Diaries of John Kevin Lloyd - Part 21










MONDAY MAY 7
Read and must get for Nancy. "Flower arranging" by Lena Lee
Burroughs, Yoloco-Cola Boy. Atlanta, Georgia. The cursed spelling
of the bird I saw a few week ago is ariole. Vanderville count was
one constantly wondering how the man is going, both in Europe & here
TUESDAY MAY 8
[[?]] party cancelled. Rain falls every day now and
the surrounding hills are very [[yellow?]]. Listened to a talk on Siam
by Major Laming. Yarned with Major ^F.L. Harding who contemplates
buying a grand home & farm near Melbourne.
WEDNESDAY MAY 9
'Judge Martin is being severly punished with 2 bashings and
4 days in front of of the guard house at attention for looking thru
the attap fence when working on the bund. The ditch wall is
collapsing in many places. Return on staff officers and COs is
causing much speculation. Arrived her 3 months ago today. How long more?
THURSDAY MAY 10
Weighed 68 kilos. Reading "God-Bye Mr Chips" by James Hilton
and "The Earth is the Lords" by Caldwell. The Japs held a full
scale tenkoe at 1800 hrs and appeared to be searching for extra
personnel. Yarned with Close on Special Warfare Units raised in
England in 1940. Met a [[Lieut?]] Taylor who visited his estate's
property at Mingara Riviera twice a year before the war.
FRIDAY MAY 11
Martin is still sticking it out at the guardhouse. His legs
are all swollen and he has had to remove his boots. He is
allowed liquids only. Recce planes are about still every day.
SATURDAY MAY 12
The "undertaker" was taken away a few days ago for
striking a superior officer but I believe he was returned today. Very
heavy rains fell. My first balsam flower is out. Yarned with
Walker about the Encyclicals [[?]] Rarum Novarum and Quadragesimo
Anno. Smoking forbidden all day until after tenkoe as a punishment.
SUNDAY MAY 13
Two masses. All sermons are censored. Heard some
bombing yesterday. The moat is half full of water and a
paradise for frogs who croak all night long. Martin was
released Friday night he became light headed, thought released the
guard was going to do him over and ran to the Jap hut for protection.
MONDAY MAY 14
Concert abandoned after half way through owing to a storm.
TUESDAY MAY 15
Kempies took away 2 Koreans. Concert staged in full. All classical
recital, Mozart, Handel, Greig, Purcell, Rosini, Gounoud, arranged by a
Have obtained 5 orcids. Balsams & involvus now flowering well.
WEDNESDAY MAY 16
Went with W P to river to shift bamboo. Had a swim.
THURSDAY MAY 17
Yarned with Major Pierpont who was the Malay [[Ranbus?]] Representative
on the State Executive Council of the State Executive Council of the Sultan of Johare. The
Sultan was married 11 times including a divorcee Mrs Wilson whose
husband was whipped out of Malaya by the husband of another
woman. His state salary is £35000 monthly £35000
FRIDAY MAY 18
Yarned with Capt Peter Golden of the Shanghai Judicial
police. Camp Comdt asked a POW what would happen if he was
made a P.O.W. He apparently took some notice of our last letter
and today called in the seven officers to ask discuss the matter.
SUNDAY MAY 20
Mass & HC. Evening Mass was broken up by an air alert. Engines are
going up alone and are coming back with rolling stock. Some
troops went past during the night. Workman of NFI was one
of the officers who was imprisoned for obtaining or disseminating news.
MONDAY MAY 21
A concert at night. Pay received - 50¢ deducted for ORs pay. Played bridge
with Morrison and Major [[Haissing?]]. Regulations for nightwatchman are
tightened up. They must prevent men moving out of huts at night
excepting for the latrine or on duty. All off & NCOs inspected camp.
TUESDAY MAY 22
All sorts of instructions are added to the long list. Boxes are
now prohibited, bambo ash-trays are forbidden, the lost property
office must be closed, no gear can be left in bags during [[?]]
inspections rain-coat cannot be worn on parades without
permission, the ^POW officer is out-of-bounds, books must be cleaned of
dust and mud. Two officers were badly bashed twice and
put in guardhouse, one for smoking [[inside?]], one for not standing
properly at attention during tenkoe. Local brass band seemed
to be playing Jap troops through the town this evening.
WEDNESDAY MAY 23
Martin is now known as a "Judge of Lang [[?]]". My acne
is getting worse. Krungteb is the Thai name for Bangkok. The old
capital was Ayeuthia. Chapri is the family name of the present King.
[[pubans?]] are numerous in the south. Siam, recognised Br control
of Kedah & other N provinces in 1909 in return for a loan of £7 an and the
cessation of extra territorality rights in Bangkok.
THURSDAY MAY 24
CC paid a visit to POW Comdr of 1hr and left new pair of shoes.
Obtained manure for my garden. This garden is being immitated.
Injected ag cholera
FRIDAY MAY 25
[[Nolder?]] told me about the case during last war of the Comogata Mara
and 800 odd Indians from [[barbar?]] Shanghai, Saigon, Bangkok & [[Nagasaki?]] also
the [[duve?]] rings, and in S. America, Syria and Far East and cases of the [[Co?]]
disciplinary squad, and treatment of renegades.
SATURDAY MAY 26
Yarned yesterday with Kept B SLUIMERS of the AID
[[?]]. Siren sounded 5 alerts & all delay quick [[succession?]]
Told that the reason why the 2 POWs are still being punished is because
of the facetious action of some of the troops on tenkoe when ordered to speak louder
Strained my big toe in a fall.
SUNDAY MAY 27
Mass & H.C. Yarned with Capt Clements of RAOC (Workshop) who lived at
the Rio Tinto mines near Seville from 1926-40. He saw quite a lot of the war.
Two officers released from guardhouse, one with a damaged eye.
MONDAY MAY 28
All pumpers at the pump-house were stood to attention from 0900
to 1500 hrs for not saluting the acting OO (WO Mura). Their skins were badly
burnt. Drawer was badly beaten by the CC & the Adj's with a dummy rifle
and lodged in the cell together with Ransom and another who were
all beaten by hand by the O. Sgt. The real reason for the
trouble was that this 3rd man just mentioned had refused a week
ago to carry water for 2 Nip Medical orderlies and Ransom and Drawer were involved
Played bridge with Evan Hamilton. Attended a good variety concert.
TUESDAY MAY 29
Golden told me more of his experiences. Started extra [[?]] 40
minutes today alternating with another team, and tomorrow 1 hour 40 min.
WEDNESDAY MAY 30
CC ordered all officers to cease work at 1300 hrs and all services
were taken over by ORS. Canteen had to close. Reading, lying down,
games, etc, are forbidden still during working hours.
THURSDAY MAY 30
A lot of rolling stock is coming out of the jungle.
FRIDAY JUN 1
All officers are confined to hut as from 1400 hrs and henceforth can
only leave to go to the latrine, to bath, or to collect food. At night we
can only leave by the one exit. The reason given is that the CC saw cigarette
butts on the floor of the hut during an inspection about 2400hrs. We are
being treated as criminals, but cannot understand why. Several bombers
visited Kanburi and dropped 5 bombs on the bridge area. The alert
brought us out of our huts. Also officers are being made to work on the bund.
SATURDAY JUN 2
SUNDAY JUN 3 MONDAY JUN 4 TUESDAY JUN 5 WEDNESDAY JUN 6 THURSDAY JUN 7 FRIDAY JUN 8 SATURDAY JUN 9 |
C.B. for all continues. Books are withdrawn to the office excepting between 1300-1530 and 1800- 2100 hrs. I am still able to do a little gardening and also do the last shift of nightwatchman every morning. Drawer is still in the cells. A Dutch officer was stood in front of the guard house for a few hrs for making a bamboo flute. Several huts were searched. It is |
very difficult to fill so many hours every day with nothing
to do but sit and talk.
SUNDAY JUN 10 MONDAY JUN 11 |
[[?]] [[?]] [[?]]. Attended both men. Discovered that we are not allowed to [[ while lying down. Varley bashed. |
TUESDAY JUN 12. CB lifted as from 1800 hrs. CC ordered Tovsey &
all but commanders to write a letter apologising for breaches
of discipline by promising to be good boys in future, &
admitting that officers being punished have no complaint.
WEDNESDAY JUN 13. Many officers are back at work. I am on
the pump twice a day for 40 mins, each time. Books are
still not allowed during working hours. Told that we are to move
to a new camp & to have 500 ready to move in 10 days.
THURSDAY JUN 14.
Ration scale reduced, oil 25 to 15 gms. meat 80-70, salt 20-15
Rice and vegs remain the same at 550 & 500. Three horses ([[(?)]] have
been brought into the camp & stabled near our hut. An area of our
[[ tion?]] has been put out of bounds, likewise another part near the tool shop.
FRIDAY JUN 15
Am studying Lazare's "Lectures Faciles" Started treatment for acne.
SATURDAY JUN 16
Started playing deck-tennis, reading Cuthbertsons Gold Book weighs
68½ with [[?]]
SUNDAY JUN 17
Mass as usual. Garden is beautiful. Jap guards want some involvus seed.
MONDAY JUN 18.
My Birthday. Thinking of home alot. Lone bomber
TUESDAY JUN 19.
Yarned witjh Golden on Shanghai. No word yet of a move.
[[?]] was cleared, and [[?]] is moving to there.
WEDNESDAY JUN 20 THURSDAY JUN 21 |
My French is improving. Am reading Sainte-Therese. [[?]] has been nearly emptied. |
FRIDAY JUN 22
An adv. party of 400 is to leave on 26th for the new camp
SATURDAY JUN 23
Nips will not allow reading or chess during working hours.
Takasaki states we should spend our time hardening out feet.
SUNDAY JUN 24
Yarned with Casson from St Vincent Island, W.I. and
Henshal from Canada and Malaya. Mass & HC. Large scale air raid on
Kanburi and bridge area heavily bombed. At least 16 planes participate.
Pamphlets dropped. [[?]] Pdes & [[Cemetery?]] party tomorrow cancelled
without reason given. Received 1 egg & 1 peanut [[star?]] from canteen
The first food for several days from the canteen.
MONDAY JUN 25

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