Diary Major John Kevin Lloyd - 1942-1945 - Part 12

MARCH 1942
11 WEDNESDAY  Thursday 
The young Burmese children who

come to work with their parents

are very cold in the morning

Saw of a copy of Home Life Vol 4 No

4 April 1942 containing very good

pictures of fall of Singapore. I must

get a copy after the war. Published

monthly. Tokyo Nichi Nichi. A

few more bananas and peanuts 

reached the canteen. Played

bridge with the Dutch Priest,

Workman & Hesse. The Dutch

Priest gave a fiery lecture to

Dutch Catholics on our pde
gd. Another man - Driver - was 

taken for trading with Burmese

Blair was beaten up twice.
 

1942 MARCH

12 THURSDAY  Friday 

Slept very well last night

the best for a long while.
I go to sleep each night thinking
of Nancy and our young ones.
God Bless them all. An elephant
train of 15 and a baby one passed
through today. The majority of

Burmese men are very heavily

tatooed from above the knees to

the waist.  A Jap has a gramophone

and plays it all day and well into

the night. The records are all verbal

and female and probably Chinese.

The voices are very light and quiver

all the time. Some planes

went over today and sounded
unlike Jap. The Dutch priest gave
us a sermon and heard Confession.
 

MARCH 1942
13 FRIDAY  Saturday 
Mass and H C in the dark at 0730
hrs. Out with 72 men to a cutting
close to camp and worked to
2045 hrs. The odd few flame trees
are now in bloom and are
very prominent. Young Burmese
girls of 8 or 10 do their share of
the soil carrying - about 1 shovel
full at a time. Many oxen
wagons made a halt for the
night. The oxen are quite well
fed beasts - so unlike those
supplied to us for meat. I am
now reading the Broad Highway,
and enjoying it more than before.
Rivett claims that many people
have left Moulmein and Thanbyuzayat
because of the bombing.
 

1942 MARCH
14 SATURDAY  Sunday 
Out with W P of 31 only and
had an easy day. Many more
wagons of hay have stopped
and are cluttering up our road.
It would appear that they are
waiting to occupy our quarters
when we go. HESSE sent
me Home Life Vol 4 No 4 to
keep and I am mightly
pleased. It will help me
so much to describe things
to Nancy. Wharton of the 
orderly room asked my help
advice on a honeymoon trip
he intends to take in
Victoria when we return
home. The recollections were
very pleasant.

MARCH  1942
15 SUNDAY  Monday 
Bread to be [[baked Sunday night?]] 
Tell officers that Burmese advise against
getting out to escape.
Japs dodging all in their power, food
scarce thorough fighting.
Escapees transfer Japn.
Death to 23 men.
Jap want to control prices
Cocoanuts & bananas.
Off less CO & staff across to club.
Read Vol 1 No 1 of GREATER ASIA for
the Burmese (383 SPARKS ST. RANGOON)
Hesse [[purse?]] Holiday postponed
until tomorrow. Went alone
for a swim. Gave Westcott Rs 4
to buy a pair of boots. Won
4500 points at bridge.
 

1942 MARCH
16 MONDAY Tuesday 
A holiday. Still more waggons
of hay have stopped here.
More eggs and bananas have
arrived Kharkov threatened by
German counter offensive. Hand
bills were dropped on Moulmein
warning the Burmese that we 
intend to bomb the city.
Sgt Bell who was wounded near
Moulmein when Mull was
killed was shot today. He was
assisted out of the hospital
by an officer and firing party of
4 and had his brains blown
out as he sat against a tree by
a shot from the officers pistol.
The usual concert was held.
Acquired some soap at last.

MARCH 1942
17 TUESDAY  Wednesday 
The Australians from Java moved
out today to the 75 kilo camp.
St Pats day. How vividly I can
remember speaking to Nancy for
the first time out of the office.
I waited for her outside Craigs.
She was 18 years old and her friend
was younger still. I wonder has
my entry into her life been
for her happiness. I could have
done a lot more for her. May God
grant me the time to make
up to her for all my past
stupidity. Packed up preparatory
to move tomorrow.
 

1942 MARCH
18 WEDNESDAY  Thursday 
Pack up at reveille and 
were ready to move at 0830.
11 trucks were provided & 218 men
were moved. 4 hr trip through ^along
a terribly dusty road. Jungle on
each side of road is completely
covered with dust. Passed 858
bullock wagons, high stacks
of timber cut and stacked for
fuel, tons of broken metal at
one end of a mountain all
washed by hand, thousands
of natives and dozens of camps.
Traces of the railway show all
along. I estimate that there 
are 40000 men and women
engaged between here & the sea
Now at 75 kilo camp MEILOE

MARCH 1942
19 THURSDAY  Friday 
Settling in to new camp. Built
on two levels the upper mostly
for officers the lower for men
Kitchens, store, canteen & tools shed
& RAP. Extremely dusty but the
room is splendid for summer &
washing. So far Major Green has 804
Black 440, Ramsay 2 317. Days
are very hot, nights very cold. The
jungle is on fire across the river
and the bursting bamboo sounds
just like a battle. I forgot [[to?]]
note yesterday the sheer faces
of rock which go to make up
mountains on the route out. I 
am acting as 2IC for a few days.
 

1942 MARCH
20 FRIDAY Saturday 
More settling in and I waited
in vain for more men to 
come. Had a delightful swim
in the deep water and later
bathed in the shallows in the
brilliant moonlight. Some
of the officers here are Cowden
West, Dunaball, Moor, Hellyer,
Cameron, Harris & Lou, Thomas
[[ang?]], Concannon. Days are
very hot and night are cool.
Men are taking full advantage
of the river to swim and
wash. Front fence is 10 feet
high made of platted bamboo
strips. There are no side or back
fences.

MARCH  1942
21 SATURDAY Sunday 
Built a bed, wash basin and
step. Received 72 more men
Am swimming 3 times daily now.
Everyone is delighted with the river.
There are some fair size fish in its
waters. Made a fireplace and
obtained a lot of wood. Some
Dutch prisoners went through.
Floors and walls are made of split
bamboo. A stick is thrust into
one end and is moved up as the
bamboo is split by hitting it [[using?]]
a heavy tool. The walls are stood
on a bamboo guttering to keep them
in line. We are making a bamboo
conduit from the well to the
kitchen. Some men were taken off
the sick pde and put to camp work.
 

1942 Days MARCH
22 SUNDAY  MONDAY 
Said rosary last night with about
30 - 40 men. About 220 men put to
work. More settling in and erected
bamboo net poles and towel rails.
The river is a picture, deep green
waters running into yellow
sand banks and the jungle
growing out over the water. I
say 2 fireflys last night.
Mosquitoes are numerous, Must 
have swum 600 yds and did
not feel the least bit tired.
Started on my history, again
I put out Nancy's and the children
photograph again, and this
unbearable life seems bearable
again. This photo really does
give me courage.

MARCH 1942
23 MONDAY  Tuesday 
The sun rose this morning
like a ball of fire and the 
moon set about the same
time. Still no more troops
have come. The rosary is said
every night now near the stage.
Monkeys are plentiful about
here and can be seen from the
camp. I am swimming 500 - 600
yds daily now. Went out of
camp and inspected the
railway workers. Played bridge
with Green, Rex & Trelwyn. And
getting a few more acneous
pimples. Officer take it in turn
to carry up breakfast for all.
Also we now take our turn as
nightwatchmen.
 

1942 MARCH
24 TUESDAY ^Wednesday 
Jap officer, Lt Nighto, arrived
yesterday. The Jap guards had
a great fight among themselves
and the night before last and
has to be smacked by their
officer. 48 men arrived from
Kanchanaburi and 1 from Thanbyuzayat.
Swam about 700 - 800 yds.
Am eating my peanuts now.
This food certainly stirs one
up, even sexually. No wonder
the monkeys at the zoo do
things publically which they
should not do. Order counterorder
"ad infinitum" concerning
our movement out of this
hut.

MARCH 1942
25 WEDNESDAY  Thursday 
 A holiday with a late reveille
at 0830 hrs (0600 hrs Greenwich time)
The sun came up again absolutely
red. Heard that we leave here
by 5 May for 130 kilo camp and
work on to the August. Was
able to purchase 4 fish which
had been blown out the water
by a Jap grenade. Yarned later
at night about the districts
about our homes. Latest information
is that Col. Anderson & Williamson
have taken their men back to
14 kilo to lay rails and that
no more Australians are to come
but 2000 Burmese instead
Elephant camp and bullock
wagon rest are situated just
on the fringe of our camp.
 

1942 MARCH
26 THURSDAY Friday 
Out with W P of 8 + 270.
Wandered up and down the
line. Bostock & Black are
ready to move back to Than.
I sit alongside a jungle
stream as I write this. 
Jap instructions are still
being issued with bewildering
rapidity. The choir seems 
to practice every night 
A bridge is being built 
across the river and
it looks as if we 
will have
huts over
there soon

MARCH 1942
27 FRIDAY Saturday
I am now officially on the [[Sham?]]
[[Kaburi?]] and will not go out
on railway work. All other
officers unless sick have to go
out daily. Swam 700 - 800 yds
sunbathed, drank a lot of
coffee, as usual, read a
book on Burma, Siam to
Indo-China by Somerset
Maugham entitled "The
Gentlemen in the 
Parlor", played
bridge in candlelight
& yarned to Rex
until
after 
midnight.
 

1942 MARCH
28 SATURDAY  Sunday 
The Burmese in these parts are
very poorly clad in comparison
with those in the towns.
The women and children live in
the common huts with the men.
The afternoon heat is almost
unbearable and very enervating. 
I will have to grip myself
hard to keep from becoming
very lazy. Acquired a table.
Stringer, Bourke and Philip arrived
yesterday. Things abroad are
much the same as 10 days ago.
I win a little every time I play
bridge lately. Nancy's and the
childrens photo is straight in
front of me now. Will they love
me when I return.

MARCH 1942
29 SUNDAY 
[[Rartiety?]] off
[[Aerdrome?]] WP again
Webster re [[airb?]]
Redfern re [[Wadu?]] shanty area
 

1942 MARCH
30 MONDAY 
P.T. to be carried out
Officers to be detailed by Bn
Estimate of officers. 1 QOC train
CO Hand in loaned moneys
{Woodchopper & RAP will be pd
{Jap HQ ? We must pay Bn QM
{runners, librarian, 2 sterilizers
{& Murrell
[*X*]
Pl Comds to sound men for
a permanent guard duty
Urine
O Room
[[no Guards?]]
Messing Off must [[?]] in before
3 Bugle calls for Fall In
Pres by coys - Adj manager