Diary of Arthur Seaforth Blackburn, April 1942 - November 1944, Part 17 of 26

[*1943*]
[*Sept 25.*] Worked out at the farm from O820 - 1140.  Hot but
not too unpleasant.  Water shortage still on but
managed to bath in a cup of water when I got
in. Today we got 1 tin pickled vegetables, 1 [[Wakamoto?]]
1 bottle curry powder, 1 tin fish flakes, ½ bottle 
pinapple syrup & ½ bottle olive syrup each. In addition
I got 100 pins, a scrubbing bush, 2 doz buttons & 
1 bottle mulcilage.  Letters still arriving for the 
Americans but none for us.  Late this afternoon 
we were given permission to write another letter 
limited to 100 words.  It is so horrible writing
into the blue with never a word from home 
to know whether our letters are ever received. 

[*26.*]  Sunday. Usual service. Water was turned on 
for about an hour today so we managed to 
get a decent wash & even wash some cloths. 
It is remarkable how the majority of the P.O.Ws 
re-act to every scrap of conversation from outside. 
Optimism seems to run riot with a lot of us. 
An extraordinary illustration has just come to 
light. It appears that the Swedish Consul on 
his visit said to the Dutch officers ''Well the 
war won't last forever you know so 
cheer up''  This has now been interpreted by 
most of the camp as an indication that the 
war is going very well indeed - in fact many 
of them consider it an indication that Germany
is practically ended & that peace in Europe 
will come at any moment - if it hasn't already 
come!

[*27*]  Worked today at the farm from 1430 -1715. 
Although the work was not hard it 
thoroughly tired me out, I suppose because 
I am in such bad condition & tonight my 
back is aching so that I cannot stoop down 
without pain. Very little extra work 
rice tonight. This morning we had a kit 
inspection of all Japanese issue articles. 
[*28.*] Worked again today from 1430 - 1715. Fortunately 
a cool breeze was blowing but I do find 
the work very exhausting.  Am worried night 
and day by a terrible depression lately. Feel 
that things are very very wrong at home 
with Rose & the children. No one will 
ever know how I long all the time to be 
there with them & to try to relieve them of 
the troubles that I now feel certain they 
are in. I am so utterly powerless here & the 
feeling all the time that I am letting Rose 
down so badly is utter hell to me. 
However if the troubles are - as I believe 
they are - the result of my own mucking a 
mismanagement, I feel almost glad that 
I am suffering so much mentally. It is 
some small punishment for having lette
let Rose down in my business affairs.
[*29.*] Just as we went onto roll call at 2000 hrs 
last night all lights went out & stayed 
out all night. It was very dark inside 
our huts & most uncomfortable making 
beds etc & moving around in the dark.
Work today from 1430 - 1730. It wouldn't
 

[*1943*]
[*Sept 29*] be so bad if it wasn't for the water shortage 
but one comes in from the farm filthy 
dirty & cannot get a bath & only a wash 
in very limited supply of water.
[*30.*]  Work today from 1430 - 1700. Fairly easy today 
with a nice cool breeze.  Papers came in today 
up to 21 Aug. News generally seems to be pretty
good but of course we do not really know 
how things are going. Vigilant guard tonight 
from 0200 - 0330 hrs.
[*Oct 1st.*]  Winter time table started today. Only change 
is that Reveille is at 0630, morning roll 
call parade 0700 & breakfast immediately 
after & afternoon siesta is wiped out. Today 
Nipponese took us out to work at 1400 as 
there was no siesta & kept us out until 
1700.  This morning we were ordered to 
sew our two heavy issue blankets onto 
our mattress covers in a fixed way which 
was shewn to us. No reason was given 
but it looks as though the idea is to make 
a mattress of it all. It certainly will be no 
use for anything else.
[*Oct 2.*]   Cold dull day. A very marked drop in 
temperature. No work this afternoon as it 
was Saturday. Started one weeks duty as
soup server.
[*3*]  Sunday.  Usual Church service which I missed this 
morning.  Still nice & cool. Meals have been 
much better lately & bananas are again coming 
in steadily.
[*4.*]  Work today from 1400 - 1700. Weather still very 
cool & pleasant. Had two light blankets on last
night & was not really properly warm. No water
at all on today so water fatigue had to 
carry from the outside spring. Very persistent 
rumors that Italy gave up all resistance a 
week ago & now is now helping the Allies to 
drive the Germans out of Italy.
[*5*]  Optician arrived at the camp today & started 
examining those in need of glasses. I waited 
all day but be didn't reach me. Hope he 
returns tomorrow as my eyes are very 
troublesome. Signed for pay today - month's 
deductions were 35 yen for food etc and 60 odd 
yen for canteen supplies - much of which is 
food, such as sugar, biscuits, syrups, sauces, sh 
salt, pepper etc.
[*6.*] Optician did not come today. Work from 0845 to 
1130. Weather gradually getting warmer. Salt, fish
flakes & pepper from canteen today. Gave a
talk to some of Hongkong officers on Syrian 
campaign.
[*7*]  Optician arrived again at 1000 hrs. Squad 
went out to work at 0845 hrs. I stayed in 
to see the optician. Bananas - which have been 
missing for 3 days- were resumed today. After 
waiting around all day, optician still did not 
reach me. 

[*1943*]
[*Oct 8*]   Eyes very bad today. Itching all the time & sight 
very blurred.  Cattarrh also very bad so 
altogether I have had a bad day.  A large
number of letters were delivered today to 
the British Officers dated, March, April & May 
of this year - but alas none from Australia. 
We are all feeling terribly sick of things now 
as we are the only ones who have had 
absolutely no letters.
[*9.*]  Saw optician today. He tested my eyes at length &
finally informed me that I would have to 
have two pairs of glasses - one for reading & 
one for outside work. He also informed me 
that it was quite possible that in the not 
far distant future I might be able to read 
without glasses at all.  No bananas today. 
This morning everyone in the squads 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 
who did not go out to work was lined 
up & interrogated by the Jap. medical Corporal 
as to his reasons for not being at work. The 
Corporal withdrew a number of "red tickets" 
in spite of the protests of our medical officers 
about same.
[*10.*] Sunday.  Usual church service. Warning today 
that saluting of Japanese soldiers etc by us 
is falling off a must be improved at once. 
Weather still cool at night but beautifully 
sunny & warm in the daytime. Last night 
two or three officers on vigilant guard 
were reading when a Nipponese sentry 
came around & confiscated all the books. 
So far they have not been returned.
[*11.*]  Work today from 1400 161700. No bananas the 
last couple of days. Weather is still keeping 
very beautiful with bright sunny days & 
cool nights. Vigilant guard tonight from 
2100-2300
[*12.*] Work from 1400-1700.  Permission to write another 
letter limited to 100 words to be handed in tomorrow 
morning. I do hope that these letters are reaching 
home & that Rose is not going through the same 
horror of lack of news that I am.
[*13.*] Very tiring day today. Tuned out for water 
carrying fatigue at 0845 before I had had 
any tea or shaved. We were kept at it 
carrying huge buckets of water (each held 
2½ ordinary sized buckets) until 1130. We 
had to fill up the tanks in the Nipponese 
kitchen & their bathroom water containers 
etc. We were given no "smoke-oh" & by 
1130 I was absolutely fagged out.  Then at 
1400 hrs we were turned out again for 
the usual farm - laborer's job on the farm 
& kept at that until 1700.
[*14.*]   Work today from 1400 -1715. Heavy work 
using a hoe in heavy clay soil. Several 
blisters on my hands. Bananas have 
started again 

[*15.*]  Weighed today. 53 kilos - gain of 1 kilo.  Work today at
11400 hrs but suddenly at 1600 hrs we were brought
back into camp & dismissed: Issue of salt to each
man today - No bananas.
[*16*] Nippon holiday today &so no work.  Occasion
appears to be the harvest festival.  Catarrh very
bad today.  Woke me up last night twice.
Each time with violent sneezing fit.  Interesting
figures have been extracted as a result of
our weighing.  All those made to go out to work
get an extra bowl of rice, whilst those who
are excused just get the ordinary ration.
The figures shew that in every squad those
working have lost weight on the average
throughout the squad & the others have
gained.  Our Squad figures were: - workers
average loss  .170 kilos.  Non workers average
gain  .11 kilos.
[*17.*] Sunday.  Usual church services.  No water turned on
today but late in the afternoon a party was
allowed to go out & draw some from the well.  Banana
issue today.
[*18*] Rumors of today & tomorrow being a holiday
proved entirely groundless, as we were
taken out to work at 0845 until 1130 hrs.
Weather is getting warm again & last night,
in the early part, was decidely hot & stuffy.
[*19*] Work as usual today from 0845 to 1130.  Canteen
supplied ketchup, sugar, tea etc today.  Water
shortage is terribly inconvenient. There is no
water turned on or stored in the camp at all
& all those without buckets find it practically
impossible to get a decent bath.  One comes
in from work covered in dust & sweat &
it is difficult to get clean in about a
cup full of water.
[*20*] Work this morning.  Atmosphere very charged.  One
officer Brig. Richards was kicked by a Jap senty
sentry because he did not understand what he
said to him in Japanese & two or three others were
hit.  When we got back to camp we found that
one of the American Col's Squad had been made to
spend the morning emptying the "Benjos".  This afternoon
a British officers Squad was employed on the
same job.  We are naturally all very indignant
about officers being made to work at such a
disgusting job.
[*21.*]  This morning the Camp Comdt. addressed us on morning
roll call parade & told us that the job of emptying
the "Benjo" was not in any sense a punishment.  He
explained that in Japanese agricultural districts it is
the invariable practice to empty all urine etc onto
the vegetable gardens or onto manure heaps to be
put onto the vegetable gardens & that it was
being done here only in accordance with
that custom. We could look forward to being
here for a good long while &so must be content
to all do all jobs necessary to bring on the
farm & produce vegetables etc.
 

[*1943*]
[*Oct 22:*]  Early this morning air raid practices started.  We
were kept in our rooms until 09.30 & then went
out to work until 11.30.  Last night we had a
sudden order for roll call at 1900 hrs.  We
were then told it was a blackout & lights all
had to be out by ten minutes after we were
dismissed.  It made a long night from 1930 -

0630.
[*23.*]  No work today.  This morning the Camp Comdt
addressed us to impress on us that we could
not expect an early end to the war.  He told
us that the Germans were holding on the 

line Leningrad, Smolenk, Kiev, Sea of Artoz
for the winter, that we had landed in
Italy & were holding a line across Italy
about the neighbourhood of Naples, & that the
Japanese had withdrawn from Guadal
Canal Island, New Georgia, Kiska & Aleutians;
that there had been no air-raids on Japan
proper & the war obviously would last for
a long time yet.  He therefore pointed out that
it was to our interest to push on hard
with the garden & farms.  Today the exercise
Park was opened for our use from 0830 - 11.30
& from 1330 - 1700.  Long prolonged earthquake
at 0330 this morning.  This afternoon we
had our first rain for about six weeks. -
a good hard shower.
[*24.*]  Air-raid practices endend yesterday, Sunday.
church service this morning held up in the
recreation Park.  It is a distinct acquisition &
was very pleasant up there.  Opened a tin
of canned corn today.  It is the best thing we
have had out of the Canteen.
[*25*]  Work Roster was changed this morning so that Nos 1 & 2
Squads go out at different times.  This was done
so as to even up the available people for water
carrying as we (Nos 1 & 2 Squads) are excused from
water carrying duty.  Some fish was provided in
the soup tonight, just enough to flavour it but
still a bit of a change.  Work 1400 - 1700.
[*26*] Work today 1400 - 1700.  Had my nose examined
today. Col Derham tells me I have a "pollup" in it
but it is unsafe to have it removed here.
My nose is blocked up in one nostril one
or the other practically all the time.  Two
bottles of Syrup each available today.
[*27.*]  Work 1400 - 1700.  Order out today that
lights can not be turned on until
1830.  As by this time it is practically
dark in our rooms it is very uncomfortable.
Had a horrible dream last night that
I had arrived back in Australia.  I was
practically blind & was sitting on my
luggage in a big sunny shadeless barrack
square.  Nobody had arrived to meet
me & I had had no word from any
of the family.  It was terribly hot & I didn't
know what to do.  Finally after waiting for
hours, I got leave to sleep in a shed for the