
because of no men to run it.
Yesterday was a great day - two letters, 

one from Grace
dated August last year and one in December.
It's good to get them but arent the Japs 

curs to delay them
so long. Such news as is contained, 
while very welcome
 

on the left shirt pocket flap. As Coy 
Commander
I have an arm band with Japanese
 characters meaning
Captain and some more apparently 
guaranteeing the
validity of the arm band and 'Captain' 

in English and
the Coy No - 14. We work in rotation 
each officer taking
his turn to wear the arm band & thus 
become the man to
interpret the overseers requirements.
Rations are monotonous - rice, rice, rice,
A little milk @ now but that has ^now ceased.
Very little M&V - say 1oz per man or less 

which goes into a
small rice patty at night & 4 ozs of fresh 
meat once each
5 days. Midday meal is just plain rice
& we take it out cooked & have it cold. The 
Chinese (Boong ten) & no milk or sugar. 
An advantage of
this leaf is that you can make e 
Pressings from the one
lot & so  have morning and 

afternoon tea and usually
supper from the one issue of ten.
Health is fair, but not good. 
The men are
putting out more energy than 
the food replaces, and
 

to our men and does not mean necessarily that the
Aust soldier is a cleaner man in his habits than the
British but rather the Aust Comd through his
officers exercises far more close control of the men than
does the British. Aust officers are always quartered with
their men - that is each house is situated in the
middle of the(Camp?) - whereas all British officers are
quartered together usually at some distance from their men.
The result is that N.C.O. are required to oversee all the control.
On Friday last the IJA made a Brandy Issue - 8 men
to a bottles. It was a potent local brew & I declined my
issue - mainly because last Sunday I had 5 (nips?)of
hooch & was out of action on Monday. I am now
convinced that bad liquor is really as bad as is said.
My next spirit will need to be guaranteed Scotch.
Monday 6 Sep 43  Last Friday was Sep 3 and so commenced the
4th year of this war. It has opened very well and I can hardly
believe that it will be a complete year of war. Yesterday the
A.I.F. had a Church parade and afterwards marched past
the Comd. A.I.F. - Lt Col Callaghan D.S.O. (E.D?)The address @
Church was given by the senior Chaplain  James.
On Saturday I went to the A.I.F. Concert. - a very good show
and that orchestra has improved tremendously under
W.S (a) Middleton.
Last night (Sunday) Bill Rooke and I as guests of Lieut Ken
Morrison heard a concert @ British 'B' Coy. They can surely
beat us @ presentation. This was only a makeshift show
on a makeshift stage but they put it over very well. Their
swing beat is fine and not surprising either as the individuals
comprising it are all professional well known
bands. I must tabulate their names
 

our sick parade grows daily.  is bad and more
and more are going on light duty - some have festering
sores - some malaria & some just plain haggard.
Dysentery is perhaps the main cause of sickness and
I think we must expect more. There have been some cases
of Beri Beri.
At the moment I feel quite well - but for 3 days
was miserable with Diarrehea(?) not dysentery thank goodness
and did not miss going out to the job each day.
The officers are not expected to do physical
work but just to remain with their men, handle them
and have the instructions of the Japanese carried out.
I regret that the men do not appreciate the position and
some are very difficult, but I for one intend xxx to
maintain my position here as Coy Comd and to continue
to control discipline to the limit of my ability so long as
men & the units are complete shows. I fear that if 
the possibility of release grows imminent they will whip the
officers away first. It would only be  , anyway.
 

Capt Lamacraft ^Capt Smith-Ryan 24, Capt Morrison (29)
Capt McLaughlin (28) Capt Ross Capt Innes (30) (in hospital) -
Capt Cable (M.C.) Padre Barrett (Sigs?) Lieut Rooke 
Lieut Lake (26) Lieut Cross (29) Lieut Turnbull (26) Lieut Dale 
Lieut Kensett (19) Kieut Paul  Lieut(Malay Volunteers)
Lieut Garmer (30)
Capt Catchlove was R M O until recently when he was
detailed for the up-country Medical Party & Chas Hartable
replaced him. John Catchlove fell sick & did not go away.
Sunday 22 Aug 43
I have a new address again, House 151. The I.J.A. have ordered
the Hospitals both A.G.H. & B.G.H. from Roberts Barracks to
& Comd. naturally regarded the Barrack Square
as the most suitable place so we had to move. The whole
show Aust, British & Dutch had to be rearranged and we
'C' Coy now have 4 houses together on the high ground East
of the road at Rose Gate. It is fairly crammed but not too
bad. I originally went to our Coy House 133 with McLaughlin
& Kensitt but only stayed 2 days & then came to  House 
where our mess is. This is more convenient but the other
corner I had was  However the Coy house
shared a room with the Coy. Sgts & I don't like that much.
John Catchlove has returned to su as R.M O and Charles
Huxtable has returned to A.G.H.
Alf Lamacraft changed his mind a few times and finished
up by reappointing me as Hygiene Officer. I think he
found that with this Cholera outbreak on the Island that
there is a fair amount of detail to (watch?) & 
disinfectant. Two of our houses had been occupied

 by Dutch & two by
Aust troops & the comparison is most marked. The fact
that Aust areas are cleaner is not, I think any real credit
 

Pay is given to Working 

men only and sick the
work ceases only the rate 
being 10c per day all
But each pay day with the

 completion of Saito has
come a further dollar for each 
officer. We are paid
every 10 days. The 10c is handy for 

the boys as there is
a Boong canteen and 

bread is available 10c a
half pound Boong

 sauce is 25c to
50c a beer bottle
and is very popular. 

The men declare it a good 

flavouring
for plain rice tho 

I don't like it that way but a
dessert spoon ful 
in a mug of black  ten
makes it taste like 
I spend most of my money
on Jam - 1 dollar 
a tin Butter 50c. Each night I
have my loaf of bread 

and couldn't ask for a better
supper than fresh hot 

buttered toast and a cup of real
Ceylon tea, (Sh. I've found a

 chest of it and the boys 
real tea for supper).
Those houses were really

 lovely homes that
needed a lot of repair &
 cleaning up. Bombs and 
shells make an awful mess. 

However they are fairly good
now and three big things

 are in their favour. Light,
water and sewerage.