Diaries of John Kevin Lloyd - Part 3

JUNE 6th Month—1942
23 TUESDAY 174-191
Still been told by
dentist I will have to have
tooth out. Easy day. Visited
hospital. PT introduced by
Japs. One more burial from
10 Bn. Bananas & eggs came
to hand. First game of
contract bridge. EL turned
on. Japs ordered killing of
cows which wandered into
camp. I stopped the hunt
and was abused by same.
Called on to find one more
permanent fatigue - the long
& kitchen well. WP^s are
much stronger - 539 yesterday.
"B" Bn stronger than others - 206
 

1942—30 Days JUNE
24 WEDNESDAY 175-190
Tooth out. I have lost all fear
of such physical
happenings. Did not mind
needle or the extraction. I am
overjoyed at the change for the
good. Results from sight of
so much bloodshed during
war. Visited hospital. 160-170
patients not all dysentrey
One more man buried tonight.
Grave filling party was
showered with fruit, eggs, etc
on way back to hospital but
Jap off confiscated all. Played
cards by aid of wax lamp.
Sun bathed during the day.
 

JUNE 6th Month— 1942
25 THURSDAY 176-189
Went out with WP of 520 to
drome. Very wet afternoon.
Took shelter for 1 hr in native
sun shelter. No native prisoners
but 200-300 forced labour. [[?]]
spent an hour there. "B" Bn
quarters "excellent" again &
best of the 3. No news of any
offensive in Burma by Br.
Had drink of milk and
blocks of what appeared to be
mixture of sugar & treacle.
News of order for "C" Bn to
stand by ready to be moved
to TAVOY. Orderly room on
Curran & Casey. Glad to hear
Br troops are going away and
much speculation is going on.
 

1942—30 Days JUNE
26 FRIDAY 177-188
Dull day. Rain
filled up my 44 gall drum.
Sugar with rice for breakfast
for some 4 times running.
Green veg with lunch and meat
stew with evening meal. Black
tea twice daily now. Bananas
& buns come almost every day
for canteen. Hard boiled eggs
complete the diet. Won 3 tins
condensed milk for Best Bn Comp
3 bottles wine to Casey for best
quarters and 3 bottles to Ewart
for largest airdrome parties. "B"
Bn leads in almost everything.
Systematic clothes lines inside
& outside rubbish buckets for
quarters, trays for doughnuts
Rex Colier returned from hosp
 

JUNE 6th Month—1942
27 SATURDAY 178-187
Dull day again & more rain. I
do not feel the
heat now. Skin much better.
No tinea. Visited hosp. Patients
now only 130 (about dozen
malaria and a few more
amoebic dysentry. No [[emotions?]]
for this bad type. Major
Chalmers is Catholic. Lt Col Coates
does not want to go on with
Br. Native football tournament
appears to be finished. Still
reading Grants History of Europe
and the Autocar Handbook.
Have written out set of rules
for Contract Bridge. Compiled
by Capt Alex Graham, nephew
of Dr Mackaddie of 14 Collins
St. Webster "A" Bn died - old
man of 50-60 years - 11^th death
 

1942—30 Days JUNE
28 SUNDAY 179-186
Mass & H.C. Priest did
not have time to hear all
Confessions. Major Chalmers &
few from hospital attended.
Other Ch. Pde. followed immediately.
Little rain early but turned out
beautiful day. Tin bath,
history, autocar, contract
bridge. Rumours of Br loss
of Libya, [[?]] in Mandalay.
Websters funeral. Game
contract bridge. Yarned to
Capt Starr. Heavy rain
from nightfall.
 

JUNE 6th Month—1942
29 MONDAY 180-185
Rained heavily until just before
dawn. Cleared up

till mid-morning. I/C WP of
572. Very wet. [[Lumbers?]] nasty
Several Br slip away from
tool shed. Jap sentry [[?]]
Burman forced labour. [[?]]
with [[?]] and Burmans
refused further work. Heard
that 3 white men are in
jail alongside us. Signs
of Jap naval troops coming to
Mergui. P W D office has
to vacate in favour of naval
office. Wet to skin. Bread
& jam and tea with milk for

supper. Rice cut down this
night. Some of our men are
stupid, unreasonable, moaning
and thankless bastards.
 

1942—30 Days JUNE
30 TUESDAY 181-184
Heavy rain all night and
morning. Usual
conference & inspection, Jap
opinion "Very good". Tin bath
bridge notes, chess, Autocar,
history. Rex Laber not too good
again. Not one man left to
go to drome from "B" Bn.,
all on other duties & standing by
more unloading at wharf &
Japs seem to be building camp
beyond drome. Native funeral
with greatest number of mourners
Band at one-horsed coach, hearse
pulled by some dozen men.
coffin very heavy, tower of
green leaves. 2 periods of pay due
& promised almost immediately.
Many fireflys noticeable at night.
Stroll on [[?]] & think of home.
 

JULY 7th Month—1942
1 July WEDNESDAY 182-183.
Rained overnight, but cleared
up for breakfast.
Climate more pleasant than
Malay though wetter. Usual
conference & inspection. Visited
hospital. Pay made available
for home works at 15, 25 &
35 cents. Naval personnel
took over control at airdrome.
Much activity on road. [[?]]
said he was soon to leave.
Talk of some Jap transport being
sunk about 300 miles away, 5
more near Borneo, air raids
on Rangoon & Singapore, some
naval men are survivors,
AIF have left S.
 

1942—31 Days JULY
2 THURSDAY 183-182
Rainy night cold morning
but fined at 0930
& remained fine day. W P of 400
Naval personnel now in charge
of work, with labour troops to
assist. Labourers very weedy.
Army still provide sentries.
Lenient attitude. Yarned with
both interpreters, (naval man
from Tokio Uni). Naval officer
in charge = Capt Watanulai
foreman = Katsume. Men go off

into rubber & back to camp.
Work till 1700 with a 10 min
rest each hour. Pay available

fo W.P. today. Two more
"C" Bn deaths = 13. Own
sick pde down to 46, Jap
navy take over buildings now

[[?]] 

JULY 7th Month—1942
3 FRIDAY 184-181
More rain night & morning.
600 in W P but 150
went to wharf. Word that we
will follow English troops
soon after is not pleasant.
Attended funeral to represent C.O.
Stark [[?]]. Deal coffins - one on
top of other on 4 wheeled spring
hearse trolley. Shallow grave 4
feet, clearing in [[?]] alongside
native cemetery. Rough wooden cross
Many native graves are covered with
heavy concrete or brick gravestone
Houses of brush concrete, or wood
and iron or attap roof built
alongside grave to house people
returning to pray. Looks like a
village, & people do live right
on or alongside cemetery. No fence
or line of demarcation.
 

1942—31 Days JULY
4 SATURDAY 185-180
Dragon to frighten away evil
spirits. Both men came from Pompom
island, making [*arrow drawn to 'hospital' in line 6*] 5 deaths in all.
Drum beating goes on by day and
night, sometimes very rhythmatic.
Fine day. Visited hospital. Yarned
with Nichols & tore up Charge
Shirt. W Ps went to wharf &
drome. 14^th body buried, English.
Arranged to share cost of marmalade
& eggs. Bird life not varied -
black crows in plenty, common
minah, kingfisher, crested
sparrow. We hear an occasional
monkey, many frogs, chi chaws
and myriads of insects. Rumours

of reverses in Libya & Russia and
shortage of food in Japan. "C" Bn
coys claimed more rice today for 3^rd
time after drawing full ration
Contract bridge, Rosary for [[?]]
 

[Blank page at back of book]

JULY 7th Month—1942
7 TUESDAY 188-I77 
Wet morning. Over 600 to [[?]]
Easy day. in camp
Lesson in Japs words of comd
by Jeruba & lape. Much speculatn
as to reason for list of 100 men
from each Bn - "Diligent" men.
E L installed at last and
supplemented by my oven lead
& globes. Very hungry despite
banana, eggs & bread. Yarned
with Carey, who lives at
TAMWORTH. Early bed.
Canteen now provides bananas,
pineapples, cocoanuts, paw paw
bread, tobacco, matches, paper
 

1942—31 Days JULY
8 WEDNESDAY 189-176
a day spent
in camp. Humour of men
improving. Health better,
more amenable to discipline &
cleaner. Visited hospital.
patients down to 96 with
dysentry reduced to exactly
half of peak of 155. Saw
great crowd waiting to see
soccer match. Also 2 Jap
teams playing baseball.
Rumours of German advance to
within 63 miles of Alexandria,
fall of Sebaztopool, victory
at Midway Island. Duke still
in India &c over 1 million

Indians under arms. [[?]]
Japs gift to CO of [[?]] tea
[[?]], wine & breads, minced
 

4P.
August
5
Up early to go with Sanitater to Spandau West re specs.. Just
before going took delivery of four parcels from Geneva, one contained
"c"-cap, but size 7¼ only, and, as I've long since recovered my own,
I gave the new one to S.M. head of camp to pass on to someone who
needs it. The other parcels contained the books mentioned in the
letter of yesterday – 3 vols. of Cunningham’s Anatomy, French Grammar,
and E-Italian, E-French,  and E-German dictionaries. I'm becoming
stocked up at last.
Had jolly good game of Bridge this afternoon with head of
camp, S.M.  , Ellis the store-man, jolly nice lad,
and a hard nut named Gowrie, of the Black Watch, funny
as a play, but quite good at the game.
getting quite a few of what, clinically, are recurrences
of malaria, and one lad who appears to be an acute
endocarditis, vegetative, apparently affecting aortic valve mainly.
He had rheumatic fever at age of 12, and hes about  yrs.
of age now. 
 

4
August
6
Quiet day again. German guard and one of our lads
made me a book rest for working at my table during
the afternoon, so that I was able to do the first ten
pages of Head and Mack later.
Had a rotten job during the evening of breaking the
news to one of the lads that his sputum test had come
back positive for Tb. His name is Clifford, clinically
it is a right apical lesion, and, if they can get him
away to a Sanitorium quickly, and he's a fit case
for A.P., he should do well. He's in quite good condition
physically.
Wrote a number of letters this evening, one to Ron, in
which I asked him to send me gloves and cap, card to McTroy
and another to Red Cross thanking them for the cap, and
another card to the European Student Relief Fund
acknowledging the receipt of and thanking them for the
books which arrived yesterday
Spent about two hours of the morning shaving my
body and limbs completely, and, as I experienced the
first time, its damned uncomportable with the hair off,
prickly and 'sticky', as hair allows opposed surfaces
to move freely. 

December
21
Wrote another card home to.day, just
to keep up the good work, and asked
for another print of David's snap for Lou.
From Capt Allan of the Reviere I
borrowed, Windisch's "The New Photo School"
in English and find it excellent.
 

December
22
Nipped over and saw Padre Berry again.
Fun of the world to see Roger Ellerson
to.day, eyes fairly glowing as he waded
through a packet of 8-9 letters.
Know how he feels.
Was over to see the lads Staff,
Pud, & Fred, and while there Fred
was hauled off to see the Stabsarzt
to be told that his 21 days are to
start To-morrow. Tough for Christmas.
If I get through must give parties.
of attachment to HQ.