Papers relating to the service of Cyril John Watson, 1941-1945 - Part 10

JULY 1942

SUNDAY 19th

Up soon after 0700. B'fast o.k. same

lunch. Washing &c. Hut fell down.

Played cards. Many chaps ill, (diarrhea

Rained at night. Camp very muddy.

 

Monday 20th

Made shelves ec.

Look round camp, Kitchen ec Meals

fair. Vegetables better. Fresh fish.

Have tin milk (swapped P.P for msv). Cards.

Rain. Wore pajamas to bed.  Supper [[?]]

 

Tuesday 21st

[[?]] little to do. Drains & paths being cut

round camp. Canteens, parade hoped 

for. Sanitary arrangements better.

Have lost all trace skin rash.

Better nursing arrangements. 

 

Wednesday 22nd

Generally being useful. Made

mess tables for verandah.

Meals fair. Fish stores better than

Changi, but no variation. Supper

of rice & tin green peas,

 

Thursday 23rd

Address by Jap. Officer through interpreter 

to Officers & N.C.O's. To build 'drome, 3 years.

Blow to "Hopers". Aust. Gentlemen. No

Medical stores. Canteen OK. also Parade.

 

Friday 24th

Officers begin again plot this morning

over parade. Truck bogged. Peck & I

have been helping them out. Feel very

weary. Bridge. Bit of Malay.

 

Saturday 25th

Garden plot again. Feel more like work.

Canteen have fresh goods in - coconuts, [[?]]

bananas, smokes. Supper of rice, coconut

& banana. Canteen should become good.

Meals very monotonous: fish or veg.

Stews & rice. Still have marmite &

bovril , milk. No news yet, but all

very confident for early releif. Country

is not "land of plenty" that we thought

we were coming to. Handicapped

badly by lack of containers & utensils.

 

JULY-AUGUST 1942

Sunday 26th

Quiet day. To gardening. Church parade

Garden in afternoon. Long. Tea (with 

Bovril). Pay evidently coming. Feeling 

better for exercise. Ordered for canteen.

 

Monday 27th

Reveille 0700. B'fast 0815 Garden 0900-1200hrs

Lunch 1300 hrs. Garden 1400-1700 hrs

Tea 1815 Bridge. Lights out 2200 hrs.

200 men on work party shackled. Very tired.

Hope ration will get better. Cheese & rice supper.

 

Tuesday 28th

Another work party out - building road.

Garden party split - one pack out, I

go tomorrow. In all day, read or

rest. Meals still monotonous.

Rumour - Singapore gone. Canteen held up.

 

Wednesday 29th

Jap. Holiday. No work. Another lazy day.

B'fast - rice and flour, ghee, sugar mixture.

Played bridge & read. Finished

[[?]] malasia with powdered milk.

 

Thursday 30th

Garden party all day. Have 2 [[?]] 

each cubicle now. Opened another tin

Bovril. Good supper, rice back-up & cheese.

Usual bridge. Todays special - J. out of

N. Guinea fighting celebes. Hope it is true.

Just death in force. 

 

Friday 31st

Working party increased to about 500.

My day off. M.O's concerned about diet.

No further canteen stores. Very disappointing.

Tea-rice & ghee (very light) S.O's worried about

men escaping.

 

AUGUST 

Saturday 1st

Work parties cancelled. Parade and check

roll call. Address by Jap. Officer  [[?]]

retaliation seemed wild. Eleven men 

missing. Seems big opportunity to follow

up. 

550 men to work tomorrow. Aerodrome

evidently begun by us. Will take long

time. News - Germs into Caucasus,

Alexandra safe. Landings in N. N. Guinea

Authenticity uncertain - I feel things

will change very soon. 

 

AUGUST 1942

SUNDAY 2nd

Work on garden today. Almost finished

first paert. Church Service in evening.,

Fresh coconuts into canteen. One between five.

[[?]] water, coconut, milk

[[?]]

 

Monday 3rd

My day off. Marking clothes and odd

[[shorts?]] [[?]] at audience. Brings back

million eye's cabbage. Good supper.

Bridge.   [[?Trains/dreams beating?]] in night.

 

Tuesday 4th

Gardening today. Stew "over the wood(?) "

a bit for B'fast. Had a big feed of it. 

Heat rash showing up. Sunbathing.

Coconuts in canteen. Meals very poor.

 

Wednesday 5th

Usual holiday. Reading press of A.L.

Gordon. Spent the morning "at home" in

thought. Coconuts in. Had grated c'nut, 

with cinnamon for tea & supper.

[[?Communication?]] 0730. LIstened talk abt

"Theology" &  [[?]] ur evening.

 

Thursday 6th

No work today. Unusual. [[?]] [[?]]

is us gasoline. Giving us food for thought.

Reading most of the day. Also Bridge.

J. pack left tools. Why? Talk of only 2 [[?]]

 

Friday 7th

Gardening this morning. Only 50 men

woodcutting party. Went scrounging 

coconuts. Did fairly well. [[?]]

splitting wood. Two-fighting in [[?]]

 

Saturday 8th

Day off. Coconut issue. [[?]] B'fast, rice

& coconut stew & back up. Sunbathing

chess, reading, gardeners do well.

Coconuts. Vern & I have first full game

chess ( 4 hours) Supper, Bovril rice

 

[[?]] say all O.K. Pot very long

Est. 2 months. Meals just the same.

Coconuts have been a savior.

Work at standstill & no sign of

continuance. Garden party becomes

good racket. 

AUGUST 1942

SUNDAY 9th

Coconut issue. Playing chess, reading. Big Bfest fish

very bony fishing really [[?]]. Church

[[?]] & [[?]] at night. Beautiful

cloud effect with approaching storm. Rain. 

 

Monday 10th

Little Ricks Birthday

[[?]] chopping wood for garden fence.

2 quick raids on c/nuts left us 33 nuts.

Our shore 9. Chinese gives thumbs up.

Start our [[?]]. Bridge. Supper.

 

Tuesday 11th

Working our box. Muscles very stiff.

Eggs from Nips & corn from Canteen.

Roasted coconut & [[?]]. Bovril & rice

for supper. Bridge.

 

Wednesday 12th

No agriculture today. Sore throat. Bfest

rice on the nose. Carving bone ec.

Still very stiff. C of E gathering in

evening. Theology and evensong.

J. says they have great victory at

Sol. Jo [[?]] than Pearl Harbour.

xxxxxxxxx    Egg for supper.

 

Thursday 13th

Saw H.O. re throat. Gargle.

Force O.O. Working parties restart. Vern

to 'drome ( making fighter strip now).

Brings back corn & milk ^& cabbage, coco &

peanuts from Canteen. Quiet day reading,

Canteen looking hopeful. [[?]]

 

Friday 14th

Saw M.O. Have tonsillitis. Gargle & [[?]]

Reading all day. Have corn cobs.

Solo on evening. Restless night.

Won first game chess.

 

Saturday 15th

Quiet day again. [[Threw?]] our wood party.

Gets coconut oil. 2 eggs from Fred. H. 

Bull Peck & J to F. Ber for work

Off tucker, can't eat all my rice.

J. puts on "circus" in evening.

 

Notes

Throat feels better, but sick in stomach

Paid 50 cents. News from outside -

fighting rumour, Philippines, searchlight

on Sandakan. Canteen looking up.

AUGUST 1942

SUNDAY 16th

 

Feeling very [[?]]. Throat much better.

No work [[check?]] [[?]]. Rice & fried 

[[?]] for [[?]]. Also steamed pudding.

 [[?]] [[?]] & jack fruit from 

[[?]] [[?]] good again.

 

Monday 17th

Feeling fair again. [[?]] rest for week. Great

lunch (fried [[Japina?]] -corn- eggs) and 

Tea (fried rice & corn & tomatoes- [[Japina?]])

[[?]] [[?]] [[?]] [[?]] [[?]]. [[?]] corn &

coconut. Best feed for moths.

 

Tuesday 18th

[[?]] beginning for work parties. 0630 hrs

Fried rice & corn [[?]] Bfast. Chess, read.

[[Made?]] [[?]],. Tea fish & rice, rissoles

& sweet potato, egg. [[?]] re Japioca

[[?]] [[?]]  [[?]] [[?]] party.

 

Wednesday 19th