Diary of Arthur William Hence, May - September 1942 - Part 3

died from dysentery at 0830hrs

Maj. Chalmers (MO) reports "Case was

inadequately treated owing to complete

lack of Ematine & allied drugs & poor

salt supply"

Death of 946736 Cpl. W.R. Hill

R.A.F. at 1300hrs - Amoebic dysentery.

Jesuit funeral  Ptes. Johnston, Blackwell

23 January 42 (Tues)

Funeral Cpl. Hill.

24 January 42 (Wed)

Death 1648427  Gnr.  R.P. Willis 0830

cause of death dysentery.  Funeral

1800hr.

25 January 42 (Thur)

Japanese indicate possibility of

additional pay for working parties

26 January 42 (Fri)

Japanese make gift of 12 bottles of

brandy & port.

3 to Comd & Staff & to coy with 

best aerodrome record (3 to coy least

sickness 3 coy (B Bn 3 Coy) best quarters.
Concert held in front of Comd H.Q.

27 January 42 (Sat)

No Japanese fatigue required

Band played Jap. H.Q.

Jap. Comnd orders English transports

stand by ready to move to Tavoy.

Death RX20313 Pte. [[SN?]] Webster 1730hrs

cause dysentery & cirrhosis of liver.

28Jan 42 (Sun)

Funeral Pte. Webster.

29 January 42 (Mon)

Japanese ship in.  Unloading parts

required.

30 January 42 (Tues)

Learned unofficially departure

English to Tavoy postponed.

1 Feb 42 (Wed)

Pay received periods 11-30 January 42

at increased rates.

35c - 25 'nip' 15 or Heavy work

25c  - 15    "    10  "   Light     "

 

 

2 Jul 42 (Thurs)

Fatigue hours changed to

1400-1700 hrs being an increase of 1/2 hr

per day.

Japanese guards took over custody

of prisoners in guard room as they

complained that they were not being

treated with enough severity.  This was

largely due to Japanese guard themselves

who gave food to prisoners & encouraged

them to come out.

402872  Sgt.Chippendale died in hosp.

from bacillary dysentery & cardiac beri-beri
at 2230rs.

1134761  L.A.C Hayman died from

anabolic dysentery 1830hrs.

3 July 42 (Fri)

Joint Funeral.

4 July 42 (Sat)

1427321 [[?]] R. Foster died Anabolic

dysentery 1940hrs.  Maj. J. [[Chalmers?]]

again reports "No anti amoebic drugs

have been made available by the

Nipponese"

Funeral of Gn Foster. Service by

native R.C. priest.

Death of NX30470 Pte. J. Carley from

dysentery & Cardiac beri-beri

5 July 42 (Sun)

All graves at cemetery reconstitutional

Concert held in morning.

6 Jul 42 (Mon)

PQ Commd inspects camp & is

satisfied.

Copy of Japanese proclamation given

to Adit. for promulgation.  Lists of

orders in order of diligence" required.

First issue of bread from own

[[?]] ovens.

8 July 42 (Wed)

Officers instructed in Japanese

words of comd. with instructions 

 

that they should be put into use at

once.  This was objected to by comd

& with no results.

10 Jul 42 (Fri)

Men missing from aerodrome

working party brought in [[?]]

Jap. guards Sgt [[?]] again

proved himself to be very fair &

reasonable.

12 Jul 42 (Sun)

o/s J. [[?]] [[?]] PJX 182185 died anaerobic 

dysentery 0430 hrs

Concert in evening.

Dental officr commenced duties at

Jap Hqt. for treatment of Jap soldier

xxxx using own supplies. [[Other?]]

supplies promised. 

 

14 July  
One of the two [[?]] placed out of bounds for 48 hours
owing to low level of water.
Meat condemned by MO and returned to Japanese
who promised a further supply. This did not eventuate.
15 July
Second local vendor allowed into camp selling eggs &
bananas. His visits still continue daily.
Concert.
16 July
17 July
Japanese sentry saw two men in
bunker outside P Q area. Search was started
and an English sergeant was apprehended just
inside the wire.
Roll call of [[C?]] Bn held and reported all
 

present.
P.Q. command arrived with interpreter.
Two more me caught outside area
Japanese command chose to assume that the
men were attempting to escape & the sentence [[?]].
Prisoners were taken away in Japanese custody.
Conference [[with?]] Jap HQ & Japs agreed to leave
punishment in [[??]] hands and ordered
that details of punishment [[?]] should be [[?]]
to them.
Surprise roll calls must in future be held daily
18 July
Japanese inspected wire around camp and
required repairs to be carried out in several places.
The [[?]] now held [[??]] against the 3
men arrested yesterday was heard.
Sgt was sentenced to 21 days [[?]], for the first [[?]]
every alternate day only [[?]] to be altered.
The other two men — 16 days on [[??]] as above.
19^th July
Church services as usual
Concert. (Band recital)
20 July
100 men taken to wharf to unload bitumen from
ship. This apparently required for the construction of the
runway at aerodrome.
Water level in bathrooms strong & [[?]] too. [[?]] of [[?]]
until further notice.
21 July.
Unloading of ship completed.
No money was received from the Japanese for payment.
A work period concluded yesterday. Advised that cash
had to be obtained from Tavoy.
22
Inspection by P Q Commander. Principal
complaint that Japanese words of command were not
being used.
Reported from the aerodrome that a rain cape
had been taken by Japanese naval sentry and
not returned.
 

Also that an English soldier had been hit on the head
with a stick by sentry and profuse bleeding caused.
Concert
July 24
No work party. Very heavy rain.
28
Still no working parties & still
very heavy rainmaking camp boggy.
Troops with too much time on their hands
become restive, argue & are generally
in a very bad mood. They now
say they would prefer the aerodrome
work where a week ago officers
were called pro-Jap for sending
them out.
The afternoon is fine & the Japs
take I/C [[of?]] force on a sightseeing
tour through the town of Mergue.
This tour was conducted in a very
free & easy manner by the Nip
guards. If a group were lucky
to get a good guard [[?]]
purchasing from the [[?]]
 

was permitted. ^※ The [[?]] outside wire
see notes of [[3?]] Jul.
29 Jul see [[?]]
30 Jul
Another tour of town by balance
of force.
x  NX     Pte Schubert  8/30 Bn.
was shot by order of Nipponese Comd
southern [[?]] Maj. Ifsin.
Despite repeated orders that men were
not to go outside the P.Q. area &
warning that the extreme penalty
would be inflicted Pte S. was
found outside the wire at approx
2100 hrs on 28 Jul. He was recaptured
& interviewed by the
Adjt at the Jap Guard House.
It is thought likely that he would
have been let off but when
placed in the prisoners room he
escaped from the window &
was later recaptured by the
Jap xx found by his Plt. [[?]]
Lieut Kreckler who asked
 

what he should do. There was no
alternative bu to hand him over
to the Nipponese & [[then?]] for
leniency. He was taken to the
Nip. H.Q..
29 Jul 42
C.O. [[???]] Ramsey
& Capt Stence adjt