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 Java
people have been coming down to work on the Gardens
since they arrived and think it a splendid job - with
plenty of room & hardly a Jap to be seen. Apparently
on Java they were more closely confined, and had the
Btn boys roaming through their quarters.
Tuesday 12 Oct 43  I am now going out to the aerodrome
job - I thought it wouldnt be long, rest Party was being
run by some Locals, and it wasnt satisfactory so some
Capts from 'A' Coy 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 MG 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.
Lt Lineham told me more of Pte Wood. L.Q. who is shown as
missing from 15 PL (D Coy) Area on Monday 9 Feb 42. 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 & thinking 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 NO (8) Airey'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 continues to entertain us with really
good Farces & Revues at a Company at the RAAFs Theatre

[[teas?]] prevent its outlet in any manner dangerous to
the Japanese.  The system of allowing our officers to
remain such and administer for our men is undoubtedly
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 back 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 absorbed
many a stunt 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 goats 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 Parade Grounds and
there are detailed to our Group for the day and the
Japanese Guide leads the Group of 4 or 5 Working Coys to
its area. There Japanese overseers take charge and give
instructions for work required.  Punishment in the 

is so frightfully old. I'm glad that Grace at that
time - 15 months ago - was well and seemingly contented
& that all our families are well too. Nevilles letter
says he had just had an operation for Mastoid &
hope it was successful & that his recovery has been
satisfactory. Three days before those letters I received one
from Aunt Nell Smith - (undated) apparently written about
Sept. She too writes good news of them all. I must be
due for more letters as at least Grace & Marter must
have written many times up to November which is the
date of Neville's 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 Java - two detachments
of 1500 & 1000 & a small party of about 40 including Lt Col Lineham
present C.O. 2/3 MG Bn & Padre Bindeman of 2/40 Bn & originally
our Unit Padre at Northam Camp. The small party is certainly
bound for Formosa.  A Japanese exchange ship is anchored
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 Money from Guinea &
therefore Officers' & Red Cross Ticket 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 on a much higher rate (Subalterns $22 will feel the
pinch 

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 push harder
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 there the
occasions are few. All trouble I think both between the
men and overseers and between our troops and theirs is caused
by misunderstandings. Their language is certainly difficult
for us and I expect they dont find ours 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
'Capitans'. & 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 Guard who are
mounted on per 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 Gp - 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 Gp. Q.M. is paralizing. I am
not doing any thing else at the moment.
The enemy have are building a fighter strip just East of our
quarters & Sat the 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 as from
last Saturday 700 have ng 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 petered 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 from Neville 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 @ brekker till now but that has ^now ceased.
Very little M & V - say 1 oz per man or less which goes into a
small rice patty at night & 4 ozs of fresh meat once each
5 days. Midday meal ([[Heros?]] [[?]]) is just plain rice
& we take it out cooked & have it cold. The tea is all
Chinese (Boong tea) & no milk or sugar. An advantage of
this leaf is that you can make 3 Pressings from the one
lot & so we have morning and afternoon tea and usually
supper from the one issue of tea.
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 that 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 Group Mess is situated in the
middle of the Group - 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 I.J.A. made a Brandy Issue - 8 men
to a bottle. It was a potent local brew & I declined my
issue - mainly because last Sunday I had 5 nips of
a 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
5th 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, Moses K Jones.
On Saturday I went to the AIF 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' Gp. They can surely
beat us @ presentation. This was only a makeshift show
on a makeshift stage but they put it over well. Their
swing band is fine and not surprising either as the individuals
comprising it are all professional from well known
London & Provincial Bands. I must tabulate their names 

our sick parade grows daily.  Tinia is bad and more
and more are going on light duty - some have festering
sores - some malaria & some just plain buggered.
Dysentery is perhaps the main cause of sickness tho 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 Dirrehea(?) 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
our captors are so [[?]] as to leave the officers with their
men & the Units as complete shows. I fear that if 
the possibility of release grows imminent they will whip the
officers away first. It would only be wise, anyway. 

Capt Lamacraft (30) Capt Smith-Ryan 2/4, Capt Morrison (29)
Capt McLaughlin (28) Capt Boss (30) Capt Jones (30) (in hospital) -
Capt Huxtable [[?]] (M.O.) Padre Barrett (Sigs) Lieut Rooke (30) 
Lieut Lake (26) Lieut Cross (29) Lieut Turnbull (26) Lieut Dale ([[?]])
Lieut Kensett (19) Lieut Paul (27 Bn Gd 26 Bn) Lieut Mavor (Malay Volunteer)
Lieut Garner (30).
Capt Catchlove was RMO until recently when he was
detailed for the up-country Medical Party & Chas Huxtable
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
Selarang & 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' Gp now have 4 houses together on the high ground East
of the road at Rose Gate. It is fairly crowded but not too
bad. I originally went to our Coy House 133 with McLaughlin
& Kensitt but only stay- 2 days & then came to HQ House as
where our Mess is. This is more convenient but the other
corner I had was cooler  However that the Coy house we
shared a room with the Coy. Sgts & I don't like that much.
John Catchlove has returned to us as R.MO 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 & re disinfectants
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 men such tho'
work ceases only, the rate being 10c per day all comds
But each pay day with the compliments of Saito [[Chuse?]] has
come a further Dollar for each officer. We are paid
every 10 days. The 10c is handy for the boys as their
is a Boong Canteen and bread is available 10c a
half pound Roll. 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 dont like it that way but a
dessert spoon ful in a mug of black [[?]] [[?]] tea
makes it taste like Brovil. 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 make
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.