Diaries and papers relating to the Second World War service of George James Feakes, 1942-1946 - Part 5

I am always thinking of Ettie

& the children, & trying to

hope they will have a happy

Xmas.  How I long for word

of them!

28th Dec 1942

I left the Military Hospital on

Xmas Eve (Thursday) partially

cured of the sciatica, but still

with a limp in the right leg

when walking, which I have

been trying hard to get rid of.

I only get the pain spasmodically.

The Dutch Dr. at the Hospital said

my trouble was due to damp,

so now  I have a rough wooden

bed instead of having to sleep

soon the cement (my mattress is

very thin).  There is much rain

here & the camp is low.

 

We had a pretty good spread

here for Xmas Day.  Butter for

first time for 8 months &

a bigger meat ration.  The

internees put on a concert

Xmas night.  There are about

54 of us, 6 of us put in 7

cents each to send a cake 

to Joyce.

13th Jany 1943

Tomorrow, Thursday is Joany's

24th birthday & I so hope she

has a happy day, free from

worry.  I hope Et is with her, &

Vernon.   They & the boys, are

never out of my thoughts.

Wish I was sure Et was back

in Aust, not India.

My sciatica is not yet cured,

but pain is less, I am sleeping

badly.  I cannot yet walk

 

quite properly.  Nothing much to

report in the camp.  Food is a 

bit better in quantity but no

bread.  Do not think Joyce

will ever get better in the

Hospital on a/c of the food there,

mostly very watery rice, with

a pinch of salt or sugar,

& one tiny morsel of meat for

Tiffin.   At this camp we are

getting now 1700 calories per

man per day, against the

normal figure of 3000 per

man per day.  4 men are in

Hospital.

31st Jany. 1943

A year ago yesterday Ettie

left Singapore by SS "Westpoint"

& reached Colombo safely since

when I have no word of her

 

I'll never forget the afternoon

she left - hundreds of women on

the wharf waiting to embark.

Thank God the Japs did not

bomb then - it would have

been a holocaust.  I feared

it, but said nothing to Et.

I have been in trouble with

my eyes, & the Japs gave me

leave to visit the Eye Hospital.

My sight is failing pretty fast,

of course the glasses the Dutch

gave me are quite unsuitable.

At the Eye Hosp. they are

trying to get me another pair,

but since the Japs took all

our money we haven't a cent.

Several men in our Camp

 

can't see to read, & the

native Dr. says it's due to

insufficient meat.  The Hosp.

have reported that my sciatic

Nerve trouble was also

due to deficiency of food.

We heard yesterday that Italy

had come over to the Allies

side & it gave us new hope.

As the months drag by more

men here are getting pretty

poorly & stay on their

mattresses nearly all day.

My limp walking to & from

the Eye Hospital 3 miles

was pretty bad.  We saw some

interned Dutch women on the

way, Scott rain & I.

 

I am thinking of Joany's 24th

birthday still & can't realise

she's that age.

Padang Sumatra

2th Feby. 1943

The day following my 50th birth-

day, i.e. 13th Feby, the Japs put

us 50 odd men into the Military

Gaol  here - where I am writing

this.  (On my birthday the Cook

Robins - whom Ettie will remember

We had to tennis one day at

No. 6 - made me a birthday

cake, as there was a little

flour - not enough for a meal).

We have protested against

being put into Gaol, but have

had no reply. We pointed out

 

in out letter that we are being

treated like convicted criminals.

But the worst part is - the

Japs have limited our rations

to 15 cents (4½d) per day

& that includes buying soap

& firewood - we'll probably

hate to go without the former.

Even our visiting Medical Officer

( a native) has reported to

the Japs that we will starve

on 15 cts.  We'll have rice

only, 3 times a day.

We have ported against this

starvation - 10 days ago - &

rec'd no reply.  God help the

2000 odd Dutch & British women

& children on the same amount,

We mentioned them in our protest.

 

of course they are short away

in another camp from us, &

We never see them.  I am in 

a cell here with Wyatt, the

Govt. Printer for F.M.S., who

lived at K.L.  He makes a 

noise when eating at our

rough table, in the cell - one

of my minor worries.  Its

because he doesn't close

 his mouth properly after

taking a mouthful.  We have

water to bath with in the

cell - just outside.  The Japs

never come near us - we

have a native guard of armed

Indonesian soldiers, & can see

nothing of the outside world.

The hunger is the worst part.

I can't sleep at night for

being hungry & yesterday

immediately after my midday

meal I felt hungry.

I have a little tobacco thank

God, & roll cigarettes enough

to last a week or so it

used very sparingly.

We keep our cell as clean

as possible. After 6 months

of eye trouble due to my

glasses lost on "grasshopper"

I was sent to native Eye

Hospital here & obtained a

pair of glasses.  Of course

they dont correct my

astigmatism, but better than

nothing.  We had no money to

pay for the glasses.  The Japs

 

conviscated every bean we

had about a month ago, &

We haven't a cent left, but

anyhow as we are short

up in fact it would't be

much good.  The Japs pay the

Compradore's Bills only up

to 15 its per man per day,

so we can't spend more than

that otherwise the Japs would 

refuse to pay him.  I have

 a wooden bed for sleeping in 

the cell & there are 6

high barred small windows,

much too high to see out of.

How I long to see Ettie &

the Children - I shall think

of Joan as a child, but she

was 24 on the 14th Jany. last!!