Papers relating to the service of Cyril John Watson, 1941-1945 - Part 17

DATE.	21 Nov. 1944	24 FEB. 145.	2  APRIL. 1945.	29 JULY 1945
NECK.	14"	14"	13"	13¼"
SHOULDERS.	42"	40¾	39¾"	39½"
CHEST. (NORM.)	34½"	34"	33¼"	33½"
"         (EXP.)	37"	35½	35½"	35"
WAIST.	29¼"	27"	26¾"	25"
BICEP.	10½"	9½"	9½"	8¾"
FOREARM.	10¼"	9¼"	9¼"	9"
WRIST.	7"	6¾	6¾"	6¾"
HIPS.	35"	34½"	33¾"	33"
THIGH.	18½"	17"	16"	15½"
CALF.	14"	13½"	13"	12¼"
ANKLE.	9"	9"	8¾"	8¾"
WEIGHT.	10-5	9-1	8-6.

Attractive Literature
Lines worth remembering.
"How dull it is to pause to make an end, 
To rust unburnished, not to shine in use,
As though to breathe were life"
"What is love? 'tis not hereafter
Present mirth hath present laughter.
⁠What's to come is still unsure.
In delay there lies no plenty,
⁠Then come kiss me, Sweet-&-Twenty,
Youth's a stuff will not endure."

God who created me

Nimble & light of limb,

In three elements free,
To run, to ride, to swim;
Not when the sense is dim,
But now from the heart of joy,
I would remember Him:
Take the thanks of a boy.

"But each day brings its petty dust
Our soon choked souls to fill,
And we forget because we must,
And not because we will"

(Matthew Arnold.)
We think our fathers fools, so wise we grow,
Our wiser sons, no doubt, will think us so.
(Pope's Essay on Criticism.)
You cannot have again - a second chance,
The spoken word, or a lost opportunity.
I feel part of me is missing. 

Learnt - "Say not the Struggle" - A H Hough.

"Come live with thee" - C Marlowe.
"As some tall cliff" - O Goldsmith.

"The fountain mingles with the river" - P B Shelley.

"Tell me not sweet, I am unkind." R Lovelace.

The Spectrum of Love -

Patience, kindness, generosity,

humility, courtesy, unselfishness,

good temper, guilelessness, sincerity.  

"The spectator for all time & of all existence."

"Plato".

"All things are taken from us, & become

Portions and parcels of the dreadful past.

Humiliation is a very different condition of

mind from humility. Humiliation no man

can desire: it is shame and torture.

Humility is the true peace rightful condition of

humanity - peaceful, divine."

"Where did you come from, baby dear?
Out of the everywhere into here.
Where did you get those eyes so blue?
Out of the sky as I came through.
What makes the light in them sparkle & spin?
Some of the starry twinkles left in.
Where did you get that little tear?
I found it waiting when I got here.
What makes your forehead so smooth & high?
A soft hand stroked it as I went by.
What makes your cheek like a warm white rose?
I saw something better than any one knows.
Whence that three cornered smile of bliss?
Three angels gave me at once a kiss.
Where did you get this pearly ear?
God spoke, and it came out to hear.
Where did you get those skin & hands?
Love made itself into bonds and bands.
Feet, whence did you come, you darling things?
From the same box as the cherubs wings.
How did they all just come to be you?
God thought about me, and so I grew.
But how did you come to us, my dear?
God thought about you, & so I am here. 

G McDonald.                             

Two very nice books for gifts - 

Portrait of a Village. F B Young. (W Heinemann) ^with woodcuts

The foundation of English Prose.  A.C.Ward.

To be struggling towards a higher but

unattainable conception is a more

favorable intellectual condition than

to rest satisfied in a narrow portion

of ascertained fact.

"Life is a comedy to those who think, 

a tragedy to those who feel" (Russ. novel.) 

11 SEPT. (Sunday.) Still off duty. Ticked
off by M.O. Write letter to Pat. The first.
Interesting chat Bob. Sp. re condition.
1245 - planes over.  Single & double eng.
What a show. Irresponsibe R.A.A.F. (issued)
[Reduplicated first sound - diagnosis]
Seems as though I will hit hospital.
1700 - First reps Aust. arrive here & pde.

held. Catalinas over. Parade in sq.

and Brig Eastick & others speak. Capt.

Jennings U.S. :- "This is a new experience

for me. It is worth many a 

hard fought battle & many hard fought

& long nights & days at sea. This

is what we have been fighting for

& we have succeeded".

Called up & on 6 hrs. notice to move.

Diary cover - see original document 

[[BATTALION?]] 2/29
INFANTRY
162[[89?]]
164[[?]]
59810
[*Australian

War Memorial
PR86/174*]

Books - Animal Biology. Haldane & Huxley. *
Benn's Sixpences - Evolution, Heredity, Parasitism.
The Vegetable Proteins - Osborne (Longman, Green & Co)

Pears Cyclopedia.  References.
Self Educator
Star Atlas.
Dictionary.
Word from England Tom Bridges
Works of Tennyson
Works of Kipling Blackjacket Books
Sixty poems by Kipling by Hodder & St

The collected verse of A.B. Patterson
Works of A.L. Gordon
Marlboroughs Malay Grammer
"  Japanese Grammer
Poultry Farming in N.S.W. J Hadlington
{Teach Yourself Photography J. Bowler.}
British Journal of Photography.
N.S.W. Dept, Of Agric. Judging Cards.
Anson's Law of Contract Miles & Brierly
Daily Telegraph Miscellany.
Microbes by the Millions. Hugh Nicol.
(Pelican Special on Soil Bacteriology)
with good references given.
Man, microbe & malady
The mysterious universe     }

The stars and their courses }  Sir J. Jeans.
Oxford Companion to Eng. Literature
by Harvey
Also O.C. of Classical Literature
O Eng. History - Ensor.

The Geography behind History. G East (Fletcher & Son)
J.R. Greens Short Hist. of the Eng. people. (Everyman.)
Anthology of World verse.
The Plays of Christopher Marlowe (Everyman).
The Science of Life. Wells & Huxley.

Australia - Aust. Nav. Bubbility Assocn. Book. Flinders St.
Wartime Cookery.  Mrs Arthur Webb. (Dent)  R.
Fighter Command.                                          R.

Capt. Hornblower R.N. C.S. Forester.            R.
Herald series - Caravans, Concrete, Carpentry.
Multurn in paws. Heatherly (Staples)              *
*Camping & Woodcraft. Horace Kephart (McMillan. NY.)

World Classic Series - (large & small editions.)

Plato, Aristotle, British Orators.

American Orators, Sacred books of the East.

Decisive battles of History - Creasy (V.G.)

History of Philosophy - Hegel; The advance

of Learning & Novum Organum - Francis Bacon

Books - to read. & read.
I got references. Gerald Kirsch * (V.F.)
Bedside Esquire
Corduroy, Silverley, The Cherry tree. Adrian Bell * R

Forsyte Saga. J Galsworthy
Evensong B Nicholls  R.
Harvest Comedy F. Swinnerton  R.
Plays of Bernard Shaw.
Almayer's Folly J Conrad.  R
The English Air D E Stevenson R
The Plays of Christopher Marlowe (Everyman)
The Further Side of Science Sir H Clifford  x
In Malay Forests G Maxwell  R
Shes & Skis. Geoff. Gilbey (V.F.)  R.
I, Claudius  R. Graves.
Count Bellasarius.  R. Graves.
The Grapes of Wrath  J Steinbeck
Farewell to Arms.  E. Hemingway
For whom the Bells tolled.    "    R.

And so Victoria  Vaughan Wilkins  *
Lectures on Comparative Religion A.A. MacDONNELL

Vanity Fair Thackery

T. E. Lawrence  Liddel Hart.

Napoleon & his Marshalls. A.G. Macdonnell. (X)

Trials in Burma M.Collis                 R

The Haunted Bookshop. C. Morley  R

The way of all flesh. Crewhon.   S. Butler.

Rice

Trader Horn.

Random Harvest.  J Hilton           R

Master Make Believe G. Frankan.  R

Hangmans House Don Byrne       R.

Thinking to some purpose S.Stebbing.

The Portrait of a Village  F.B.Young V.G. R

The foundation of English Prose. A.C.Ward. V.G. R.

The diary of Samuel Pepys.

Rab and his friends  Dr John Brown
Nostromo  J Conrad              read.
the Ebb tide  R L. Stevenson.
The Good Companions J B Priestley
Don Roberto A.T.Tschiffeley.
The stars look down. A.J.Cronin

Our British Empire Leo Walmsley S. Leacock.
Love in the Sun. Leo Walmsley.
Tsushima - the graveyard of a floating city.
by A. Novikoff - Priboy.
And tell of time.  Laura Krey.
So red the rose  Margaret Churchill.
Foundation Stone.
The temple of costly experience Daniel Vare.  R.
The maker of Heavenly trousers     "        "
The gate of Happy Sparrows           "        "
Seaway Only.  Humfrey Jordan

Oct 15 Left Sandakan in evening.
18  Labuan  19 Men
Very rough. Nearly all sick

22 Arrived Kuching. Man fishing
on wharf. Marched to camp.
Nov 2 Vern, Johnny & Co arrive.
4.  Melb. Cup running held

and Bill Peck win for 2nd time.

Spend days as permanent wood

cutter. Speech by Major Suga

on Emperors birthday.

Pay about 20^th each month.

Contract bridge tournament.

Maj Owen to hospital with asceptic

leg. Evenings filled in with

talks. Wine - by Maj Johnson

N.W frontier by Capt. Owen.

Very [[interest?]] Leander & "The Guides"

Origin of "Khaki". Women, men,

goats on border. Grand rounds

challenged in Peshewar.

Impromptu quiz during Air Raid

alert practice. Imp. speeches

of evening. 

Morrison tells stories of evening.

"Young girl called Fay" Girl with

fly buttons. Also his story of

the "Tikur".

Dec 7 Dads birthday. Send home card.

"Maintaining excellent health.

In good company. Sufficient clothes. 
No communication from anyone

yet. Receiving allowance. Occupied 

gardening, studies, contract.

Constantly thinking parents, families

& you. Love Cyril."

Dec 8. Second anniversary of beginning 

of war of G.E.A. Have had many

chats with Roly Wilson who was

at school with Uncle Les.

Rains almost every day. Rainy

season here with knobs on.

Cards sent read "Dear Mum, Guess

who is a P.O.W. Bill " and "Remember

me xx?" "Having good treat &c, my

weight is 9 st."

Interesting discussions on house

plans, decorations, gardens &c.

Dec 9. News that mail is at camp 

for us, but turns out only for

E force Offs. News of dry winter

in 1942 in N.S.W. No interstate

travelling. 
Dec 19 Wedding anniversary. Very quiet

day. "P.C.Swing" presented and

proves a great success. 

Dec 25. Christmas Day. Communion

at 0730 hrs. Bishop Hollis officiate 

Raining most of day. Concert

postponed. Full first time since

Sandakan. Tin of milk opened.

Morrison conducts singing and nearly

causes riot. Very funny. Rainy
season is certainly in swing. Has
hardly ceased raining all the week..
Race meeting in afternoon. Another
successful day.

Dec 27 Rain ceases for while and

have concert unexpectedly in

afternoon. Very enjoyable to 

see kiddies. Singing very good.
Good numbers "One finger one thumb
keep moving". "Three little prisoners"
Dance music very good. Apache dance.
Dec 29. "Who am I" Quiz in evening
Very good idea & funny evening.
Dec 30. First meeting of discussion group
of "Back to the Land Movement."
Should prove very interesting and useful.
Dec 31. Wood party. General clean up.
Concert in evening till 10 pm
Singing from next door.Good act
turned on by Trevor Owen & Toddy.

as conjuror & boy Argus.
Supper and singing at 12. Another

good session in hut. Sleemans good

turn with Little Miss Muffett".

1944.
Jan 1. Nice dry day for a change.
Tin of Jam for lunch & pork. Land
scheme under way. Maj. Owen gives
talk on "Process Engraving."

Jan 5. First meeting of Land Movement.
Very interesting lectures. Mending

boot with Latex during the morning.

Confirmation & Communion service.
Jan 9. Concert sketches in evening.
Bunny Glover very good with

Hypnotising act. Ken Moshers "Three

Blind Mice". 
Jan 10. Verns birthday. Interesting talk 

by Roly Wilson on “Big Game

Fishing."
Jan 13. Shicker Stanistreets birthday.
Jan 14. Major Suga gives Xmas message from
P.M. Curtin to Aust. P.W's and
internees.
Jan 28. First mail received by B. Force,
but I do not get letter. Great day.
Johnny M has daughter Kay.
Jack Britz & Fred Dunston have sons. 
Very cold winter in Bendigo.
Feb. Volley ball one Sunday morning.
Concert from visiting orchestra one

afternoon. 
May 5. Sent another card home.
Text "Still waiting and keeping
excellent health. No letters received
yet. Studying botany, bridge. Hope
our parents, families all well, Always
thinking of you. Fondest love." 

May 20^th. - First mail from home
received. Everything & everybody
seems to be OK. Only 4 letters
received. There are a few gaps.
Fun with some letters. Some
chaps seem to have women
waiting on the doorstep.
June 3. More mail in the camp
Is sorted & begins coming
in on the 5^th. I am to get 8 letters,
but by the 9^th - the IJA say we
have them all be many of us
still have none. Expect they will
turn up soon. I hope.
Many photos received of new sons
&c. I hope I get some. Can't expect
any of new sons though.

Sunday. 

June 11. Once again - My birthday.

Spending it very quietly, have

not told anyone. Feeling very

annoyed re mail & attitude adopted

over it. Bishop holds Communion
in morning & preaches on "Love thine
enemies" "Love thy neighbour."
Rather ironical. Bridge morning and
afternoon. Sing song in the evening.
June 18 - Harold Grenfells birthday.
Row over mail in camp
seems to have produced some results.
Hut Comdrs change & so forth.
Every available piece of ground in camp
is now under cultivation. Wood heap on lower.