Diaries and papers relating to the Second World War service of George James Feakes, 1942-1946 - Part 7

& fortunately then let us  bring in

rough wooden beds.  They provided

a motor lorry.  This place is

about 2½ miles from our previous

goal, & it is right on the sea

shore.  There are 56 British

here & about 780 Dutch

internees in this gaol, Total

about 840.  The overcrowding in 

the Dutch part is pretty bad.

We English are in what was

formerly the rope factory of the 

Gaol.  The food is much more

than we had in the Military Gaol

but nearly all rice.  Today

we got news that the Jap

Commanding Officer is going to 

allow us 40 grams of meat

per head per day - that

 

That we may move back to Padang

& we think a Food Relief Ship may

come in there with supplies.  The J's

have us down to one rice meal a

day now, meals are:-

Bkfst - cup of sago flour

Tiffin -  ""   Rice with thin

             veg soup - a green [?]

             of spinach

Supper - Sweet Potato mash with

                 the same soup

Sometimes a wild pig gets caught

& that is boiled into soup, also

sometimes brown beans.  Have re-

read 9 B Shak's "Plays Pleasant

& Unpleasant" but my eyes are

bad. J newspaper had a par

saying American Red Cross

had sent supplies to Java!

(contd in Brown notebk)

 

 

works out at 1/11th a pound 

of meat per day. We are not

so hungry here as in our

other camps.  Normally the

Civil Prisoners were accom-

dated in here.  It is a big

gacy? gaol with double walls.

When we are in it is very

noisy & draughty.  I have

had another very bad feverish

cold & had to have 1 day in 

bed.  The Dutch Drs (interned)

came to see me 3 times, &

they make me take a spoonful

of cod liver oil per day

(for Vitamin A) & Kajang Juice

for Vitamin B.   They seem to

 

 

me, & called Dr. OK after 10 mins.

Dr. ordered me to get more food if there

was any over.  Lined up but there

was none.  Got a little sago flour

yday- Dr. Bruner examined me

for heart weakness & said "It

is not so bad - don't worry", Weather

very wet.  Stuart & Johnston each

got a letter from wives in Eng &

Aust.  Took 16 months to reach

here.  Am hoping to get one from

Et one day.

Bang Kinang

3-3-44

Good war news recvd - Jap naval

reverse in Pacific & Russian

advance.  We get only the barest

details from a J paper smuggled

in by the gds.  There is a rumour

(contd in Brown notebook)

 

 

think I am weak due to

bad diet & insufft vitamins

I still limp due to the

sciatica in my right leg.

The bit of war news that

drifts in is good, but 1942

must have been a bad year

for the allies.  We hold our

good Friday & Easter services

a month too early due to lack

of information!!  a lot of our

56 are down with colds.  I

have made friends with several

Dutchmen & I am going to 

start my Dutch lessons again.

Paper is the trouble, as it is

terribly scarce.  The weather is

fine.  Thank God I needn't

 

were taken straight into internment

from their houses & of course took

as many clothes as they could

carry.  I have just finished re-

patching a shirt & practically remade

it.  Bought 10c of cotton from Heid-

mick.  Picking cotton treads from

bits of cloth bust my eyes.  Heard

of allies advance in Pacific & A.R.P.

in Phillipines - also Russian advance.

Burma news seems contradictory.

Joans case not yet sold but

Frechin kindly gave me f.10 advance

on it - until its sold.

Bang Kinang

26-2-44

Rumours of exchange of internees to

Aust!  All hope it is true.  I fainted

on 24th & knew nil about it till

I found myself on bunk where

Mulder & Handerson had carried

 

smoke any more carrot tops

as we have now tobacco from

the Dutch.  I had a build egg

today for the first time for

4 months.  Would give anything

to news of Ettie & the children,

& pray they are safe & well.

There has been much more

aerial activity lately by the Japs.

Sunday 16.5.43

Still at the Civil Gaol, Padang.

I have had a bad go of Flu, &

was very weak after it.  The

Dutch (interned) Drs. are giving me

meat Fish Oil for my eyesight

(Vitamin A) which is failing.  I

get tablespoonful per day.  Also

on a/c of my anaemia the Drs. have

prescribed 1/2 mug of Kachang.

 

This diary is far from bright but

hundreds of us (those without cash)

are in a bad way indeed.  Frahin, the

Naturalised British, ex-German,

has been a good friend to me.

Bang Kinang

20-2-44

Very wet & cold & everywhere damp.

I feel better today as I managed to get

some peanuts yday & fried them in 

a little coconut oil - they were delicious.

Also got 4 limes.  Frahin gave me

enough tobacco (good stuff) for about

10 cigarettes.  No paper, am smoking

D. Anan (palm).  It is strange to

see many of the Dutch with fine

woollen sweaters o'coats, etc, while

we British are in rags & many

barefooted.  Reason - the Dutch

 

Ijan per day.  It is a small

cooked pea & supposed to

contain Vitamin B.  They said my

blood was very thin.  I feel very

tired.  Japs practising gunnery

on the waterfront just outside

the Gaol, so we hope Allies may

be coming.  We need got the

40 grams of meat per day said

to be promised by Japs, Another

rumour!  Today I washed my dirty

clothes after couple days wet.

I have made a good Dutch friend

in Mr Van Holst- Pelican.  He has

lent me his sweater for when I

get chilly.  Many Dutch leave

their normal amt. of clothing

& often have a cup of coffee with

[?] & rice if we manage to save

any from our meals. We now

get 35c a week allowance from

 

for me - also 2 years today since I

left S'pore on the "Grasshopper" - a

short sea trip indeed.  A Jap Colonel

inspected us yestdy.  We got another

wild boar - not much - just a morsel

for 900 of us.  Those of'rs without

money are practically starving & I

have been forced to try to sell Joan's

nice case to get food - I know she will

understand.  I have held on to it all

these months & have now actually

refused the price offered, $20, altho

I am weak from hunger.  It is one

more pang having to part with it

but Joany will realise my plight.

It is my best possession left me.

War news is good, but things move

too slowly.  More deaths in Women's

camp thro' dysentery.  I am afraid 

 

By selling my razor & pen knife I was

able to buy a meat ball  ( 70 grams

meat) yesterday Sunday, which I

enjoyed.  70 grams is about 1½ ozs.

My weight is decreasing & I have felt

very weak lately.  We have been told

that the J's are reducing our rice

again by 100 kms & substituting 50gms

of sago & 50gms Ubi, which will not be

as sustaining.  Days are warm - I go

barefooted with only a pair of old torn

shorts on & no shirt, & an old top I

picked up.  Saw Holst-Pelican searching

the garbage tins the other day for kitchen

scripts, potato peelings etc!

BangKinang

13-2-44

My 51st birthday yestdy. - I know Et

& the children will have a thought.

 

Last night Zeitlin provided his

last tin of sardines & as we'd

saved some rice from Tiffin we

had a good feed about 10pm,

the best meal since Xmas Day,

just sardines & rice & a mug

of coffee.  How the 3 of us,

self, Zeitlin, (born German) & [Whi?]

enjoyed it!  Van Hdt-Pelican

the Tea planter, was in bed with

a bad leg.  He was telling me the

other day of his lovely house on

his estate, 4 guest rooms,

all-electric kitchen etc etc, &

he is anxious about his furniture.

(I gave up my remaining coconut

oil that I'd saved for my hair,

to cook the rice & sardines in, so

my hair is very dry now).  How I

long for news of my family!

Bang Kinang

31-1-44

Yesterday 2 years ago Ettie left S'pore on 

the "West Point".  I'll never forget the day.

What a 2 years I've had since then-

do hope Ettie has had a happier time.

Since I last wrote my diary I have had

a bad time with assesses jaw, & asked

the Dr. to pull to 2 teeth but he refused

as my temperature , with fever was

103.1.  The pain went to my right eye

& ear & I had an awful week.  The

Dr. made 2 incisions in my guns to

try to drain away the fluid.  I think

my gold crown had something to do 

with it & I asked the Dr to pull that

tooth so that I could sell the bit

of gold by buy some food on the black

market, but he said it was too

dangerous.  Today the pain is much 

better.

 

Civil  Gaol  Padang

2-6-1943

We heard news of Churchill's visit to 

U.S.A. & [pro?] of offensive in Far East

soon we hope.  Also news that Millingimbi

Aerodrome in N.E. Australia bombed

by Japs; Also that convoy of 50 allied

ships in E. Mediterranean bombed by It-

alians, & Russian offensive in Kuban

district (Caucascus).

We have learnt that Non - working native

prisoners here receive 22 cents per head

per day for food, against us Europeans

15c, so one can imagine what ours is

like!.  Here are some interesting prices of

articles outside (i.e. in town of Padang)

from information obtained through our

native guards:-

Reel of cotton - 4 guilders (A. 12/-)

Needles - 75c each  (2/3d)

Bottle of Whisky - 80 guilders  (£12.0.0)

Bar of Soap (previously 35c) now 75c  (2/3)

Caustic soda risen in price 1000%

most things unobtainable.

 

 got $2.75 for my mirror & will

hope for the best.  I feel very weak.

Another death since I last wrote &

2 deaths in women's camp, both from

dysentery.  Anyhow I thought the mirrors

might get broken & as I haven't shaved

for 3 months I don't need it.

BangKinang

14-1-44

Joan's 25th birthday & I can hardly

realize she's that age.  I thought of her

very much & offered up a prayer that

she had a happy day & that Vernon

was safe & with her, also Ettie & the

boys.  Can remember as though it

was yesterday the day Joan was

born at Nurse Wayne's hospital

at Elsternwick, Melbourne.

 

The Dutch Drs. have given me

atropine pills again for my Sciatica 

& I am still on Kajang Gan (Vit. B)

for anaemia & eye weakness.

Civil Gaol, Padang

 7.6.1943

Van Holtst-Pelican told me last night

that his wife gets us every morning at

the Women's Camp between 3.30 & 4am

in order to get a wash, etc, because after-

wards the lavatories etc became much too

crowded.  There are 2200 women & children

packed in a school & the Catholic Quarter,

& each person is allowed a space 1 metre

by 2 metres!   The crowding must be awful,

especially on wet days.  Communal cooking

there is done only every 2nd day &

then for 1 meal only. other cooking must 

be private.  We men seem to be better

off - gave Holst a small piece of soap

to try to send to his wife.  He says he's

going to do without soap in order to get

his share sent to his wife, who has 2

young boys.  We heard that the bombing

 

 

Here are the actual figures:-

Quantity of food necessary to

maintain life indefinitely,

accdg to League of Nations

 

Food Burton...........  2200 calories per day

Starvation commences at...1800   "      "

Amount issued to us to J's  1600   "      "

 

Amt. actually received because

of necessity to give extra food            1500 "   "

to those in camp to enable

Lavatories & cooking work to

be carried out

So that we are slowly but surely

starving, being 700 calories per man

per day below the prescribed

minimum.  There is no food which

to buy, but I must have money in 

case there is some later so I

 

 

of Germany & N. France was now

very severe & Berlin in flames.  Hope

its right. The J's claim to have bombed

W. Aust lately - no details.  We some-

times hear bombing but of course

can't tell what it is - practice or

the real thing. Planes (J) overhead

everyday.  Our Quarters got flooded out

here couple of evening ago, 2 or 3"

of water over the floor one heavy rain.

I am feeling better than a month ago.

we get a little white sugar issued to 

each man last week.  No salt now.

Civil Gaol Padang

9th June '43

A bad Earthquake Shook occurred today

about 11.05am.  It followed several smaller

shocks.  We all rushed out of our cells &

the [?] were in.  The wall of the Gaol

on the North side collapsed for a distance

of about 50yds, although it was 2 ft

thick & of cemented thickest least we

could then see something of the outside.