Diary of Arthur Seaforth Blackburn, April 1942 - November 1944, Part 20 of 26
1944
Feby 2 Another attack of diarroeha but so far it is only
Contd slight. However I have completely lost my appetite
& can hardly eat even my soup. As from tonight
we have been ordered to full "blackout curtains"
across our windows as from sundown. Do
not know if it is a mere practice or genuine but
naturally hope it is the latter. Yesterday an
officer who was working out on the farm
digging peanuts was caught with a number
in his pocket. The Camp Comdt beat him
up as a punishment. We have now been
ordered to establish squad gardens inside
the camp perimeter, the idea being that
all available space shall be under either
flowers or vegetables.
3rd Hot day. Stomache disorder a little better but
unable to eat mouch much. Shaved again
today & again not quite so painful as
previously. Vigilant guard tonight 9 - 11 ( Gen C last night).
4th Bright sunny day but much cooler than yesterday.
Food is becoming a positive nightmare to me. My
stomach is becoming "queasy" with the rice & it takes
very little now to nauseate me. There is however
nothing else to eat & I have just to make
myself eat it to keep alive. good soup tonight
with a lot of fish - fresh tuna - in it.
5. Very wet day. Rain started. about some time in
the night & stopped at Revielle but started again
about nine o clock in the morning & kept going
all day. Very severe earthquake shock tonight
about the severest we have yet had.
6. Very wet & cold day. Last night was bitterly
cold & today it has been just as bad. This
morning for breakfast we had some new
kind of "mesoo" in the soup which nearly
everyone found practically uneatable. It is
reported that it will continue for a long time
& if so I do not know how we will get
on for breakfast! Hot bath today, usual
Sunday services except that communion had
to be put off because of the rain.
7. Had a terrible disappointment today. Last night
I had a very vivid dream that at last I had
got letters from home & then this afternoon it
was announced that another big batch of letters
were available for delivery - but not a single
one for me. One officer got 42 letters & quite
a number of officers & men got 20 or more.
It makes me dreadfully despondent not
hearing a single word from the family.
8. Horribly despondent all day today after yesterday's
letter debacle. Cool, pleasant day. My eyes
have been troubling me again lately but
I think it is due to reading too much very
small print in some office library books.
9. Another fine cool day. Nothing of importance.
Everyone is getting terribly bored with this camp
& its lack of news. We haven't even had papers
for a long time
1944
Feby 10th
Another beautiful day with a strong cool breeze.
Nothing of importance.
11 Holiday today for the anniversary of the Japanese Empire
No compulsory work but it was announced that work
could be found for some 60 odd officers in morning &
afternoon. Far more than this no. volunteered
which rather upsets the complaints about officers
being made to work. Pork in the soup tonight.
12. Work today all day. Announced that work will be
all day today & tomorrow (Sunday) & so on from day to
day until 18th when we will be inspected.
13. Sunday. Holy Communion had to be put off this
morning because every squad was out working.
Some more letters were distributed today
but again there were none for me. It is
impossible to describe the utter black
despondency
which I feel when other fellows are getting
letters - some of them lots of letters - and I
don't get a word of any sort. It is absolutely
hellish & I find it very difficult to keep
my courage up. Vigilant guard tonight 0200-0330.
14. Fine clear day. Worked with the squad on the farm
this afternoon for the first time 7th Jany. Another
sugar issue today.
15. Work today from 1330 - 1630 sorting out peanuts
from the farm & extracting the good ones - for
seed
to replant!. Fine clear day with cold wind
developing in the afternoon.
16. Fine clear day. Work from 1330 - 1630. Cigarettes came
into camp today but only the nasty sort - which
we call "Tarts delight". The report is that this is
the only sort we are going to get in the future.
Am still feel feeling desperately despondent
& lonely. It is alleged that the batch of letters
which arrived the other day about a week ago is now all
distributed. If that is so God knows when we
will get anymore & I feel quite desperate
about it all.
17. Work this morning cleaning up around the huts ready
for tomorrow's inspection. This afternoon we were
warned to stand by to practice air-raid & fire
drill. However no practice took place. Am
feeling appallingly lonely lately - a loneliness
which seems to be growing on me more & more.
Here in this camp living the life that we do, one
cannot help reflecting quite a lot on one's life, past
& present. The more I think over it the more
difficult I find it to think of anyone at all in
all my life whom I can class as a really
intimate friend, except Rose. I suppose during
the last ten years or so before the war my
two closest men friends were Malcolm & Bill
Stewart. I cant really feel that I ever got
very "close" to Malcolm much as I like him.
The relations between he & Mary always seemed
to be in the way somehow. I suppose the nearest
nearest I had to my ideal of a man friend
was Bill Stewart but somehow we didn't see
very much of each other. Literally the only
person with whom I really felt I could
talk over anything at all was Rose - and I
realise now what an utter fool I was in not
talking over so many things with her because I
felt they would worry her or because she
1944
Feby 17 cond wouldn't be interested, I thought. I realise now
that Rose I could have talked over any subject
on earth with her - and talked them over
much more freely than with anyone else I
have ever known. I hope I haven't woken up
to what a fool I have been too late. I cannot
help wondering how I will re-act to much
more of this life, and what effect it will
have on me in the future. I feel that I am
getting "all tied up" mentally in this environment.
There is not a soul in the camp with whom
I cannot really have a heart to heart talk,
and one result I feel is that I am getting
more & more morbid.
18. Col. from Taiwan staff came to camp today
but spent whole time inspecting his Nipponese
troops & putting them through various exercises
drills etc. Fine clear day with strong
cool breeze.
19. Holiday today after inspection. Fine clear
day, a little warmer than yesterday. Don't
feel quite so depressed today but still
pretty miserable.
20. Sunday. Usual Church services. Fine clear day
but cold. Bitterly cold last night. Pork in the
soup tonight. I got one piece about the size of
my thumb nail. However there was enough
to slightly flavour all the soup. Have developed
a small boil under my eye.
21. Work today 0845 - 1130. Fine clear day. Quite
warm at midday but cold wind in
morning & evening. Bun each issued today.
22 Work today 0845 - 1130. Dull cold morning but
clear bright afternoon. Cold breeze. Feel desperately
despondent & lonely today. Many hundreds of
letters were distributed most officers getting 10 - 12
but not a word for me. No Australians got
any of this mail. I wish our Govt could
get to know it & refuse to deliver any mail
whatever to any Japanese in Australia until
some reciprocal arrangements were made.
We all know that there are hundreds of letters
for us but it looks as though the Japanese
wont take the trouble to sort any of ours because
we are Australians. In the meantime it makes
we feel just hopeless & utterly miserable not
to know how any of the family are. I have got
to the stage of imagining every sort of horror as
happening to them all.
23. News in Col. Searle's letter that he has been awarded
the Military William Cross by the Dutch Govt - the
highest award in the power of the Dutch to confer.
Rumor has it that the award has been made also
to Gen. Sitwell. I am terribly pleased that Searle has
got it. He is a grand chap. However, to be honest
I am ashamed to confess that I am horribly jealous
about it. It seems so unfair in a way. Searle is
a Staff Officer whose job compelled him to remain
at Bandeong H.Q. during all the fighting. Sitwell
also had to stay in Bandeong. The only American
troops in Java were under my command all
the time of the fighting & although they did very good
work they were artillery & did their work from
the rear. In fact not one bullet even came
near enough to them to hit any of them. Sitwell
1944 Feby 23 (contd) although nominally my Commander, in fact had nothing
whatever to do with the fighting at Lewiliang. He left
it entirely to me & did not even know of my plans.
The truth is that my Brigade of Australian troops did
practically the only successful fighting that was
done agst. the Japs & quite certainly were the only
troops who successfully fought or engaged the
Japs. The only English troops who did any fighting
put up a poor show & lost an important aerodrome
which they were supposed to x be guarding without
much resistance. My Australian troops by their
fight at Lewillian enabled the whole of the
Dutch troops in Batavia to retire withdraw
untouched from the Japanese troops who were
encircling them & in doing this my chaps suffered
over 200 casualties out of 1400 fighting troops
engaged - and yet Searle & Sitwell get this
high decoration, award the conditions of which
the Dutch tell me are that it is an award
for conspicuous bravery in the face of the
enemy - and my troops get absolutely nothing!
I suppose it is petty of me to feel hurt over it
all and perhaps it is only because I am feeling
so damnably lonely & depressed at present but
I must confess that it does hurt & I feel that
my Australian troops have been damnably
slighted.
Beautiful sunny bright day today. Work 0845 - 1130.
Weighed today - 50 kilos, a loss of.8 kilos.
Feby 24 Several parcels have arrived for American officers,
the first to arrive since we have been
prisoners. A very cold bleak day with a little
rain Vigilant guard tonight 9-11. Gen C 11-1230.
Work 0830-1130
25. Work today 0830 - 1130. Terribly cold & could not
even get warm whilst working.
26 Face trouble has flared up again & had to go
to the Dr. about it again today, with the
result that my face has again been painted
all over with ointment. A bun each was
issued tonight. Announcement that no more
PX stores will be sold this month but
only balance of cigarettes. A few more
letters arrived for some of the Dutch
officers from Java. I am feeling almost
hopeless about letters now. I feel that I
would give absolutely anything I possess -
which isn't much - to know that Rose & the
children are all well. Our first monthly concert
was held this afternoon & was a great success.
27. Sunday. Usual Church services. Glorious sunny day.
Order out today that we must each return to
the Nipponese our blanket cover & one sheet.
Cannot imagine why unless there is a grave
shortage of cotton materials. Pork in the soup
today from one of our own pigs. The total
amount received by us worked out at
a shade over 1 oz. per person!
28. Clear bright day. Work from 0 1330 - 1630. At
19448
Feby 28th contd midday we had wonderful tomato soup. There
was no vegetable in it except tomato & it was
thick & hot. It was the first time since leaving
Batavia that I have tasted a soup of a sort
to which I am accustomed. The tomatoes all
came off the farm. Rule came out today from
the Nipponese that all meetings of P.O.W's, lectures
etc were strictly prohibited upon a written
request stating the purpose, scope etc of the gathering
were first submitted to them & approved by
them.
Feby 29 A date which I feel reasonably confident will be
unique in my experience as a P.O.W! I cannot
imagine myself still being a prisoner in four years
time. This morning there was a light drizzle
of rain so work was put off. Our squad worked
this afternoon from 1330 - 1630. Tonight we
were issued with one big ripe tomato each
out of the garden in the farm. It was wonder-
ful to taste fresh tomato again. Instead of the
usual rather weak soup we had fried
vegetables tonight. Unfortunately it is only
rarely, I understand, that there is enough oil
to fry them. Announced today that we can
send a letter of 300 words - the longest we
have yet been able to send. It is pretty difficult
to find enough to say to occupy 300 words
when I have had no word since Jany 1942 &
all mention of food, conditions of the camp,
names of other P.O.Ws etc is prohibited.
March 1st Clear fine day. Work this afternoon 1330 - 1630
digging up sweet potatoes. They are to be cut
up & dried in the sun so as to preserve them.
March 2nd Fine warm day. Work this afternoon
13.30-16.30. Had
a dreadful dream last night, Rose was
calling to me for help & for some reason I
could not go to her. Her cries were becoming
more & more desperate & I finally woke up
in a sweat of terror. The dream was so
vivid that I could not get to sleep again
& have been terribly worried ever since.
Sugar was issued today after a long interval
March 3rd Fine warm day. This afternoon in lieu of work we
were taken up to the "recreation Park" & made to
pose
for a series of moving pictures for the Japanese.
4th This morning our squad was turned out & put to
work sweeping up the camp & picking up bits of
paper etc for the moving picture people. This
afternoon a show was staged at the canteen.
A large notice was made reading Cigars, Cigarettes,
Syrups etc etc (setting out different items on sale
today. This was hung up outside the PX room
& then American Officers were made to come up
to the room & go through a performance of
Saying they would like this or that & pretending
to buy it. All this was photographed and the
conversation recorded. In fact there haven't
1944
March 4
(Contd) been sufficient cigars etc to sell ever
since we came
here. The few that are available are always rationed
pro rata amongst the troops P.O.Ws. Even Syrups
etc
are issued to squads & by them issued out to Officers
for or men pro rata. In any case today nobody
in the camp had any money. The impression given
by the notice "for sale today" is quite misleading
as sales do not take place at the PX room of
any of the items to individual officers. In March 5thaddition they had to pretend to sales of
bread which have
never taken place through the PX.
March 5. Sunday. Usual services. The ordinary morning service
was photographed by the movie people. Milk from the
cows is now available at the hospital & is much
appreciated. There are six cows - three in milk &
three not yet in milk but expected soon. Vigilant
guard tonight 0200 - 0330 (Gen C first). Sweet
potatoes
issued separately tonight & an excellent tomato
soup at midday.
March 6. Work this morning from 0845 - 1000. We finished the
job we were on at that hour & so were dismissed.
A bun each issued today & also bananas again.
Pork in the soup tonight.
7. Work this morning 0845 - 1130.Very overcast cold
day but no actual rain. Announced tonight that
there will be a practise by the Nipponese of
the defence of the camp tonight. At some hour
between 0430 - 0530 tomorrow morning the alarm
will be sounded & we must all be on parade
fully clothed within 3 minutes. That must
obviously result in us going to bed fully
clothed as it is apparently all to be done in
darkness.
8. Turn out early this morning came at 0500 hrs & we
stood out on parade until 0530. Dull cold day
with a little rain in the morning. We turned
out to work as usual at 0845 but at 1000 hrs
were sent in because of rain. The at 1030 hrs
we were sent out again. In the afternoon rain
set in & so all work was cancelled. Col. Derham
today advised me to give up shaving & grow a
beard for the present. My face flares up again
every time I shave. Tonight we have a beautiful
big ripe tomato each for supper. Bitterly cold
night with steady rain.
9. Steady rain all day & bitterly cold. No work
This evening our squad got a bottle of milk
between two & will get another bottle between
two tomorrow morning. It is the first milk I
have had since becoming a P.O.W & it was
absolutely glorious.
10. Fine cold day. Work this morning 0845 - 1130.
This
afternoon the clouds cleared off the mountains east
of us & disclosed that they were heavily snow
clad. The wind was blowing straight off them
so it made it bitterly cold in the evening.
11. Last night I had another of those terrible
dreams
where the family are in terrible need of me & I
can do nothing. This time it was Bob. He was
in some awful trouble - I don't know what - &
all the family were appealing to me to do
something for him but I couldn't do anything
at all. It was terrible. I am getting really
worried about these frequent dreams in
which the family need me so badly & in
which I am always able to do nothing. It was
a bitterly cold night last night. I never got
properly warm once. This evening we
1944
March 11 contd were issued with a bun each. Work today
0845 -1130 shelling peanuts.
12. Sunday usual service. Excellent meal tonight. Duck
Soup (60 of our ducks were killed. The Nipponese took only
5 or 6 for their share) & rice fried with tomato &
two sweet potatoes each.
13.This morning a representative from Prisoners of War
Information Bureau Tokyo inspected the camp & had
an interview with certain officers selected by the
Nipponese camp authorities - they were all
Americans except for 1 British officer. Not much
resulted from the interview as he explained that
he had only just recently been allocated to Bureau
& had not yet become acquainted with all
details but he said he would do whatever he
could to clear up such points as appeared to
warrant attention such as slow arrival of mail.
Work today 1330-1630.
14. Beautiful sunny day. Work 1330-1630. Large number of troops are now occupying the
barracks alongside our camp. It is believed
to be an N.C.O school.
15. Bright sunny day but a little close. Earth-
quake shock this afternoon. Vigilant guard
tonight 0330-0500 I we 1st Rumors of more
mail in. I really don't know what I shall
do if I don't get any out of this mail.
16. Clear day but a bit sultry. Light rain last
night. Work today 1330 - 1630. We have dug an
immense number of sweet potatoes lately but
they are nearly all being dried and stacked away
in sacks. There are rarely enough in the soup
to make much real difference to it. A bun
each was issued tonight.
17 Work today 1330-1630 Hot Close sultry day & rain
started at about 1830. Rumors of over 50 letters
from Australia in the present batch of mail,
which has not yet been delivered to us, in
contrast to the Americans mail of over 1500 letters
which was all delivered the very same day as it
arrived in the camp. Meals much poorer today.
18 Inspection today by C.O. POW camps Taiwan. He
arrived soon after 0800 hrs & inspected the farm
& farm stock etc. We were all turned out to
work at 0830 & taken to the farm. The
nippon sentry in charge of our group (1 & 2 Squads)
told us through Col. Woods that he wanted
us to work very hard at the job we were
working & then we would be taken in
at 1000 hrs when the C.O. had seen the work.
The C.O. came out to the job at 0915 hrs.
We were all working very hard & finished
the job we were on about 0945 although
it was a pretty big job. At 1000 hrs the
sentry blandly took us on to another job &
merely laughed at us when Col. Woods
reminded him of what he had promised.
This is the second time in a week that this
has happened. It seems to show a peculiar
standard of honor!
1944
March 19. Sunday. Usual services. Bananas issued again today
& pork in the soup tonight from one of our pigs which
was killed yesterday.
20. Work today 0845 - 1130. Clear warm day. Quite
uneventful.
21. Holiday today. No work for any squads. This
morning for breakfast an experiment was
tried & we were issued with "Rice gruel". It
would have been quite nice but was
rather badly burnt.
22. Work today 0845 - 1130. Light rain in the afternoon
& rather a close sultry night. Newspapers issued
again today after a long interval. They are up
to Feby 3rd.
23 Work 0845 - 1130. Warm day but overcast
late in the evening.
24. Work today 0845 - 1130. Uneventful day.
25 Weighed today. 51 kilos - an increase of 1 kilo. Work
today 0845 - 1130. Banana issue today.
26 Sunday. Usual services. Very heavy rain this
afternoon which commenced with a few
minutes of terrific wind which almost
blew the place away. Duck soup tonight
& one bun each. Vigilant guard tonight 12 0030 - 0200. Another anniversary away from Rose!
27. Close sultry day. Work from 1330 - 1630. Nipponese
authorities started us on a new work schedule
today by which we only get two "smokeohs"
of ¼ hour each during our work hours.
A lot of letters were delivered today to British
officers, but none to any Australians. We
can only believe that the authorities are for
some reason deliberately suppressing the
Australian letters.
28. Work today at 1330 but at 1530 heavy
rain started & all work had to end.
Banana issue again today but meals the
last two days have been very bad. Milk
issue came to our squad again today.
29.&] Work again interrupted at 1530 by rain.
At last I have got a letter from Rose
dated 30 Sept 1942 with good news of all
the family. Although the letter is so old it
is like a breath from Heaven to see her
handwriting again & to get her messages.
There is supposed to be a lot more mail in
& not yet sorted so I am full of hope
for more letters in the near future.
30. Work again interrupted at 1530 by rain. fresh
fish in the soup tonight - just enough to give
it a flavouring.
31 No work today because of rain. This afternoon
authorities announced a new work timetable, increasing
the periods of work. In future morning work
will be 0815 - 1130 & afternoon 1315 - 1630. As
breakfast never comes from the kitchen until
0730 & midday meal before 1200 & one it has to be served it all out of a common bucket & then each
P.O.W has to wash his own dishes it doesn't
give much time, particularly in the morning.
1944
April 1st No work for our squad today but other squads
out. New restriction issued today by order that
smoking during work periods is forbidden. We
may only smoke during the ¼ hr. spells & then
only when sitting down with an ashtray.
Previously we that smoked pipes used to finish
them off particularly on some jobs like shelling
peanuts. More rain late in the afternoon.
April 2nd Sunday. Usual services. Fine day but
overcast. Pork in soup tonight & about - 25
kilos.
April 3 No work today. Very heavy rain last night & all
today. Last night 15 of the laying ducks died
from some mysterious cause. There was no
mark on their bodies at all but a P.M. showed
that their brains were very congested. It is a
great pity as they were doing well & just beginning
to lay. The Benjos have not been emptied since
the wet weather started the excuse being that
the roads are too wet for the carts to get in.
Everyone of them is now overflowing & the
stench in the camp is dreadful.
April 4 Still no Benjo carts so the enlisted men were
put on today to clear them out a little bit.
It is a disgraceful condition. Work today from
0815 - 1130. Food is pretty scarce - again the rain
is blamed - & the soups have been very poor
for two or three days now.
April 5 No work for our squad today although quite
a fine day. Vigilant guard tonight 2300 -
0030 (Gen C. First)
April 6 Work today 0830 - 1130. Owing to our protests
at the early starting hour they have been reverted to
0830 in the morning & 1330 in the afternoon.
Enlisted men have been put on a new job
some distance out of camp building a
dam to protect some land from flooding
April 7 Good Friday. Service at 0930 from Those of us who wished
to attend were given leave from work this morning.
Very warm sultry day & terribly hot night. I have been
reading too much again lately & last night my
right eye was very sore & I had a horrible headache
8. Work this morning from 0830 - 1130 harvesting the
oat crop by hand. There is a project on foot to build
a "Chapel" & entertainment room out of voluntary
contributions by P.O.W's at a cost of approx Y2200. So
far most people seem very enthusiastic. Another example has been
9th Easter Sunday. Celebr Holy Communion at 0900. Fine
day. Issue of one bag of sweets & one bun each today & pork in the soup tonight. Bad night
last night as I didn't get to sleep until long
after midnight.
10. Very heavy showers of rain this morning caused
cancellation of all work. New order out that
all area around huts must be thoroughly cleaned
up by officers between Reveille & roll call.
1944
April 11th Another red letter today - another letter from
Rose - this one dated Aug 29 1942. I feel terribly
bucked & pleased with life although of course
the news of the family is all very old. Work
today 1330 - 1630. A little rabbit & chicken cooked
with some beans for supper tonight - 7 rabbits &
3 roosters amongst over 500 doesn't go very far but
still it is acceptable!
12 Work today 1330 - 1630. Fine warm day but
overcast late in the afternoon.
13. Work today 1330 - 1630. Each of our squad received
one boiled egg today, the product of our own
poultry. It is the first egg I have tasted since
I left Java & was absolutely delicious.
Newspapers in again today. Fine clear day &
not too hot.
14 Work today 1330 - 1630. Fine clear day.
15 " " " " " " " but very
overcast in the evening. Papers were issued
yesterday up to 25 Feby. Pork in the soup
tonight.
16 Sunday. Usual church services. Vigilant
guard 0500 - 0630 (Gen C. 1st). Fine day.
17. Have developed a large boil under my
left arm pit again & so was unable to go
out to work. Fine clear day. Benjos are
all overflowing again but were partially
cleared out late this afternoon. Bottle of
milk (¼ pint) today.
18. Boil came to a head this morning & Col.
Pidgen (acting in lieu of Col. Derham since the
latters admission to hospital as a patient) lanced
it. Fairly painful. Another illustration of the
way mail is dealt with occurred today. An
American mail came in this morning & was
distributed this afternoon instead of the
invariable 3 - 4 weeks for which they keep
all Britishers waiting for mail.
19. Boil still discharging so no work. Today
four American officers who were working at
planting peanuts were found to have some in
their pockets. They were immediately lined up
in front of their squads & smacked in the face
by the sentry. Sweet potatoe each for supper
tonight.
20.Boil still not quite clear. Fine sunny hot day.
Much better soup tonight but midday soup
nothing but bamboos.
21. Still unable to go out to work. More letters
were delivered today, all to Britishers
including a number of Australians - but
none for me. It is terribly disappointing as
many of the officers have had 50 & 60 & I
have only had two.
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