Letter from William Albert Tooke to William James and Enid Clarke, 1945

137 Swaine Avenue, 
Toorak Gardens,
Adelaide,
S. Australia,
23 Oct. 1945

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7917

3rd Series
My dear Jim & Enid,
Where can I start? It seems so silly just to
say I'm home again & you can see that anyway from the address.
I fear I have no words to describe my feelings - I should say our
feelings, after being reunited on the 10^th of this month. Like being
born again into a new & beautiful world with an unlimited
capacity to absorb everything that is good about it. I'm lucky
of course to be here. All of us who came out fit can go on our
bended knees & thank God for just that. Building that cursed
railway in Thailand was no picnic I can assure you & I don't
want to do any more camping for a long, long time thank you!
We had our bits of fun in between times, a thing the Japs
could never understand. Thank God for the good old British sense
of humour - it kept us going through the worst spots. That & the
heroes who kept radios going. How much we owe to them. Certain
death if they were caught but they supplied us with news all the 
way through. Water bottles, brooms, piano - accordions, stools etc. were
all good hiding places & fashioned in the most ingenious manner.
In the case of the camp I was in from Jan this year (Kanburi, about
70 miles West of Bangkok) the batteries gave out about a month before
the end so that the final surrender came like a bolt from the blue.
Like this :- Aug 14^th a Jap guard tells our own interpreter the war
is over & he tells us. "Run away laddie" say we, "we've heard that
 

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one before somewhere". Later on more Jap privates tell more officers
& on the 15^th the Thai's start shouting it at us from passing lorries.
Same again on the 16^th. "Hey boys! there's something in this ruddy
story. War's not over of course but maybe somemat's happened somewhere."
Afternoon of 16^th we've got a working party outside loading a train
when a Thai merchant we all know well comes slowly through
us whispering, "peace, peace, peace". We know if he says it there's
no doubt about it. Back in camp we tell the others. "It's true.
it's true, it's bloody well true! These rotten, stinking yellow-bellied
little swine are finished & done for." Still we cant really believe
it. 9.0 p.m. in comes a Jap major from Bangkok & all hut commanders
are sent for. In half an hour they are back & we are told officially.
We go mad. We go stark raving mad. We yell ourselves silly.
We perform all the gyrations known to gymnastics & then some.
A note from a xtrumpet; we know what that means & an immediate
silence ensues in which you could have heard a pin drop. Every man
stands rigid & 2,000 of us burst forth into a "King" you could have
heard in Bangkok & which reduces most of us to tears. Out with
the band & concert party, this is one ruddy time when we thumb
our noses to lights out, & before we know where we are it's about
3.0 a.m & we turn in, too excited to sleep much even then. Next day
the British camp commandant, one Commander Alexander, R.N. an excellent
chap in everyway, takes over the camp & tells the Japs his orders. He
also tells us not to start anything as the Japs must remain armed though
more or less inactive. We realize he is right & much though we would
like to slug the lot, nobody wants to get himself killed at this stage.
 

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There is no troub. & we get outside onto the Aerodrome & into the
village where we find the Thais as tickled to bits as we are & anxious
to do all they can to help. They do plenty & we feed like lords as
the grub rolls in. In a few days a spitfire suddenly appears
from nowhere & roars round the camp like a bat out of hell doing
the victory roll just above the huts with the pilot waving as madly
as we. Another day or two & in come the Dakotas, dropping parachute
supplies - terrific sight. A few which drop outside the drome are
brought in by Thais who make no attempt to pinch a single thing.
And so we roll merrily along to the end of August when a party is
suddenly whipped off in the middle of the night for evacuation. My turn
comes on 5^th Sept. & on the 7^th I fly to Rangoon, mentally wishing Pop many
happy returns. Spend 3 weeks there waiting for news of Nancy's whereabouts
& then get a signal saying "wife Adelaide, [[brother?]] Singapore". After a bit
of rapid hopping around I get myself flown to Singapore on the 30^th &
meet H. Only a day with him as he has already arranged I fly here.
He is Colonial office representative evacuating all Civilian Internees &
they all spoke in glowing terms of his efforts. It was simply terrific
to see him again. Glad to say he was astonished at how fit I looked.
Left there on Oct 2^nd & flew here via the islands, reaching Townsville on
the 4^th . Flew on to Brisbane on the 5^th trained to Sydney 6-7^th spent
two days there & flew to Adelaide on the 10^th via Melbourne. Nancy was
at the Airport here to meet me having wisely left Sally at home. I cannot
hope to describe the joy of our meeting - you will easily imagine our
feelings. Then home in a Red Cross car to meet Sally. Poor little mite.
She was completely overcome for a few minutes & I shall remember all my
 

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life the way she just said "daddy" & clung round my neck in silence.
She was very quickly her delightful little self & there was no
strangeness at all– thanks of course to Nancy during the last
3 ½ years. I had got about 20 of the snaps Nancy sent & so was
able to watch her grow up to the age of 3 - a tonic indeed during those
days now mercifully gone forever. I am very happy that you two
& Nancy have met & got along so well. She told me in her early
communications that she had had such nice, friendly letters from you
Enid, before you knew her. I was always very grateful to you for
that & to you both for doing what you could to ease her burden.
I often think it all must have been worse for her than for me. Perhaps
before long we can all meet & hare a good old chin- wag. I can't
remember how long it is since I saw you Jim.
Write to us soon & let's see if we can't soon get together, my love
to you both & of course to young Patricia.
Yours aye
Bill.
P.S. Apologies for the mode of address on the envelope but we don't
appear to know your correct rank Jim.
My dear Enid - I'm very ashamed to say
that I lost your letter with the
address so this has to go to your mother
Perhaps under the circumstances you
will look kindly on my lapse!
Harry.
 

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