Diaries of Signalman W H L Woodgate spanning November 1941 to October 1945 - Part 14

WX11845	2/27 Ordnance S.K ELLIMAN 9 LEOPOLD ROAD NEDLANDS. WA *[f3405]*	VX62473	F.E. FITTON
WX11700	AE WADDELL C/o MRS COWDEN. GRAY EAST ALBANY WA	VX64246	S.SOFFER NO 3 CAMP WINDSOR
VX64419	N. HUNTER 3 CLARADON ST COBURG WEST	NX72963	J.A. COOPER
VX60866	J. PHILLIP	VX61665	M. SMITH
VX55538	S.G SKINNER	VX62242	T. KIRKPATRICK
VX64667	G. RUMBLE	VX45103	A.R SMITH
VX57535	G.W. SMART K.I.A.	VX39859	JW BOYD
VX64440	S.W. WARD	VX62071	E. DANNOCK 139 WILLSMERE RD N.TH KEW

 

17	VX64659	L. OTTER 92 BOUNDRY RD NTH MELBNE	25	VX60406	JACK LOWRY 24 BUCKLEY ST MOREWELL
18	VX43230	VIC NELSON C/O NEALES PRVTE BAG COLAC	26	VX	J. CHESTER 60 PINNOCK ST BAIRNSDALE
19	VX62551	CE SIMONSON 24 COLLEDGE ST HAWTHORN	27	VX65242	D. YOUNG
20	VX61585	MURRAY (McCORMACK 56 GRANGE RD ALPHINGTON	28	VX64581	L.G. MORGAN 1 ATHOL ST MOONEE PONDS
21	VX	WG PERRY 150 CUBITT ST RICHMOND	29	VX	W.C. NOBELIUS 120 VICTORIA ST WARRAGUL
22	VX62247	R. PONTIN 17 SEBASTOPOL ST EAST ST KILDA	30	VX63889	JR. ARCHER No 2 LUXTON RD HAWKSBURN
23	VX	WALLY H KENNY	31	VX	Fr L. SALTER 86 McPHERSON ST ESSENDON
24	VX65378	AG BRASHER 20 CORONATION ST BRIGHTON	32	VX	W. MOIR

 

2/22	ORDNANCE
1	VX66318	NOEL. L. ROBERTSON. SGT 260 BARKER ST CASTLEMAINE	9	VX64419	N. HUNTER 3 CLARENDON ST COBURG WEST
2	VX47892	JACK. S. FLETCHER GOLF LINKS ROAD "AVALON" FRANKSTON	10	VX	FRANK McKENZIE "GREAT WESTERN HOTEL      DIED C/R KING & LIT BOURKE ST MELBNE
3	VX58088	W.E. (OLD BILL) BROWN "KENT FARM" YOULES ROAD MORNINGTON	11	VX61613	J. LADD BOX 260 C/O SR & WSG REDCLIFFES
4	VX65080	T.H. WEDLOCK (ARMY ELY) 5 HEMMING ST DANDENONG	12	VX60640	WP (CURLY) ROBERTS 23 WALKER ST NORTHCOTE
5	VX64633	R.L. "BOB" MERRITT 2 NARONG ROAD CAULFIELD	13	VX61791	JACK OMEARA WATCHEM P.O. VIC
6	VX65376	R. VEYSEY YINNAR HOTEL YINNAR	14	VX59586	P.W SAUNDERS 28 ALMA ST WEST FOOTSCRAY
7	vx65365	S. SYD COOK "DONALD" HEDGESST FAIRLIELD N.S.W.	15	VX	MAT SMITH 12 PENTLAND ST NTH WILLIAMSTOWN
8	VX37741	TJ (COOKY) WATTS 24 CHARLES ST ASCOT VALE	16	NX59195	BRUCE KEYTE 18 RLY ST LIDCOMBE       DIED

 

ADDRESSES OF THE MOVEMENT OF

28/44

WHO SAILED XM MELBNE DARWIN PORT MORESBY

SINGAPORE ALSO A.W.L PERTH

8^TH/ SIGS

* [RC00979 PR00606] *

1	VX63580	R. ARMSTRONG C/O MRS R.L. COLLINS WATSONIA	H/W	23	VX	G.R. PETERSON 229 HIGH ST ST KILDA	A/W
2	VX62872	E. FOX 43 VICTORIA ST EAST BRUNSWICK	A/W	24	VX	TOM EVANS BLOCK 21 RED CLIFFS
3	VX63258	J SMILEY C/O BOHASIA   RING MR BARRY BOX 247B MELBNE		25	VX	CHARLIE KERSLAKE C/O CURTAINS HOTEL FITZROY	A/W
4	VX62983	PAT LAKEY (WHEATLEY) SHELBOURNE P.O.	H/W	26	VX	SYME HARRIS 8 LANGRIDGE ST MIDDLE PARK
5	VX63219	FRANK (TINY) MATHER 4 HOYT ST HAMPTON	H/W	27	VX50215	COLLIN MACKENZIE ELLERSLIE VIA TERANG	A/W/M
6	VX63113	RAY GILMOUR 14 ATHELSTANE GROVE IVANH	H/W	28	VX63817	LEO WOODGATE RUTHERGLEN VIC	A/W

ALL HERE & ACCTD FOR EXCEPT 13 AND

THERE IS A STRONG SUSPICION THAT

PETER MADE IT OUT.

25 WAS BOARDED HOME A FEW WEEKS AFTER

ARRIVAL.

VX63817

SIG HWL WOODGATE

3 ^COY  8^TH DIV SIGS

[[?]]

HIGH ST

RUTHERGLEN

31 Orang Grove Road, Singapore, 30 January 1946. 1

Dear Leo, Some of my friends are leaving for Australia tomorrow

and so I want to send you some news. How are

you and the family and the bees? I'am longing to get a word

from you. Things do not yet look bright for us. After you

left Changi I went to Tohore in dock and then started working

at the Dutch Rapour office in October. My wife and 2 children

were flown over from Java and we were billeted in this

house. Now we are stand-by for the first ship leaving to

the U.K. Our health is not yet a 100^% . The M.O. gave is at least

12 months Europe leave. I am bitterly ashamed of it, but

we start all over having our old camp complaints. This is

mainly due to the rations, only canned stuff. Though we get

some pay we can hardly afford to buy extra food. Everything is

extremely dear. Do not be cross with me that I did not write

before. When I started working for the Rapour I have been

busy night and day and could hardly find time for my

own family, due to the extreme urgency of the job in helping

out people from Java. Thank goodness fresh people from Holland

arrived here and took over the work from us ere POW's. We all

broke down. Just before Christmas it was my turn to get

a flu and I cannot pick-up properly. My wife has

heart collapses and is far from strong yet. And so it

2

is that only now I am writing to you. If life had

been normal you'd sooner have heard from me. We

have lost everything and I do not see a chance of getting

any compensation payments. We are very fortunate though

of being all together again, and we'll see what the future

shall bring. To get better as soon as possible we are going

to the farm of my parents-in-law. My address over there

will be c/o T. Muir, MORHAMBANK, HADDINGTON, EAST

LOTHIAN, SCOTLAND. We'll get plenty of grub and a

healthy life over there and when I mentioned to them

that we'll come there quite destitute, that I hoped to pay

back in future, they just blew up about the last. Later

on I hope to visit my mother in Holland and then we'll

see how things stand and if there'll be a job for me in

my old company in the East. For the present I think I'll

try to work for my expenses, farming in Scotland. I'm

very keen to meet the big beekeepers over there and learn

something. There is a chance that we can take over a small

farm of my sister-in-law. But still I am longing back

to the East. We hope that things will settle soon in java.

The attitude of the Australian Unions has changed now

and we hope to get our relief stores there soon. Nobody

can imagine what the women and children went

through after the end of the war. Instead of being

3

freed, they were treated worse than under the Japs.

and many have perished or were murdered and

slaughtered. Do not think that I am exagerting. Later

on full details will be published and people will be

shocked. We cannot put the blame on the Poms entirely.

It is no use crying about spilt milk but things were

handled very badly. Proof of it is that in the first

week after the Japs capitulated that thousands of

the Indonesians came with food to the camps and 

wanted to work for the women, but when the extremist

propaganda started, they were forbidden to do

anything anymore. We are both certain that when

the situation quiets down, we could go back to our

old home and about the whole village would come

out to welcome us. During the Jap occupation

our servants took great risks to help my wife, without

her being able to pay a penny for it. Whenever I get

a chance to go back there I'll reciprocate their help.

In Singapore the situation at present is like Java

in some ways. I'll never forget what the chinks did

for us POW's. But now there are 200 000 on strike

and though the majority does not want to lay down

work, they are forced to do it by the Union-ship.

4

I promised to bring home our house boy because

he was threatened to get a beating up on the way

home because he had worked for us. Tanks were

breaking up demonstrations in town this afternoon

and last night 2 blokes were shot at in our street.

Any how the rumour goes tonight the strike is broke

tomorrow. Living conditions are pretty bad here

and food shortage is accute for the population.

Apart from the fact that there are a 100 000 t.b. cases

in Singapore there is an outbreak of infantile

paralysis. So you can understand how we long

to be away here. A cheering sight is to us to see

the Japs cleaning drains and such jobs, but they

are treated far too leniently. They got better rations

than the evacuees, because it was said they did

heavy work. Most of them have been shipped off to

Rembang a jungle island near Singapore where

they have to build their own billets and grow

their own food. They expect to repatriate them after

a year if shipping is available. The war-criminals

are now in Changi goal. And you still see some

of the bastards driving round in cars, though they

salute every bloody private. I just get sick of

the sight. Most Australians have gone now

5

but it was a heartening sight to see 4 6-feet

Aussies marching a lot of the bastards with

their short legs, half running and out of breath

through the town. Really the Poms are to soft

with them. Every-day you see how things are

improving here; Shops opened and life

returning to normal. But we still feel very

much evacuee's. There are still about 15000

dutch people here. For instance my cousin

whom you met, lives in the Punjabi rest camp

At the soon with his wife and children. They

are also due to go to Holland but are stranded

here for over 2 months because of shipping

shortage. Today 200 evacuees arrived from

Sumatra, all hospital patients. You would

not believe your eyes when you saw their

swollen legs and haves of beri-beri. It really

is a shame that these people are still in such

a condition almost half a year after the end

of the war. As to clothes, we got very little. We

made suits for the children and my wife, out 

of blankets, towels and bed-sheets for our

journey to Europe. Things can be bought alright