Diary Jack Lusby Burns - Jun - Aug 1945 - Part 2

the day in bed. Had a bed
table made for me. Tried
again to get some food for
the sick from the J.s - of No
avail. Hell will never
give to the Red Cross for these
people. Damned near out
of banjo paper. Gramophone 
came in - nearly a wreck.
Tuesday 31^st July 1945. Have
to get up for muster - Started 2
days ago on a course of Vitamin
tablets as ankles & face swollen.
Extremely bored. Interpreter stated
"One more big battle - peace
declared then you go home. -
Maybe guards have to go from
here & fight". Everyone thinks
this next month is going to be the
decisive month. Wonder what it
will be like to be free men again.
Damned decent of Ray Tyrrall to lend

me his mattress whilst I was
sick, 20 days supply of
daikon came in. Rotten Stuff.
Amers. trading some of their
clothes for cigs. Heck! they have
a swag of stuff. 130 odd books
came in from another camp.
Mostly text books on Latin Greek
& German. Had a shirt given me.
Wednesday 1^st August 1945.
Tragedy - Cigs were cut down
to 2 per person & 1 for sick.
So I received one. Probably
have to pay for stuff "purchased"
from Amers.  The Amers. did
2 nice gestures. Put some
tinned beans & Tomato paste
in the morning’s soup & asked
for a list of necessities in
clothes from the Aussies to see
if they can supply some of them.
2 Bags of bones (horse) came
in - Really on the nose.
Did over the "pig" food - leaving
from drying the daikons to
 

supplement the midday &
evening soups. Rec'd a shirt
& some writing paper, cooked
the bones over night - the
smell damn near drove us
mad as we went to bed. Oh
for a decent feed. Told we
would NOT move to our new
camp for at least a month
Gee, I hope a landing occurs
this month.
Thursday 2^nd August 1945.
One of the Yanks & self made a
wardrobe to pack my "clothes" away.
Really wonderful to see civilized
clothes again of some of the
Tientsin & Peking Embassy officers.
Bones were issued last night.
Had to give mine away on a/c
of my teeth or lack of them.
Feeling bloody hungry these days
& a few days ago the thought
of rice choked me. Have a

gramophone which keeps
breaking the spring. Rumour of
work in 4-5 days in the
Timber yards, Everyone  optimistic
re the length of time for
incarceration vile. Went onto
a "blue" ticket i.e. light duties
Very humid.
Friday 3^rd August 1945.
"Yasumé" day. - The J's came
out with a screed evidently
from Higher Command saying
that henceforth from 4^th Aug.
all officer P.O.W's were
"ordered" to work. So tomorrow
we 45 Aussies provide a party
of 35 to work around the
saw mill - unloading "small
logs" from the Rly. trucks. Hours
0800-1200 & 1230- 1600 hrs
with 20 mins. break in morn.
& afternoon. The J's also came
to light with 3 cigs per person.
I was dying for a smoke.
 

Saturday 4^th August 1945.
A party of 55 went out - 35 Aussie
on unloading logs & 20 Amers. on
shovelling gravel. Increase of
18% in rice. Aussies pro rated 
over whole 45 - Amers over the
20 who worked. I am on room
duty rabbits to feed & chickens.
Issued with a Red 2 cm. square
of cloth to be worn in a
conspicuous place to show we
are officer P.O.W's. Examined
by a Northern Command
doctor who is the interpreters
father. Feel very bored. Oh for
a decent civilized feed.
Sunday 5^th August 1945. As
I am in the recuperating
stage have been given the job
of room orderly plus nurse
maid to chickens & plucking
grass for the rabbits, 1 cake
of soap for 20 cigs. Doctor (xx)

says we need more proteins, so
interpreter went to next town.
to try & get some more food? ?
Yarned to Teddy Goode re
a birthday party of his on
20^thDec. We hope? to be free by
then. He says he has 5 birthdays
to make up. Did a big wash &
it rained. The outside job
seems to be amounting to something
good. Went into shorts for the
first time.
Monday 6^th  August 1945.
Lousy rice ration for lunch
The inside workers had their
ration cut so as to give the
"mine" workers a good ration
for appearance to the mine
officials. They issued us with
an extra bowl of dry rice to
make up the deficiency. I'm
sure we are being screwed on
the rice front as the J's here
are always making rice wine.
 

An order was promulgated
& NO P.O.W. is to contact outside
civilians or mine officials.

Interpreter called officer of the
Day (P.O.W.) & gave him some
"flaked” dried fish or squid to
taste - Asked how much we
would like to buy. - 4 Yen a
kilo - answer as much as
we can - Here’s hoping.
Had a taste of grilled snake
(caught in our garden) dipped
in soy sauce - The sauce 
tasted very nice.
Tuesday 7^th August 1944
The camp bought 75 Kilos of
dried fish (320 yen). Made a
good evening soup. Walked down to
station to collect same. This
place seems more European

to  me than Zentsuji. Teeth 

are playing up. Back to 1 cig a
day. Niggardly beggars.
Wednesday 8^th August 1945.
There isn't the same attention
paid to Rescript Day as of yore.
Salt (40 Kilos) & meat came in.
Dried fish served as an "extra"
for evening meal. Bones (beef &
horse) argument as to what breed
of animal they were until
horse’s head was brought to
light. Traded razor (spare)
for rice. The J.s took a fit
& issued extra cigs. -I cig.
for each day worked outside.
I had the difference made
up for what I'd lost i.e. 8
cigs- damned decent of the
rest of the Aussies particularly

as I'm participating in the
extra food. Made out a menu
with Teddy Goode to celebrate
 

his b'day on 20^th Dec ‘45
Thursday 9^th August 1945
Traded razor for 3 rice balls
given to me at 0400 hrs & a paper
containing some, Motji cakes
(rice flour & beans) Bones were
issued for evening meal. So
far they have "flavoured" xxx 5
meals - very tasty. Air raid
alarms were sounded all day.
Friday 10^th August 1945.
Thunder storm - caught outside
picking rabbit feed & took shelter
in a house- very clean.
Turned cold in the evening.
Saturday 11^th August 1945.
The inside workers farm
hands & sick's rations have
been raised from 390, 450
grams to 500 per day, whilst

the Mitsui workers stays at 600.
The Aussies voted to pool all
rice with the result that everyone
gets from tomorrow 573 grams
of rice per day. The Amers. are
giving their increase to the
Mitsui workers- damned
awkward for me to vote as I'm on
the sick list. Gee will be grand to
get back home & have what you
want when you want it &
Where you want it.
Sunday 12th August 1945.- very
Cold last Night- Rained all
night & morning - so No work
for Mitsui boys in morning.
Went out after lunch. Small
towel for 15 cigs. The day doesn't
seem like a Sunday at all.
Monday 13^th August 1945.
"Yasume" day - each person rec'd
6 cigs - actually the officers
who go out working for
 

Mitsui's receive an extra cig.
per day - they pool them &
divide them pro-rata. . & also
received one for each day &
got only one. Damned decent
also our rice ration was cut
from 93 bowls "dry" rice to 83
on rest days. The rice position
now is - Mitsui workers
receive 600 grams & inside
people 500 grams. The Aussies
pool their rice & each
receives 573 grams. Very
cold. Every one climbed under
the blankets.
Tuesday 14^th August 1945
Ran out of chicken food. Blew up
a J. for mating the rabbits.
Fresh squid came in. Had one
egg given me - told a J. it was
my birthday, "white" lie an 
electric pick up has been

presented to the "office" by the
Mitsui Coy.  for music for us.
I bet it was to be given to us.
The Coy. also promised us 3
pigs for Xmas. Everyone
optimistic. We hope to see
our loved ones ere then.
Mother & Father are often in
my thoughts these days.
Wednesday 15^th August 1945.
No more work for the officers
at the Mitsui Coy.  This
was passed at evening meal.
There seems to have been a
bit of a stir in the J. office.
Everyone is looking on it
as a sign of goodness &
consequently everyone is
very optimistic. Rumour

hath it - Russians have
invaded Manchuria.??
Bones (horse) came in. Had
 

squid in the lunch soup. It
has a permeating odour &
flavour. Intend to try it when I
reach home. Had the egg
given me y'day. - tasted like
nectar. Now been appointed
official "live stock" keeper.

Mated the rabbits.
Thursday 16^th August 1975.
The guards in talk to various
prisoners seem very insistent
that we will be home before
long. - Next month in fact.
Everyone is bucked. The J's in
the galley went crazy - gave
us two beautiful meat stews.
Had more meat in these
meals than while we've been
in J. Traded off some soap
for some rice. Gee twill be
wonderful for the war to be over
& to see Mum & Dad again.
No one was allowed out of
Camp - told even that there
would be no enlisted men
working even. Teeth are
worrying me again. Bones
came out for the lunch meal.
Horse meat is much tougher
than beef.
Friday 17^th August 1945
All officers are convinced
that the war is over. I pray
to heaven that it is right as
I've been a P.O.W. for 3 years
too damn long. The treatment
the last few days has eased
up considerably. Smoke where
we want - No Work & some damn
good meat soups (i.e. compared
to what we have been used to.)
 

Saturday 18^th August 1945.
At Long Last. This bloody
War has ended. 2 Aussie
& 1 Amer. were called out
by the J. commandant &
told hostilities ceased by
the order of the Emporer
on Aug. 14^th. Just as
some officers surmised
due to the various little
activities & actions of
guard & camp staff. Our
food ration has been
increased ? Some "bean

powderflour"  came in. -Too bad
couldn't get the stuff beforehand 
- Guards very
anxious to be friendly.

Orgy of  “trading” going on
soap, clothes etc on our part
for "mammie" beans
butter eggs & motje cakes
on the J's.  Colonel said
to be magnanimous &
NOT kick them or reciprocate
as they treated us.
Everyone is up in the air
- Gee I hope Mum & Dad can
join in the general
rejoicing without being too
worried.- Bless 'em.
Sunday 19^th August No man
slept last night - up
smoking all Night. Cig.
ration increased to 5 per day.
Dry bowls of rice raised from
93 to 99, i.e. equivalent of
about 650 grams rice per
day. Made "burgue" out of
 

the bean flour, as a
supper treat Everyone
expects to have ^be moved
within 48 - 72 hours.
Trading prohibited by our
& J. "heads". Although an
Armistice has been declared
we actually know No news.
Gosh I feel excited to think
that soon I shall be home.
& free once again.  Amers.
sent ^in spare clothing to us
& our discards were
bundled up & sent to another
camp. (enlisted men).
Monday 20^th August. 1945
"Wonderful" received 5
letters from home & 1 from
Mrs Page- made horribly
excited. 'Tis wonderful to
think that soon I shall be
seeing them once again.
Gosh we have a lot to make up.
Various conjectures as to

when our movement orders
will come. Managed to
click onto.