Diary of Arthur Seaforth Blackburn, April 1942 - November 1944, Part 21 of 26

1944
April
22  Weighed today - 52 kilos, an increase of 1 kilo.
This afternoon without warning to camp authority
turned out all Squads to work - a new departure
working on Saturday afternoon.  The sow has at
last farrowed - 14, 11 of them still living.
23.  Anzac Sunday.  Special service at 10.45 this
morning & this afternoon a visit to the camp
cemetery.  Rained practically all day.  No pig
was killed this week-end, the first we have
missed for several weeks.  A new time-table
was announced today for the morning.  Reveille at
0630 & roll call parade at 0650 for which we
have to be in the parade area at 0645.  This leave
15 mins in which to get up, make beds, tidy out
rooms, wash & dress!
24.  Resumed work today.  Very hard "chungbling" & got
thoroughly tired.  Close muggy day but no
actual rain until the night when it rained
very hard.
25.  Anzac Day.  No work for the Gen's. squads today but
all the rest were out at work this morning.
must have strained a muscle at work yesterday
as my back - the lower part - is very sore whenever I
move.  Fine hot day.
26.  Work today 1330 - 1630.  Very hot indeed.  Heavy
cloud in evening but no rain.  Back still
a little sore when I move.
27.  Work today 1330 - 1630.  Very hot indeed.  This morning
Group-Capt. Bishop was working & carried a load of
dirt to the place indicated to him by Brig. Lucas
who was in charge of the job.  This place apparently
did not agree with the views of the Nippon N.C.O.
in charge of the sentries who immediately went up
to Bishop & "beat him up" severely.  Vigilant guard
tonight 0900 - 1100 2100 - 2300 hrs (Gen. C last night) Bun
each issued today.  This morning we were all
turned out for 1½ hrs general cleaning up of
camp in addition to the afternoon's work.  Back
is still pretty sore.
28  Work today 1330 - 1630.  Very heavy rain last
night & today was much cooler.
29.  Holiday today for the Emperor's birthday.  Three
bananas & 6 lollies issued to each of us &
an issue of pork - 25 kilos for the 500 of us
tonight.
30th.  Heavy rain all day.  Orders had been issued that we
were all to work all day in spite of it being
Sunday but the rain stopped all work for officers
although they took the enlisted men out in the
rain this afternoon for some time & made them
dig in the mud of the fish pond.  There is a big
inspection coming off on Tuesday.
May 1st.  Very wet day.  New Rev orders today for Reveille at
0600 hrs - Roll call at 0620.  Evening Roll call
at 7030 & lights out at 0 2130.  Standing by
all day for an inspection but nothing happened.
2  Inspected today by Chief Commandant of Taiwan
P.O.W. Camps who addressed us.  Main theme
was that we must be patient & make the
best of our captivity, that Nippon authorities
1944
May 2
(contd)  were doing all they could to provide us with
reasonable comfort etc & that it was up to us
not to make things worse by objecting to work
quarrelling etc.  Very wet day again.
May 3.  Very wet day again.  No work.  Inspected this
afternoon by a number of officers who are
rumored to be Camp Comdts. from various camps
of PO'Ws in Taiwan.
4.  Fine early this morning but heavy rain again
by the afternoon & then most of the day.  No work
5  Fine bright morning, no work as ground is
all terribly muddy.
6.  Fine bright day all day.  No work.  Concert
this afternoon.  A lot of mail was issued to
the Americans yesterday but none to anyone
else.  Searle got a letter dated Feby 1943
addressed to Java & re-addressed on here
so there is some hope that I may get some
of my Java letters some day.  We have
started a new vigilant guard schedule now,
the first man doing 2½ hrs - 2130 - 2400 & then three
others doing 2 hours each.  This means that only
four a night are on & makes it less often
for each of us to do.  Showers were turned on
today for the first time for very many months.
7  Sunday.  Usual church services.  Fine day.
Pork in the soup tonight.  One of our pigs was
killed as usual on Saturday.  It weighed 56 kilos
as delivered to the Nipponese authorities on Saturday
evening to keep in cold storage.  On Sunday 26 kilos.
were delivered by them to our kitchen - for 500
POWs whilst they retain the balance for the 50
of their guard, including both hams & the loin.
8.  Very hot day.  Work from 0 1330 - 1630.  Sun was
terribly strong & we were working in the full
glare of it.  Brig. Gen McBride (USA) was prostrated
by the heat & died during the night.  He was
a splendid chap, very popular with everythingone &
his death was undoubtedly due solely to being
compelled to work at his age out in the blazing
sun.  Vigilant guard tonight 2130 - 2400.
9.  Very hot day again.  No work this afternoon as Brig Gen
McBride was buried.  Bun each issued today.
10.  Very hot again.  Work from 1330 - 1630.  Developed a
terrible headache with the heat & could hardly
keep going.   Letter put in from our squad regarding
that whole question of work be reviewed as most
of us in view of our age etc are unable to stand
up to the hard manual labour required.  4 cakes
11.  Work of toilet soap each issued by the Nipponese
authorities today.
11.  Work today 1330 - 1630.  Again very hot.  After we
finished work Brig. McLeod was sitting down with
all the rest of us waiting for the fall in.  The sentry
sang out an order in Japanese which nobody understood.
He then signalled with his hands for us to get up.
McLeod, with the rest of us was in the act of doing
so - was back on his feet - when the sentry walked
up to him & kicked him violently.  Today Camp Cmdt
held a conference with all Squad as to letter

1944
May 11 
cont sent by him following up McBride's death in which
we requested that Senior Officers over 50 be exempted
from manual labor in this heat.  He stated that
if he exempted officers over 50 the farm could
not go on but that if those officers who felt
they could not continue the work would submit
their names they would be medically examined
to ascertain whether they really were unfit
or were merely lazy & then he would decide how
to treat them & what food to give them.
12.  Terrible hot today.  Work from 1330 - 1630 digging
potatoes out in the blazing sun.  Developed a bad
headache & felt so tired & ill when I came in
that I could not eat much supper.  Camp Comdt
has told Squad Leaders that work must continue,
that if officers consider that their health wont stand
the work in the heat they must be examined by the
Nippon corporal - but if he decides they are fit
then they will be treated as lazy & unwilling to
"co-operate" & will be put in a special squad together
with all others who object to work & will be
treated by a rigid application of all regulations.
He explained that this would mean that they would
be treated as we were at Karenko & would be not
permitted to play cards, to read, to sit or lie on beds
during the day & would receive special food so as
to ensure that they got no extras but only the
bare basic ration - However he explained that
he would endeavour to mitigate some of the
worst work in the heat of the day - at least for
senior officers.
13.  Very hot day again.  All turned out to work
this morning 0830 - 1130 in spite of the intense sun.
More mail & some radios & parcels for some of
the Americans.  We Australians cannot help
feeling that something is wrong somewhere.  We
are getting far less letters than anyone else
and absolutely no parcels.  Allowed to write
another letter today.
14.  Sunday.  Very hot day again.  Usual services.
Just as we turned up for roll-call a heavy
thunderstorm broke with rain.
15.  Very hot day.  New work schedule under
which all squads except the younger men
work in mornings from 0815 - 1115 & the younger
men in the afternoon announced today.  Today
we worked from 0830 - 1130.  Developed
a severe headache.  760 Red Cross parcels
came into camp today.
16.  New schedule today & we worked from
0815 - 1115 in terrific heat.  Red Cross parcels 
not yet released by the Japs.  came in 
from work feeling so wretched with
heat that I couldn't eat any lunch.
17.  Work this morning 0815 - 1115.  Not quite so hot
as yesterday.  Red Cross parcels to be
issued tomorrow by squads to individuals &
opened in the presence of the Nipponese
authorities.

1944
May 18  Red Cross parcels distributed today - 1½ each i.e. 3
parcels between each two officers. Contents of parcels:-
3 12oz beef
2 tins soluble coffee
4 4oz tins butter
1 tin salmon
7 packets cigarettes
2 cakes soap
1 packet Kraft cheese
1     "     sugar cubes
2 packets eating chocolate
2 tins spam.
2 tin preserved meats - Pate & spiced roll.
1 tin Klim (milk powdered)
1 packet Raisins or prunes
1 tin jam
May 19 Shared a tin of bully beef with Trott & Torrance
today. It was most acceptable! Rainy day 
so no work.
20 Rained all night but fine this morning
so we were turned out to work this 
morning.
21.  Sunday. Rainy day. Usual services. Food is 
very bad at present owing to continued
wet weather which makes the vegetable
supply difficult. However the supply of Red
Cross goods in our parcels makes up for it.
22 Still damp & rainy so no work today.
23 Work today 0815 - 1115. Fresh fish - 20 kilos for
500 in the soup tonight.
24 Weighed today - 52.2 kilos increase of .2 kilos. Work
today 0815 - 1115. Very hot. Vigilant guard
tonight 0 0001 - 0200.
25.  Work today 0815 - 1115. Very fierce sun & terrifically
hot. Large mail in for Americans yesterday
but none for any of the Australians. The 
only way for us to get letters seems to be if
our people will start sending them to us
via America.
26.  Work today 0815 - 1115.  Terrifically hot. Were
given permission to bring in two sweet potatoes
each & cook them.  More Red Cross stores
arrived today, clothes, boots, toilet articles
pipe tobacco medicines etc.
27.  Work today 0815 - 1115.  Very hot. Large British
mail delivered today but none for any of
we Australians although Australian letters
were delivered to British officers.  We
cannot help feeling that we are being
deliberately kept from letters.  Apparently
our best hope of receiving them is if our
letters are sent via America!
28.  Sunday.  Usual services.  Very hot morning.  Heavy
rain at midday but without any change of
temperature

1944
May 29  Work today 0815 - 1115.  Not quite so hot.  Very heavy
rain storms developed late in the afternoon.  30
kilos of pork supplied by the Nipponese for
tonight's soup.
30.  Work today 0815 - 1115.  Ground very soft & muddy
& showers of rain all the time.  We were put to
work "chunkling" in the soft mud & it was
most unpleasant.  Very heavy rain in the
afternoon.
May 31  No work in morning but all turned out
to work in afternoon on general clean-up
of camp
June 1st.  All turned out to work on general clean-up
again.
June 2nd.  General clean-up all morning.  Weather
has been very muggy & close last few
days.
3  Work all morning out on farm standing
ankle deep in mud but under a
terrific sun.  In the afternoon a few
letters for British officers were delivered.
It transpires that they have been here
for a week, but as more letters arrive
today they were hurriedly put out.  It is
in sharp contrast to letters for the Americans
which are invariably sorted & delivered by
the Nipponese staff the same day that they
arrive!  Concert this afternoon.
4. Sunday. Terribly hot day. Camp authorities
announced that today would be an
ordinary working day & we worked all
morning on the farm. Enlisted men
also worked all afternoon on the
farm.  One cannot help feeling that this
is the result of nobody being prepared
to state recently that they would take
a punishment sooner than work; that
having got is where he wants us, the
Camp Comdt is now proceeding to show
us where we get off!
5  No outside work today but all squads
turned ut for outside policing ready for
inspection.  During the afternoon a party of
Japanese officers came through & inspected
the camp.  Very large British mail came
in esterday & was distributed today.  Once
again none for me.  Only one or two Austs.
got any but the rest of the camp nearly
all got letters, many of them 15 - 20.
6  No work today.  Visit by representative of
International Red Cross.  Party was selected to
interview him & ordered to submit to camp
Authorities for approval the list of matters
which they wished to rise.  Gen. Callaghan
& Jim Thyer were both on the party. Dull
cloudy day but very close

June 7  Our reps, had a long talk, yesterday with
Red Cross Rep.  Main items discussed were
Red Cross supplies.  He informed us no more
available either food or clothing.  Clothing sent
to this camp was nothing like as much as
one garment per person & only food supplies
were the 1½ parcel each.  He explained that
so much has been required for internees
that there is no more left for us.
Work today 0815 - 1115.  Dull hot day.
8  Work today 0815 - 1115.  Now that Red Cross rep. is
past gone various matters have come to a
head.  A few days before his visit two American
enlisted men caught a stray fowl - not one
of ous ours - and killed it & were caught
cooking it.  The Camp Comdt. dealt with them
today.  He sentenced the two men concerned &
two others connected with it to five days solitary
confinement in cells - shut in a 6 x 6 cell & only
given rice & water.  He then dealt with the
whole squad on the ground that if any member
of a squad does anything wrong everyone other
member of the squad is to blame & must be
punished.  He sentenced the others to 24 hours
confinement in cells & a week no "smokoh" whilst
working.  He then issued orders for the whole
camp that he all private cooking must
cease & the fireplaces be dismantled & that
nobody must let lie on beds except at
night & during siesta hours 1.0 - 2.30.  He
also ordered that all private comfortable chairs
in squads 9 & 10 (the Capts & Subs) must be handed
in at once & they are only to be allowed
hard forms.  He also announced that the
Chief Comdt. will come to the camp tomorrow
to go into the question of compulsory work.
9  Capt . Chief Comdt. arrived this morning & the
Senior Officers were taken before him in
groups.  The first group was all American
Gens & Cols - about 50 in all.  He addressed
them explaining that the work was for
our benefit etc.  He then told all of them
who were not willing to work to hold up
their hands.  Everyone except one did
so & this was the beginning of a movment
which made our position quite clear.  He
then took Brisitsh Gens and Cols & told us
the same thing - but did not ask us
to give any indication whether we desired
to work.  He then took Dutch Cols & asked
them if they agreed with a recent letter
which went in from the Senior Officers
protesting against the work & other breaches
of the Geneva Convention.  They stated that
they did.  We were all dismissed to
our quarters.
This afternoon we were inspected in our quarters
by the Camp Comdt.
Very heavy showers of rain all day.