Diary Major John Kevin Lloyd - 1942-1945 - Part 3

JUNE  6th Month - 1942
23 TUESDAY 174-191
Still [[frozen?]] Told by
dentist I might have to have
tooth out. Easy day. Visited
hospital. PT introduced by
Japs. One more burial from
"C" Bn. Bananas & eggs came
to hand. First game of
contract bridge. EL turned
on. Japs ordered killing of
cows which wandered into
the camp. I stopped the hunt
and was abused by some.
Called on to find one more
permanent fatigue - the [[tong?]]
& kitchen well. WPs 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 dysentery.
One more man buried tonight.
Grave filling party was
showered with fruit, eggs etc.
on way back to hospital. 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. Imari
spent an hour there. "B" Bn
quaters "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 Carey for best
quarters and 3 bottles for Ewart
for largest aerodrome parties. "B"
Bn leads in almost everything.
Systematic clothes lines inside
& outside, rubbish buckets for
quarters, trays for doughnut
Rex Laker 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 dysentery. No emetine
for this bad type. Major
Chalmers is Catholic. Lt Col Coats
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. Completed
by Capt Alex Graham, nephew
of Dr Mackiddie of 14 Collins
St. Webster "A" Bn died - old
man of 50-60 years - 11^th death
1942-30 Day 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. Sun bath,
history, autocar, contract
bridge. Rumours of Br loss
of Libya. Columns 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. Sentries nasty.
Several Br slip away from
tool shed. Jap sentry executed
Burman forced labour. Threatened
with hammer and Burmans
refused further work. Heard
that 3 white men are in
jail along side us. Signs
of Jap naval troops coming
to Megui. PWD 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". Sunbath
bridge notes, chess, Autocar,
history. Rex Laker not too good
again. Not one man left to
go to drome from "B" Bn.,
all on other duties & stand by.
More unloading at wharf &
Japs seem to be building camp
beyond drome. Native funeral
with greatest number of mourners
Band on one-horse coach, hearse
pulled by some dozen men.
Coffin very heavy, bowers of
green leaves. 2 periods of pay due
is promised almost immediately.
Many fireflys noticeable at night.
[[?]] 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 drome workers at 15, 25 &
35 cents. Naval personnel
took over control at airdrome.
Much activity on road. Imari
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. WP 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 Watanubi
foreman = Katsume. Men go off
into rubber & back to camp.
Work till 1700 with an 10 min
rest each hour. Pay available
for W.P.s today. Two more
"C" Bn deaths = 13. Own
sick pde down to 46. Jap
navy take over our buildings near
quarry.

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 & rude. Deal coffins - one on
top of other on four wheeled spring
hearse trolley. Shallow grave 4
feet, clearing in belarka alongside
native cemetery. Rough wooden cross.
Many native graves are covered with
heavy concrete or brick gravestone.
Houses of brick, 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
in or alongside the 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 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
Sheet. WPs went to wharf &
drome. 14^th body buried. English
arranged to share cost of marmite 
& 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 often drawing full ration.
Contract bridge. Rosary for Carley.

JULY 7th Month-1942
5 SUNDAY 186-179
Carley died as I prayed for him 1130
last night
Confession, Mass, & H.C.
Arrangements made for our first
funeral "B" Bn has by far the least
number of sick men, the greatest
number of workers and earned
the most money for last period
to 30 Jun. Buried Carley. Many
onlookers. Bridge with Laker
Lovett & Carey. Battle of [[Verneuill?]]
from C.O. Time beginning to
drag. Dry day.
Diagram - see original document
1942-31 Days JULY
6 MONDAY 187-178
Fine day again. W.P. over 600 but
200 went to wharf. I went to drome
and had a happy day.
Body of murdered native found
near runway. Located the
grave of Bell & Davey. Was able
to obtain 2 Jepaties, 2 eggs, 4
bananas, 2 cups coffee, and ¼ lb
coffee. Told by soldier interpreter
that good news awaited me on
my return to camp. All it is is
a list of "diligent" soldiers in
order of diligence in case peace
comes. Proclamation also contains
threat that escapees will be shot
dead & his unit punished. O. [[R?]]
on Kinneburgh. Contract Bridge. Bought
8 fireflies & put into bottle for
light. Phosphorescent  band across
the body underneath the tail.
Our bread issued for 1^st time.

JULY 7th Month-1942
7 TUESDAY 188-177
Wet morning. Over [[?]] to drome
Easy day in camp.
Lesson in Jap words of comd
by [[Jeruba?]] as [[Cpl?]] Much speculatn
as to reason for list of 100 men
from each Bn - "Diligent" men.
EL installed at last and
supplemented by my own lead
& globes. Very hungry despite
bananas, eggs & bread. Yarned
with Carey who lives at
TAMWORTH. Early bed.
Canteen now provides bananas
pineapples, cocoanuts, paw paw,
bread, tobacco, [[?]], 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
dysentery 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 Sebastopol, victory
at Midway Island. Duke still
in India & over 1 million
Indians under arms. [[?]]
Japs gift to C O of [[Sparrows?]]
rum, wine & brandy include

JULY 7th Month-1942
9 THURSDAY 190-173
Fine day early, but
rain in afternoon. WP of 550.
Numbers limited for first
time officially by Japs but
I believe by C.O. Troops now
able to buy food at drome
much more than last week.
Jepaties, eggs, fruit, fairly
plentiful. Burmans wanted
"Testimonial" for 2 eggs. Man
from 3 Coy fell from roof.
Learnt Jap words of comd.
Jap brothal confirmed.
Game of Cooncan.
Is Turkey in the war and
has it invaded Roumania.
How is Jap shipping near
[[?]]
1942-31 Days  JULY
10 FRIDAY 191-174
Very sunny day. No
rain. Good sun bath. Trouble
at drome after one man was
caught in village nearer
town. Beaten & made to
hold stone above head.
Sentries tighten up & compel
men to stay on runway.
Long yarn with Delaney
re attitude. Orderly Room
on Weatherby. No light
until 1030.

JULY 7th Month-1942
11 SATURDAY 192-173

Out to drome
in place of Apthorpe who
is ill. Was not keen to
go out but day was quite
a happy one. Men played the
game and were still able
to buy and beg quite a lot
of food. I sampled some curried
meat- best I have had since
P.O.W. News good. Karkov back
in Russian hands after 2 days,
bombing of German cities
continues. Germans driven
back to [[?]] by British,
Egyptian & Persian forces.
Rangoon & Singapore bombed.
1942-31 Days JULY
12 SUNDAY 193-172
Still no rain
& tub is empty. Mass and
Holy Communion. Fr [[Lurdy?]] stated
that Catholics numbered about
200 in Mergue - only 50-100 go
to Mass at one time. Koreans
are mostly American Baptists
remainder Catholics. Visited
hospital with Lovett. Rumours
persist that Turkey is in the
war and there is fighting at
Koningsburg. Concert by band
etc. Lovett was married about
2 months before A.I.F. Wife
probably at Camperdown. He is
a farmer. No children. Am
not sleeping well & owing to
heat. Pay now available.
One more death 16^th