Diary Major John Kevin Lloyd - 1942-1945 - Part 13

MARCH

31 TUESDAY

Appeal for books

Check Officers - Admin Pde

Lights out

Use of Kitchens

Derringhen to Guard

Tables etc for Common Room

Wagstaff re Yeast

Use of Drome cut down

Not enough boiled water

Lost pack
Extra urinal

Coy Private Thomson

Officer list wanted by Thursday

Late finish

xxxxxx re tea club

WO x Fgt rgts
Time call

APRIL

1 April WEDNESDAY

Sanitary	10	4		14
RAP.	2	4	2	8
Barber	1	1	1	3
Wood Ch	1	1	1	3
Runners	3 Pn		1 Pde	4
[[?]] LD	2		4	6
Batmen	2	2	3	7
CSM	1	1	1	3
CQMS	1	1	1	3
Baker	-	1		1
Kit Fat	-	32		32
[[?]]		6		6
Jap HQ	-	2		2
Water [[?]]	-	1		1
[[?]] pIC	-	-	162	162
Jap [[?]]	-	-	1	1
[[?]] [[?]]	-	-	1	1

 

OCTOBER

14 WEDNESDAY

Our little [[?]] birthday.  I [[put?]]

the flowers alongside the family

photograph.  Rain cancelled

WPs until about midday.  I

hope [[?]] has a little party.

I [[will?]] be there in spirit and

will arrange ^my rice to be her

party tea and of course John

and Mary will be right in the

thick of it too. The prospect of

perhaps another 12 months of this

life is appalling.  Issued "B" Bn

Currency for pay.  Conferred [[?]]

of officers.  Took me [[?]] [[?]]

[[?]] to cook a small stove

meat, potatoes and for [[?]] [[?]]

onions.  Usual PT.

OCTOBER

15 THURSDAY

Fine at last.  Made stewing can

and obtained water can.  Scott

an a P.T. instructor from WA

says " I am the fittest man in 

camp, no stomach, abdominal

front all muscle".  How I like

a little praise.  I can laugh at

our own vanity.  Sgt Raferty died

yesterday and was buried today.

Heard that there are about a

dozen white men imprisoned in

Tavoy jail.  A flight of 12

xxxnes passed over going N.

xxxx near the road and

xxxxed some of the native

xxxx view across rice fields

xxx xxxx xxx yellow colour with

xxxxxxx xxxxxx but very pretty 

OCTOBER

16 FRIDAY

J.D. KORSCH, CUDGEN, TWEED RIVER

N.S.W.  has black & white

drawings of POW life from Mergui

onwards.  They are well done

particularly those of the huts &

the Buddist temple across the

lake.  Commenced Coy Comds

conference at 0900.  Received word

that 1000 men are to go to

Moulmein on Monday - "C" Bn

& VP Bn.  Japs wireless booth

alongside our quarters here has

been making much more than

usual during the last 4 or 5 

days.  More Jap guards or

soldiers have arrived in Tavoy

God bless my dear family. Time

drags wearily on.

OCTOBER

17 SATURDAY

Only 10 men from B Bn on WP.

Revielle is now at crack of

dawn 0800 hrs Jap time and

breakfast at 0815 hrs.  Yarned

with Major ^J Harris who came

2/4 RM.T Coy.  He is an Ivanhoe

man, general manager of Overseas

Motors.  His unit was raised to

be part of the B.E.F. in Malaya.

Someone had been talking to

him about my being transfered

out of my unit and he seemed

interested at my unjust

treatment.  Played contract

bridge all the afternoon.

Rumours of heavy fighting in NG

and Solomons. 

OCTOBER

18 SUNDAY

Mass & HC. Usual muster pde.

Officers piqued C & VP Bns' areas

whilst they were checked by

the Japs.  1000 men prepare to

move to Moulmein . Walked

2-3 miles with Major Cameron

and discussed possibilities of

sheep farming in the Nth West on

a 1/4 million acres - the usual

size lease.  Two men caught by

Japs outside the wire in the

middle of the night. Told

they would be shot. Taken to

local goal.

OCTOBER

19 MONDAY

Further check of "C" Bn and 2 men

are to be dealt with at Moulmein.

Law Burman celebration on the

main road at midnight.  Two

decorated vehicles - one bullock

drawn and the other hand drawn.

The first was preceded by a [[?]]

with an incandescent lamp on

his head, several  small boys

with penant of red, white & blue

like spikes and 7 or 8 young lads

dancing in a jolly but mad

fashion.  The din of the band

was awful.  The usual police

and officials bearing Jap arm

bands looked important but there

were no priest or women. 

OCTOBER

20 TUESDAY

The [[?]] vehicle following the

others at about 20 minutes intervals

was built up like a shrine

but without a central figure.

It was lit and gaudy with

flowers.  This one was accompanied

by collectors and food was

distributed.  This band was positively

bad, cymbals, gongs, Budda gongs,

wind instruments and crackers.

"C" & VP went off today.  B Bn

allotted all outside buildings

but one as wexx are "very good".

Moved across to other room. Attended

rosary.  Glorious surreal.  Leeches

frogs, snakes and lizards

abound.

OCTOBER

21 WEDNESDAY

Feel rather ill - feverish and

aching all over.  Spent day in

bed, after attending to Bn

duties. Read "In Scotland Again"

by Morton and "The old tree

blossomed" by Raymond.  Attended

recitation of the Rosary in the

evening.  Capt Graham surveys

of Kedah as now living with

us.  He is very thin after an

attack of dysentry.  Camp is

now very quite and much 

more pleasant.  Dearth of news

now. 

OCTOBER

22 THURSDAY

Feel better and took a 2

mile walk with Graham.

Was able to watch a POW

at work on an Austin

car.  B Bns canteen supplied

by Ali Barba is a great

success.  Sunset and twilight

are really beautiful now.

The alluminated gold

pergoda adds a picturesque

note.  One of the flying

foxes flew very low,

beaten down by rain.

OCTOBER

23 FRIDAY
[*Chupattie*]

Weary but better.  Jap

conducted surprise count.

Natives are having a feast

tonight at the temple

at the gate.  I had fried

kidney, potatoes and egg

coffee and a banana

for tea tonight extra to

rice & stew.  Trouble over

disappearance of tarpaulins

and tents.   Jap tore one in

half to cover loss from his

superiors. Several men drunk

tonight.  Drunken songs heard

at midnight.  Rosary as usual.

Great win at bridge over

Meaham & Blair.

OCTOBER

24 SATURDAY

Clearing of grounds going on 

as usual. Letters A.I.F.  Discovered

spelling of "chupattie" and

story of the "Dunstenforce" in

book by Gen. Raymond. The
old tree blossomed".  Now down

to 20 Rs Rumours of conference

of Bn & Chinese Generals on recapture

of Burma.  A mad joy races thru

me when I think of the

prospect of an early release.

Concert and CO spoke against

growing drunkedness at night.

Full moon and lovely evening.

OCTOBER

25 SUNDAY

Mass & HC in the hall. Weather

more like Australian than

ever before.  Dry and windy.

No sweating. Hedge around

this building is Exola and I

have its red flowers before

my shrine.  Vandejoachin is

the name of the common acid

in Malaya.  Felt feverish and

went to bed.  Headaches, my

face is flushed my back

and legs are aching and I

have shivered a little in

the cool night air.  My bed

collapsed 3 times during the

night.  Fever like an

attack of dengue. 

OCTOBER

26 MONDAY

Missed my trip down town

through this fever, although

I do feel better than yesterday.

Spent all day resting.  Jap

Gunso gave me a roll of

sanitary paper.  I have been

able to have a few lessons

in practical motor engineering.

Read "Battle Dress" by Gun

Busta concerning the BEF

in France.  C.P.O. Tucker is a

very agreeable P.O. Conflicting

news of both Br & Jap invasions

across Assam border and of

our staying here or going to M.

[*Natives celebrating all last

night before last.*]

OCTOBER

27 TUESDAY

Feel quite better.  Barbed my

shin badly ragging with

Doc Cumming & Adjt.  Started

soccer competition with 9

teams.  Sunsets lately are

really beautiful with just

a few wisps of clouds.  Flying

foxes sail over every night.

Frogs are almost a plague

I am having a marvellous

run of good luck at contract

bridge.  Reading Woman by

Bernhard Baner when the

lights went out at midnight. 

OCTOBER

28 WEDNESDAY

Soap issued, 10 men to a bar.

This gives each man a little

more than 1 sq cubic inch.

Prices at present are 42½ A viss of

potatoes, rice flour 4 As viss,

bananas 2A a hand of 12-14, eggs

5 for 6A, sweet limes 4 for 1A,

beef 4As, ½ viss, tea 6 Rs lb.

sugar 6Rs lb, shaving soap 1R 12A

sandals 8As, cigars 1R to 1R 12A

per hundred. goula 7R 12A per

4 gall tin.  Long walk with

young  Power POWER of Br

Reg Army.  Football both

soccer & rugby are becoming

increasingly popular.  Still

very dry.  I have an infected

cut on my left thumb.

OCTOBER

29 THURSDAY 

Attack of Diarrhoea probably

due to bad egg.  I slept very

badly, so had a short sleep

before noon.  Boots ruled out

of soccer comp and rugby

is forbidden.  The MO has

nothing to treat casualties.

I was given a tin of sweet

corn by the Jap officer.  I

yarned to the Jap staff later

and showed them my snaps.

The humour in this room

is marvellous, Carey, Lovett,

Graham, Curring, Hince, O'Brien,

Padre and myself.  Rumours

that the last POW ship

was taken over are rife. 

OCTOBER

30 FRIDAY

My day is usually 

as follows:-  up at crack of dawn

5.30 (0800 Jap time) to the sound of

the reveille, shave and bath before

breakfast at 0815.  At 0900 I check

working party out and hold Coy

Comd conference.  Bn duties often

keep me going to 1100 hrs when I

do  about an hour's Jap, then PT

and sunbath for an hour followed

by [[?]] with soap.  After lunch I

study Autocar for an hour, and

read my history or a novel or

both.  After the evening meal at 1900

I admire the sunset, join in the

rosary and then play contract

bridge. Sometimes I am able to

to read a little before the lights

fade.