Diaries and papers relating to the Second World War service of George James Feakes, 1942-1946 - Part 11

some finely chopped chillies &
sliced onions raw. Carefully drain
off vinegar & mix in some olive
or salad oil to taste, dry mustard
few drops Maggi Sce salt &
pepper to taste. Have bread &
butter cut ready to eat with it.
Bottle Stout. A fine supper
Note. [Try frying the above in 

oil [[?]] raw
& eat hot]
Nasi Goereng (see beginning of
book). special  *Ox Tongue

(Better recipe in 

other book)
Rabbit Pie  Make baked pastry pie,
using a fat large rabbit, lean boiling 

bacon cut in lumps (not rashers), onions,
2 cloves & 3 tomatoes, salt, pepper etc.
all in pie. Serve separately steamed
Cabbage smeared with butter, & also,
if required, boiled young potatoes.
(See other book)
Mix mustard with oil i/o water, little salt &
vinegar.
Baked Sausages & Pork in P - soup
Plenty Eggs taken in Milk + Honey

Diary 4 (contd)
"Bangkinang"
3-3-44
I went before the Medical Board
of 3 Drs & they ordered me a
plate of Kaj [[Ijan?]] Soup extra
for a fortnight & share in any
makan left over. Am feeling better.
Sold 2 pieces of soap for 90c
- they cost me about 5 cts in the
K.S.B 15 moths ago. Joany's
case not yet sold on a/c of
guards stopping Black Market. I

have to pay for the Kaj. [[Ijan?]]
Soup ordered for me by Drs. Sold
a [[?]] Ball at 25 cts profit
mostly vegetable with ½ oz
of meat. Everybody getting their
belongings in order expecting
Camp to be moved shortly.
Fortunate I still have my sack
to put my things in.

BangKinang
[[18?]].3-44
Completed 2 years internment yesterday.
Bros & Harry [[Rea?]]
escaped during the night & got
clean away from the camp. They got
past the guards about 2 pm &
got 5 or 6 hrs clear start into
the jungle, where searchers now
after them. We fear reprisals by
the Js. Harry said he couldn't
stand the lack of food any longer.
They were both room-mates of
mine. We are 64 men in this
room, 11 m. x 12 m. Nights are cold
& days hot. They took enough food
for a week & will rely on catching
wild Pig etc. but the danger
from wild animals tiger etc,
is great, not to mention mosquitos.
A very large Tiger Killed
& brought into camp for skinning.
Gra's 14^th birthday on Monday
20th inst, & I do hope he has
a happy day. How I long to see
him & family & can hardly
realise he is 14. 4 years a
week ago (on 13th) since I
left Sydney by plane. What
fateful years, & just as well
we can't see ahead what's in
store for us. I am on K. [[Ijan?]] by
Drs orders for weakness. Hope
they don't get Bros & Harry.
Books to read "The days of 

our years"
by Paassen
The Hill of Dreams - Arthur Macham
Masters & Men - Philip Guedalla
The Dance of Life - Havelock Ellis
Scepticism &   } George
Animal Faith   }    Santayana
The Wisdom of} 

the Beasts          } - C A Strong
Isles of Illusion } - Edited by 
(For Ettie)          }    Bohun Lynch

BangKinang
Easter Sunday
9-4-1944
They caught Bros & [[Remember?]]
after 3 days & told us several
times they (J's) are going to behead
them for escaping. However the excuse
of hunger evidently saved their lives
as they beat them but also gave
them a little more rice.
Poor Kornmann (3 bedplaces away)
poisoned himself on Good Friday
evening & died within 3 hours. He
asked me for food when I came
back from Holy Communion about
9.30 pm, saying he was hungry, but
I had none to give him of course
He then asked why the Drs didnt
grant him more food & must have
taken poison shortly after. The
phial was found under his mattress.
Many thought he was shamming
& the Dr first wouldn't come &
then slapped him when he did.
The commotion was awful & none
slept. He was punched twice to
try to knock him unconscious
before it was realised he wasnt
shamming. I held him down 
shortly before he passed out. Buried
yesterday, aged 34. His father is
in the camp & wife & 2 children
last heard of at [[Medan?]].
I haven't been too good lately, & the
Pastor allowed me to take Holy Communion
Good Friday evening, although
I explained I'd never been confirmed.
Many others (about 30 odd) also.
It was full moon, & we were in
the open, of course. I wondered
if Et, by any chance, also took
it that day. Didn't feel equal
to attending Service today, Easter
Day. War seems to be going well
but slowly from scraps news.

BangKinang
13-4-44
J's have cut our rice ration &
supplied milled rice instead of
rough, i.e. with husks off.
Result is more than ½ camp
suffering from Beri-Beri - many seriously.
I have it slightly.  Deaths 1

per day lately. Our Drs also here have 

Beri-Beri. We are now under J
military control, i/o Civil, the
latter having all pushed off somewhere,
including the J Governor
of Sumatra. Little Jimmy had
his 4^th birthday recently &
speaks Dutch like a native.
Fortunately they never filled
Kornmann's bed space, so we
now have a few more inches
each to sleep in, & I can turn
over without getting up! Heard
rumour 15 Austln nurses from
S'pore arriving - Hope [[Rickim?]] & Co
got through OK, as think on
same boat, the "Curzon."
Bang Kinang
Whit Sunday
28-5-44
I have had the wonderful feeling
of not being hungry for a week!
I did a deal on the "BlackMarket" in
Sago Meal whereby I got 2 Kg. of
it & I can make it into a
sort of paste to eat whenever I
feel hungry. My friends Van de
Engh & Evers put me on to the
deal. I have had a bad go of
fever & flu again & Dr gave me
much homemade Quinine. I
am getting better but weak. Thank
God for my good friend [[Frehan?]]
(the German) who gave me an
Egg - first for many months -
& a small dried fish. Eggs cost
about 1/6d each. Fish size of
Sardine are dearer. At last,
after 2 years & 2 months of

internment we got from the Js
as pocket money £4.20 per man.
I think this is money from the
International Red Cross but not
sure. Of course it buys next
to nothing, for instance peanuts
are 70c (about 2/-) a handful!
We cannot understand why, bearing
all these 26 weary months of
semi-starvation, we have not
received even one small item
of any description, not even a
cigarette, through the Red
Cross. No doubt the people in
Aust. & elsewhere who contribute
think we have done so.
War rumours seem better, heard
4 Allied attacks on Sabang
& [[Sanabago?]]. Hope to me. Never
hear Aust. mentioned. Went
to [[Mepham's?]] S.A. Service this
morning & prayed for Ettie &
the children & Vernon, hoping
they are safe & well, & for our
early re-union. Another death
from Beri-Beri yesterday - mine
is better. Still many bad cases
in Camp. Zeitlin gave me a
Bamboo to use at the W.C.
so I could sell my water bottle
for 85c. Having trouble with
my clothes, which in rags.
[[Frahan?]] gave me a Singlet.
Today, Sunday, we are lucky. we
get 2 rice meals, instead of
every day one rice meal, &
breakfast & supper of Sago of
which we are dead sick & can
only eat when very hungry, but
it is better than an empty stomach.
BangKinang
8-7-44
4 days to our Wedding Anniversary.
More fainting fits due to lack of food
the Dutch Drs said on getting free
I should eat much calfs liver
cooked in casserole & fish.
see other Note Book.

BangKinang
12-7-44
Our 28th Wedding Anniversary today
& my thoughts are with Et & the
family & hope they are well &
happy & not worrying about me.
I had to give up after 1 weeks work
in Kitchen, on Drs orders, owing weakness _
also I had dysentery & vomiting.
My work was cutting up Ubi Koyu &
[[??]], & I got extra 2 ozs
of Sago flour per day. Fed up at
having to relinquish this work.
More deaths due undernourishment,
one last night. Many are so thin
you wonder how they get about.
We have to do 2 hours Paddy
Stomping per day. No more
money after that first f4'20.
We think Js have tricked us
again. We all hope to get free this
year. I chat with [[Frahan?]] every
night. H-P bad with Dysentery.
Books to read:-
By Vicki Baum 
{ Shanghai Hotel
{ Love and Death in Bali
Bang Kinang
28-7-44
We are all bucked up by news that
trickled through of the resignation
of the J Cabinet of Togo & a
new Cabinet formed mostly of
Civilians. Also news of defeat
of J. Navy at Saipan, & the
offensive on Western Front in
Europe near Cherbourg. The
whole camp is more cheerful.
Had long firsthand account
last evening from Controller
Winkel of the Execution of
6 Australians & 2 Dutch

Refugees near [[Pulo Nias??]], part
of party of 30 Australians &

The worldly hope men set
their hearts upon
Turns ashes - or it prospers
and anon,
Like snow upon the Deserts
dusty face
Lighting a little hour or
two - is gone.
also of the sinking of the ship
wh. took German internees from
Sumatra enroute to India (by
Dutch vessel) wh. sunk by J.
bomber. 68 Germans saved out
of 480. (412 drowned), but Dutch
Crew & military escaped in life
boats. S/S Chilka also sunk
by gunfire from J. submarine
on 16^th March 1942, when coming
to Padang to rescue us (from
Bombay); as we interned on
17^th March she wd. have been

These pearls of thought xxx in
xxxxx Persian Gulfs
were bred.
Each softly xxxxx lucent as a
rounded moon
The Diver Omar plucked them
from their ocean bed,
Fitzgerald strung them on
an English thread
too late. The 68 G. survivors later
on seized [[Palo Nias?]] & captured the
23 Australians (remaining) by
disarming the Indonesian Police
& using their rifles etc. Later
(in April) all rounded up by
Js.
BangKinang
30-7-44
Good news from Pacific of J

To End of 1935, Bonuses
on 4 policies total  £230.10.0
(for 1935 - £ 28.17.0)
To end of 1936, Bonuses
total £259.12.0
(amt. for 1936 - £29.2.0)
To end of 1937, bonuses
total £285.12.0
(amt. for 1937 - £26.0.0)
Naval defeats near Saipan. Following
prices show the inflation due
to J. Military Currency in
Sumatra:- A Refrigerator sold
for ƒ20,000, a shirt for ƒ70.
I was forced to let Joany's
Case go for ƒ20 in order to

Joan & George's
Industrial Policies
paid up to
14/1/1935 ✓

[[*Can't go
further 

on*]]
Graham's pd
½ yr to 6/12/34
buy food. It was a lovely case &
wonderfully handy, but everyone
is selling everything in order to
get a few peanuts & bread.
Crose's wife died of Dysentery
& the Js said nothing & the only
information he got of her
death was the [[?]] of
her old mattress & few
belongings. Germans allowed
out to dig his wife's grave.
Several deaths due dysentery.

Joan's & Georgs

Industrial Policies

Paid up to 9∧27th

xxxAugust 1934

Told [[??]]£2 19/[[?]]

Cookboy

As Peace $10 on Feby

pay

13/2/34

26/2/35 -paid Cookboys $25

ie advance $5 on March

pay

26/2/34 pd Syce $15, i.e.

advance $3 on March pay.

$1

$4 [[??]]

Kebun

Advanced $9 during Jany.

& paid him $12 on

31/1/34. (TK$21,)

Still owes me $3, at

1/2/34. i.e. advance on Feby pay.

26/2/34: Pt Kebun $15.50

Now ALL Square√

Syce

Advanced $19 during

Jany ($12, $5 & $2 unpaid

from previous advance).

Paid him $10 on 31/1/34.

Ttl $29.

=Advance $7 on Feby pay.

            "       $3  "              "

13/2/34

2/1/33

Sent £100 to [[?]]

[[B?]] ON Current

a/c.

Payments to be made

£32/10/7 School

£1/14/7 Grahams

Insce

& my Insce premiums

when due.

Bang Kinang

10-10-44

I am a bit despondent today, as more letters

have been received by the British here from

Australia & England.  None for me

from Et or the children.  Whelan got

4. Spradbrow 2- many others.

20

129-5+113+9

135-10+113+9

4

146-20+113+9

5

127=2

132=3

142=4

558           113

135                9

123              100

122               270

     1               146

                      124

113 ste

[*The letters took 5 to

8 months to reach here

I live in hope. 31

names of the men

killed close by at

Pakanbaroe when the

Js [[attacked?]]

them in

the sheds

of the airodrome

there,

& of course

the Allies

bombed the

aerodrome. 23 widows of

The 31 in BangKerang Camp.

Dysentery increasing- some fatal.

I have Beri Beri in my left

foot & new work at picking