Papers written by Hodgkin, Ernest P. (Doctor, b.1908 - d.1998) - Part 7

A very welcome whatever it is. Anticipating further supplies we have started to draw

more heavily on our meagre reserves; we have had a whole sardine each, for the last

three days. I feel positively well fed. Another recent change; a bun made of maize flour

has replaced the usual rice cake, it is an improvement but still bears little resemblance to

bread. - An orchestral concert, mostly selections from light opera. Excellent

good music (I have just been reading Pepy's Diary so I must be excused if some'

Pepyerian expressions creep in).

19th. April Dr. Johns - Head Commandant, or Men's Representative as the Nipo call

him - has been locked up in the lavatory for the night, without food or bedding. This

morning he had a disagreement with our Pooh Bah as to the necessity for sending

certain patients to Hospital; that individual produced his usual parrot cry, that the

Nips in India had been badly treated by the British. What exactly was John's retort I

do not know but it seems to have got under the honourable epidermis. It would be

interesting to know just how the Nips in India have been treated; they certainly cannot

have been given less in the way of medical supplies than has been given to us.

23rd April Good Friday Dr Johns was released today, none the worse. He was

only allowed one meal a day, but it was a real meal - not just Changi chow.

I gather that the Nips came as near to apologising to him as their dignity would

allow; so for the moment everything in the garden is lovely & his incarceration is

not without result. The incident had its humourous side. One of the interpreters

wanted to take him some cocoa but was afraid the Sikhs would see & spit on

him; instead he sent a packet to him today via another internee with whom

he had dealings.

This afternoon we went for our monthly bathe. It was a perfect day of

sun & cloud, it might have been Port Dickson at its best. A fringing barrier

of jelly fish & sea lice kept most people out of the water, but once past there

the water was cool, clear, & deep, and it was a joy to idle there for an hour or

so. And afterwards lounging in the bright sun on the beach or under the shade

at the top of the cliff, one could imagine oneself back in happier days.

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28 April.

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This evening the Choir gave Stainer's 'Crucifixion'. It was beautifully done,

but I am afraid I have not sufficient musical appreciation to concentrate on such

a performance, especially when it is in the open air. The sunset, what one could

see of it, was superb. Near the setting sun flecks and tongues of orange flame

were silhouetted against an ultramarine blackcloth; while overhead soft flakes of

cloud glowed with a delicate coral pink imparted to them by a scarlet tracery

high above. In the west masses of cloud, like ripples on a sandy shore, shaded

from crimson to a living grey. It was a perfect ending to the day.

26th April The Nips have excelled themselves. This morning they were walking round the

camp & two people did not stand up when they passed - which of course they should have done -

& both had their faces slapped. A third unfortunate youth was tripped up and kicked when he was

down. The fat was then thoroughly in the fire. There had been an electric V sign over the

stage; it had been taken down but it was still quite obvious where it had been & this was

made the excuse for ordering the stage to be pulled down. The electricians & the stage

manager who were responsible for the V were hauled up & have been shut up in an old

tyre store to cool their heels. The priviledge of walking outside the walls within the

barbed wire has been withdrawn, & all communication with the women must be through

the Nip office only - though what that means is not quite clear. So you see the man...

has been throwing his weight about

30th April Yesterday was the birthday of the Emperor of Japan. Here it was celebrated by releasing the

electricians & by beating up & locking up two of the Block Commandants. Why they were thus ill treated

we do not know yet because they are still locked up & have had only one inadequate meal and nothing

to drink. The method of beating is to make a person squat down with a stick between their legs &

then beat them on the back with a rigid stick - a thoroughly brutal method.

1st May For the last three months over a hundred internees have been living in some coolie

lines just outside the walls. They had made themselves very comfortable in their little homes,

which I suppose is the reason for them being ordered back into the gaol today. The place

will be more grossly overcrowded than ever

 

Last night there was a reading of "The Rivals". It was to have been repeated tonight

but that has been stopped, unfortunately I was going to go tonight.

2nd May Following the beating up of Dr Johns, we have today had an election for the new

Head Commandant. Mr Adrian Clark has been elected & squalls are expected!

4th May The overcrowding that has resulted from emptying the coolie lines is so great

that the Hosptial Staff have had to take in three more. Jack Mekie & I have moved down

from D IV & now live over the lab. It makes little difference to me because I only fed up

there, but it does save climbing three flights of stairs three or four times a day.

6th May The reading of 'The Rivals' was given tonight. It was very good despite the

lack of either scenery or costume. Though called a reading, many of the parts

were word-perfect & the small amount of acting required was good, & especially

that of the woman's parts.

7th May I have spent a good deal of the day interviewing Nips about anti-malar

ial work round the camp. It is rather difficult at the best of times trying to

put over scientific ideas through an interpreter; but talking to direct to an officer

whose only English is 'this good' & 'this no good' is pretty hopeless.

One of the Nips had his wireless tuned in to London, listened to music & a football

commentary & did not notice at first when the news bulletin came on. So the fall of

Tunis & Bizerta was broadcast to the camp - an unfortunate mistake from their point of

view. The only news officially permitted is the local propaganda sheet.

16th May There do not seem to have been any events worth recording during the last

few days. Things have quietened down again & the Nips have announced certain

"concessions"; the two Block Commandants are however still locked up & no explanation

has yet been given of their incarceration. The concessions are: permission for

husbands and wives to meet once a month, permission to walk outside the walls again

in the evenings, and a radiogram. The last operates from the tower & frequently

makes life round the hospital unbearable, particularly when it howls Tamil and Chinese

broadcast from Singapore. I had not realised how peaceful it was without a wireless

set. Some of the gramophone music is good, but it is apt to be overpowering.

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22nd May. Yesterday we went for the monthly. The water was calm and clear, and

there was a good tide nor were jelly fish or the prevalent sea-lice, so that it was a

grand bathe. A storm cooled & freshened the air for the walk back, & altother

it was a refreshing break from the monotony of internment.

The food situation improves daily thanks to the tardy recognition of the

local representative of the International Red Cross. The food, if not very appetising

is more nourishing than anything we have yet had. The greatest innovation

of the last few days is bread. At least it is bread in name and appearance, and

it is a great improvement on the evening kunji. I think it is made from maize

and tapioca flour, it is soggy and greasy but it is lighter in consistency than

the rice-maize cakes baked in the camp. We have also an improved quality of

dried fish; it stinks less and there is much more meat on it; we now have it three

times a week. Today also we have had fruit, two limes, a banana, a Chinese

orange, and a piece of papaya; almost the only fresh fruit we have had.

All this and the larger quantity of sardine that we now get are beginning to

make me feel that I am a man again & not just a pudding mass of wet

rice devoid of all energy.

Tonight there was a reading of an essay and four, short, one-act plays,

the prize winners in a recent literary competition. All were by a Padre Bennit

The plays were good, though of rather an unusual character that made them

difficult to put over. All built up on the expectancy of an event, but the

expected did not happen or was left hanging in the air at the end. The

readings were in the laundry; the scenery was confined to tables and chairs,

and the costume was nil, but we are used to that now.

28th May. Today we were allowed to write our third postcards. I wonder very much

if any of them will ever reach you, we have no proof that either of the others ever

arrived. I put spent a long time composing mine, so as to get as much as possible

into the small space available, but there are so many prohibitions as to what we

 

may or may not say that it is difficult to write an informative card.

The weather is desperately hot & the high walls make this place very airless.

Even though I sleep out I find the nights very sticky. The hospital mess gets the afternoon

sun on the end wall & is like an oven in the evening & at night. On the whole

we are very well off at Changi, there is almost always a breeze, but it is rather

exhausted just at present.

31st May I was very domesticated yesterday. First I finished my sardine-box almirah

then I finished sewing a new fly-sheet for my tent (made of bits of an old Indian Army tent),

& then I made myself a new pillow-case out of a piece of old tent material and a piece

of prison drill with two large broad-arrows on it. For the last I had the loan of a

sewing machine from the women's camp. And in addition I did the weekly dhobie,

including washing my very dirty mosquito net.

Today I have fixed the fly-sheet. I have abandoned guys as inefficient & have

long pegs with wore loops to which the rings on the tent hook directly; all very Healt

Robinson, but much more convenient for airing the ground, & incidentally the tent hang

much better. It remains to be seen whether the fly-sheet is waterproof.

14th June I seem to have slipped up with this diary, but life has been so eventless recently

that there seemed to nothing to record. Gater, two Health Officers & two S. Health Inspectors, who

were working in Singapore, were sent in a few days ago. Gater has been identifying

mosquitoes - a job that any junior inspector could do. For two years he was Major Gater of the

L.D.C. & gave Biology the go-bye. Then two days before the capitulation he discarded his

uniform & became an Entomologist again. Naturally he is not much loved by this L.D.C.

There has been a spate of rumours about repatriation; but as usual they have

no foundation & hopes are raised without any justification. I am getting very tired

of this miserable place, however busy one manages to keep one cannot help realising

the futility of existence sometimes. It would not be so bad if one felt any certain

ty that we should get out of here alive.

24th June I never thought that I would have two birthdays here, and at present it looks as

though I am likely to have a third here - what a prospect. As usual the air is buzzing with

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rumours of early repatriation. & as usual they are based on nothing but hope. The only 

cele-

bration for my birthday was a tin of bully beef for supper, it was tasty but even when cooked out

with sweet potatoe it did not go far. I wonder whether you celebrated it the day at all; I am

afraid you still may not know whether I am alive or not.

There has been little of interest recently except for events that are better not recorded. Our

carpentering has been hindered by a new order that we have to get permission from the Nips

before making anything even a small box - so we have had to close down until they do give

permission. As a consequence I have been taking Entomology more seriously; hunting

for fly breeding - the fly population is on the increase & with it dysentery - and going

mo-

squito hunting oftener and further afield. We had the same Sikh guard two days 

run-

ning & walked the poor fellow off his feet both days.

I am feeling fitter than for a long time, I suppose it is the result of the better food, and

I have put on weight again; I am now 11 st. 12 lbs., the heaviest I have ever been.

I wish it were muscle instead of rice fat. About six miles the other morning left me

very stiff the next day, however I walked it off again & felt all the better for it. There

are some people who never go outside the walls of the gaol - from choice - I think I should

go mad if I did that; I feel sufficiently caged as it is.

In the evening there was a variety concert, & it being my birthday I went to be

amused. As usual some of the topical items were good, but the Cons commedian & the

quartet made me writhe with boredom; the latter had a clarinet, I think it is, that

sounded like a donkey in pain,& not content with that had to jazz-up decent

song-tunes - horrible.

2nd July A full-length play tonight- 'The Wind and the Rain'. The play was staged

in the Laundry with the usual absence of either curtains or scenery, but it was a tremen-

dous success for all that. It is a comedy of medical student life in Edinburgh and

is very funny; and not a little spicey in parts. There was more costume than usual,

both male and female parts being appropriately dressed - the 'women' were surprisingly

effective, except when one of them appeared in a very outmoded evening frock

 

3rd July Tonight the women put on a Circus in the front yard, and a very fine

Circus it was too. Before the show started they had the 'bearded woman', 'siamese

twins', 'giantess'. orang ortang, & other circus features. The twins included a

performing seal who barked very realistically; trained elephants, one of whom needs

must come to a piece at the end & a professional strong-man lifting fabulous weights;

a horse that danced in a very disjointed manner; dances, both serious and comic;

and of course clown twins. The whole show was very well done & I think quite the

funniest show there has been in here. The front yard makes a surprisingly good

theatre. The 'ring' was an area in front of the entrance to the women's camp, and

the rest of the yard was the pit (not very well tiered it is true, but the piles of wood at the

back served the purpose). I had a seat in the front row of the dress circle - in this case

the lowest of the roofs & saw very well indeed. The kitchen roofs provided galery and

'gods'. All were packed. The 'boxes' (the flat roof of the office block) were occupied by

the Nip officials of the camp - they seemed to enjoy it, but must have missed much

even though there was little talking. The audience for once wore shirts & looked most

unusually well-dressed.

Now it is over, a Sumatra is blowing& it is pouring - but it obligingly held

off until the show was finished.

4th July For the last hour I have been trying to write with a noise like a dying

cow going to market in a tinker's van blaring from the radio. What we have

done to deserve such punishment I do not know. It must be presumed to be

Chinese 'music'.

News of even better food to come - 6 oz. of meat a day!

29th July I seemed to have neglected this diary, but there has been little to recount except the

ordinary daily happenings which it would be dull to write & would bore you to read. There

has been another play-reading - 'The Importance of Being Ernest' - but this diary was

beginning to look like a series of play critics, so I decided to leave it out. The meat

has materialised & we are ea feeding like fighting-cocks by contrast with our previous

semi-starvation. Fruit comes in regularly & we $5 a month to spend on eggs

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(23 cents each), gula malacca (85 cents a pound), and any of the other few luxuries that are

available from the shop. The Red Cross have given us more soap than I know what to do with 

- but it is dreadful stuff, locally made and with more filling than soap. Exchange

rumours are as rampant as ever & with as little foundation for them.

On the 26th the Nips. decided to see that we had none of us been away, & so

we spent most of a hot morning sitting in rows in the train yard. They went

round looking at us with lists of our names but they can't have been much the wiser.

James is in the hospital again, I am afraid it is serious & he realises it, there are

signs of further damage to his eyes (he already has a partial paralysis of one eye) and

his kidneys have been affected by his blood pressure also. I try to cheer him up, but

I am not very good at it, I never was much use at idle gossip & there is precious little to

talk about in here.

We had A.R.P. practices yesterday & a brown-out last night; the Nip. wireless

announced last night that it had no connexion with the Italian situation. The night

before they gave out that Signor Mussolini had retired owing to ill health. The brown

out is not to be continued tonight.

16th Aug Life drags slowly on with little change for better or for worse. The most potent 

contro-

versy in the camp just now is 'what happens to the meat that goes into the stew?' A lot is suppos

to go in, but it is difficult to see in the stew that it is issued. Of course the kitchen staff get blame

The other main topic is the water shortages. The water is only on for parts of the day and

the result is confusion; making the difficult task of washing clothes with ersaz soap even

more difficult & bathing a chaney affair. We are fortunate in the hospital mess because

we have our own shower & can use it whenever the water is on and are not restricted

to the brief hours that the laundry is open. Such are the little things that make the great

problems of our lives - what a petty existence.

At last, there looks as though there is to be a breathing space in the flood of jobs

with which I am awaited; the demand for hospital furniture seems to have abated for the

moment, & I have to consistently refused private jobs that I have none promised. I plan

 

now to make a jewel box for you. I may never get it away from here - but if not, neither

will this diary ever reach you - but at least I shall learn something in the making.

My carpentering is my greatest pleasure here, and I really am becoming quite pro-

ficient.

Another play! This time 'French without Tears'; a vastly entertaining farce, very

well acted. J.D. Hodgkinson was the leading lady & succeeded in vamping well enou

to convince an audience who for the most part have not spoken to any women for eighteen

months. It is strange how one never notices the harshness of a men's voice when the

part is well played, it is more noticable with the less succesful actors. The stage has

not yet been rebuilt & so the play was in the laundry again; though the place is so

open the packed crowd on a hot, airless evening made the atmosphere suffocating,

& I was thankful to get on a table at the back from which I had a good view & benefited

from any gentle winds that might be stirring.

22 Aug Bad news! Schweitzer has been told by Geneva that he may not spend any more

money on us after the end of this month. He has paid for almost all our purchases for the last few

months, buying almost all our food except rice, all the soap (sad as it is) that we have

had, a certain amount of clothing, & other necessities of existence. What we shall do

remains to be seen, our food stocks are almost exhausted and we have not enough cash

to buy food to last us a week, if necessary we shall have to live on rice & vegetable soup

& an occasional piece of dried fish. However, these crises occur from time to time & we

have weathered them so far, so we are not worrying much about this latest. Schweitzer

says that he believes repatriation ships will arrive soon to take away women, children & old

men, and with supplies for the rest of us; but we have been disappointed so often that

only such confirmed exchangists as Arthur have had their hopes raised by this news.

I have to give a lecture this week, on filariasis. I spent yesterday searching the

water hyacinth in ponds near here for mansoria larvae; with reasonable success. The

serious part of mosquito surveying takes up little time these days - the weather is dry

& many of the streams have been sub-soiled - so there is plenty of time other amusements

when they suggest themselves. Next week I have to start a course on malaria transmission

for Health & Medical Officers - the old brain is very [[?]] after so long a holiday.

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29th Aug Another week has dragged its futile self to an end. I have been more than

usually busy, if one can call filling in time being busy. I gave a lecture on Thursday night

on 'filariasis' to a medical audience. I took it as a good opportunity for putting into practice

Mr. Sidney's advice and instructions on public speaking, and took even more care over

its preparation than I should otherwise have done. I think it was quite a success because

the audience did appear to be interested, and it is an audience that has brought the art

of showing no interest to the peak of perfection. This week I start a series of lectures on

malarial entomology. I cannot work up much enthusiasm for my subject but I am glad

to have practice in lecturing because I think that if I could quite get over my nervous- ness I might be a tolerably good speaker. The standard of public speaking here is far from

high here; anyone who can claim special knowledge on any subject, and the place is

as full of experts as maggots in a carcase, is asked to speak. Consequently, once one

has had faults pointed out, there is no shortage of examples from whom to take warning.

A second major occupation during the week has been sharpening of hypodermic

needles. There has been a cholera scare in S'pore, & we have had to be innoculated against

it (fortunately the outbreak, if it ever occurred, has proved abortive). I have the job of sharpen -

ing the needles-no one else has the patience for it - and I must have sharpened about a

hundred in the last week. It is a boring job but people do seem to appreciate being

jabbed by a sharp needle instead of the usual thing that has a point like a marlin spike.

You will be tickled if I say I enjoy having plenty of time to fiddle, but it is fun to have

sufficient time to be able to play around with things until you get them just right - or

as nearly right as the inadequate materials will allow. I spent a couple of mornings

mounting my hand-lens in a spectacle frame, to save handling it every time I wanted

to examine a needle! The result is a great success, & even if it had not been the waste

of time would not have mattered.

The Nip. radio has anounced that 1,500 Americans are to be repatriated next

month, & that negotiations for the exchange of British nationals are progressing; so we

still hope. I asked, I still say that I expect we shall be exchanged but I doubt it.