Papers relating to the service of Cyril John Watson, 1941-1945 - Part 15

JUNE.
SUNDAY 20th. - Canteen seems good
again. Plenty of Tapi & bananas. Boys cook
pasties & fruit tarts. Cannot finish them
Keith takes Mattins & evensong. Reading
most of day.
MONDAY 21st. - Men out to work today.
Bananas, papayas, & pineapple plentiful in
canteen. Fruit salad for tea.
TUESDAY 22nd - Not feeling too hot.
Have touch diarohea. Gate of camp
altered. Old one blocked, new guard house
in use. N very good. Road into our camp
behind new H.Q. area.
WEDNESDAY 23rd. - Still a bit of [[S.C.L?]]
Reading "Word from England" by Tom Bridges
& Kodak on "How to make good pictures."
Latest good story from Osawa at new
I.J.A. office - "We have lovely new office &
good system, everything is running like
a well oiled machine. I am a cog in the
machine. My job is to receive & read
your reports & recommendations - & to
throw them in the waste paper basket."
Work party just outside fence on road.
THURSDAY 24th. - Usual day. Cleaning
up for visit by Major Suga who does
not appear. Latest for the Offrs. Elect
hut reps. for committee to handle
our finances & entertainments - to be
allowed in the red house once per
week. Madin our rep. We shall see
what comes of this. Still no mail.
JUNE.
FRIDAY 25th .- Major Suga arrives by
plane. No fruit in canteen today.
Reading , "The City of Gold" by F.B. Young.
Standing by in afternoon for parade for
Suga, who arrives late & has quick look round.
Makes short address - not up to his standard.
N - Coming nearer. [[Enemy?]] b/barding of [[?]].
SATURDAY 26^th. - Rains heavily in night &
still showering in morn. No work in the
morning. Dull in afternoon. I make
pasties filling with beans, brinjals & onions.
Excellent pineapples coming in.
SUNDAY 27^th - Communion. Reading
nearly all day. No Tapioca - Food position
not so good. Fruit still coming in.
MONDAY 28^th. - Boiling clothes & cooking
most of day. [[Boil?]] coffee for the workers.
Small quantity of fish comes in & fry
for lunch. Keith Rogers telling us some
amusing stories re Grinter & Hoshi.
Number of Malays trying to get horse
off sampan & cannot. Grinter pats
horse & coaxes it. Then gangplank is
too narrow, & while waiting for
extension, Grinter walks off & horse
follows He has Hoshi's car so has
good hold over guards. Never has
trouble with them. Small amount fish
in the canteen
TUESDAY 29th - Quiet day. Held pork
scones into canteen. Braise it in [[part?]]
Very nice.  "[[Kechil?]]" loses hat and [[thought?]]
trying to give us "[[?]] [[Nature?]]". 

JUNE
WEDNESDAY 30th - W.P & F Anchovy in
today. No credit left in canteen but should
have $10.00 at least left. We are to go
to Hako-yen on Sunday. Hako means
8 pts of compass & yen is garden
July.
Thursday 1st. - Boil slacks & shirt.
Make pasties for tea. Commoditties
in canteen are rising. Oil now 30^c
FRIDAY 2nd. - Cyril Young & I go into
Sandakan with party collecting rice.
Go 3 trips. Good to see outside world.
All Brit names painted out in town.
Very pretty place. W.P in afternoon.
See Aust. Drs wife. Have shorts cut
down by George. Show on in N. Guinea.
SATURDAY 3rd. - Quiet day. Usual
bit of cooking. Reading "For whom the
bells tolled" by Ernest Hemingway.
Lights taken out of huts today. Looks
like a period of of darkness. [[Hocker?]] out
of hosp.
SUNDAY 4th. - Communion. First party
to Hako-yen in afternoon. Not bad
afternoon. I.J.A. having sports which
we watch. Form of wrestling, running on
plenty of pineapple, bananas & papaya.
coffee, some sugared peanuts, toffee,
biscuits. Played gramaphone, & Sagai
came in & talked. Had a good feed.
JULY.
MONDAY 5th. - Usual quiet day with a lot
of cooking & reading. Another man thro'
on canteen for about $75.00 Someone
tries to interfere with Grouse set.
TUESDAY 6th. Same sort of day. Believe
Nugari is ill. Larger parties for 'drome to
be finished tomorrow. Setting teacans
around 'drome. Have had no CO's for
several days.
WEDNESDAY 7th. - Same sort of day.
Weather very hot & sultry. Heavy rain
storm about 2100 hrs. Second party goes
to Hako-yen. Have good time. The dressing
up to go out is very funny.
THURSDAY 8th. - Start early & boil
sheets and mosquito net. Hair at very
awkward stage & stands up. Drome to
be finished today & then 3 days holiday.
Ted [[Ro?]] has put in grouse oven
and it is used for the first time today.
George & Dan still in hospital.
FRIDAY 9th. - Quiet day reading "Leaves
from a Surgeons Case Book." Bake some
pasties for tea. Very heavy thunderstorms
in night. Lightning terrific & burns out
transformer. Terrific noise & blinding
flashes & heavy rains. Comes in roof &
nearly floods my bed. 

JULY.
SATURDAY 10th. - Airing clothes in sun.
Another book - 'Dr Bradley Remembers' F.B. Young
[[?]] in the evening.
SUNDAY 11th. Communion. Keith cooks
morning tea. Another party to Hacho-yen
Carry John Flett & Dick Craig up there.
MONDAY 12th. - [[?]] day. Keith in. relieved
by Jock McLean. Obtained "Nanking Road"
by Vicki Baum. Read in evening in Capt
Cooks cubicle. Toddy & 6^th have conference with
[[?]] & are to build miniature sports grounds
I feel very cheered with ", our men into Sicily
& offve in Sth Pacific.
TUESDAY 13th. - Quiet day reading, Drawing
plans of houses with Cyril Young. In evening
lecture on "18th Century Literature by Ian Payne.
WEDNESDAY 14th - Usual day. Last party to
take your tonight for month. Work party
building swimming pool & synthetic playground.
THURSDAY 15th. - Just another day.
Rumors about going to Kuching again.
Cooking &c. Boiled brinjals very nice.
FRIDAY 16th. - Medical board of all
Offs. today. Andrew to Hospital. Nearly all
put out to work. Ridiculous situation.
Tony Fahey cuts out a pair of shorts for me.
from bottom of turn ups.
SATURDAY 17th - O.W.P again. Enjoyed
the day & feel better for it. Have to do
washing when we come in. [[??]] here.
JULY.
SUNDAY 18th - Quiet day. Communion
Reading. Boil clothes. Cooking for tea.
Keith Tyers cuts hair.
MONDAY 19th - About to go to work
when holiday declared. Have been in
camp here for one year. Reading most
of the day. Storm at night. Beautiful
sunset. Sun behind dark mass of cloud
showing spectrum colors on small white
fleecy clouds near edge of mass.
TUESDAY 20th. - O.W.P. Cloud day. Some
bananas came into canteen again.
Rumours that strife in Sand. caused
Holiday yesterday. Boongs at 'drome rounded
up & taken to Sand.
WEDNESDAY 21st. - O.W.P. Cloud day -
B'fast - read - W.P - lunch, read & R.Os -
W.P - Cooking, tea, [[?]], read - [[?]] -
read until dark - talk - Supper [[?]]
Rain during most of night.
THURSDAY 22nd. - O.W.P. Search camp
during day. All spare guards used but
still take all day. No lunch, just sit
near barracks. [[?]] men carry out
all the tools they collected. Kelly kicked
during search. Tea very late. Then called
away with Lionel Mathews, [[Sp? D?]] &
Cpl Graham & they do not come back.
Taken into Sandakan. Camp to go on
dry rice for 2 days. Hoshi to [[comd?]] when
[[???]] - I think this [[man?]]
try to escape. Haul includes rifles & pistol,

JULY.
FRIDAY 23rd - O.W.P. Few worried men
in camp. Evening meal dry rice. Lucky
we have a bit of extra stuff.
SATURDAY 24th - O.W.P Usual work
day. Just about to come in but
not let in gate. Another search
Offs. in half way thro'. Have
found a wireless set. More
tools &c. gone. My pen & pencil
gone this time. H. wants to
see my soap. Wells & HH John
& Pom [[?]] taken into Sand.
Powell, Waddle [[Falmer?]] in cage.
plus Algy for tools.
SUNDAY 25th - Day of rest.?
MONDAY 26th - Party out in
evening & more taken away.
xx

Heres to you, Heres to me.
This time next year!
May we be a happy family
This time next year!
Let troubles pass. Lift up your glass
To the friends both far & near.
And hope that we, together all
will be. - This time next year.
He met her in the meadow
when the sun was sinking low
They walked along together
in the twilight afterglow.
She waited until gallantly he'd
lowered all the bars.
Her soft eyes were bent upon him
As radiant as the stars.

She neither smiled nor thanked
him.
In truth she knew not how.
For he was but a farmers boy
And she - a jersey cow.