Diary pages from this date

Five years ago today we declared war on Germany, what a turmoil and change has taken place in that time. The Germans are gradually getting back to their own lands again from whence they started. Our movements in France are amazing, we are all great map studiers and follow the moves forward with great keenness. Actually the Chinese and Japanese papers give us more up to date news than the English rag which is now only one page and double in price.

Everything is so high in price that our small pittance of sen allowance viz. 12.50 Yen goes no distance at all. We received this allowance on Saturday. Another high Hong Kong and Singapore Bank Official has gone west, Edmonstone who has died in prison of cardiac beri beri, he was sentenced to 15 years along with Andy and the others last year. It is a sad state of affairs in the Japanese record that they had no doctor to attend to him nor would they allow any of the large number of doctors in camp to go into prison and assist him until it was too late.

We hear now that the other bankers etc. who have been in prison for months have now been sentenced, but no indication of the length of the sentences has been given. The men are Selwyn Clarke, Camidge, Cruickshanks, Foy and Leiper. Mrs Flaherty who is in prison has not yet been sentenced.

We had tongue for chow on Saturday evening, the Japs sending in frozen Ox tongue from D. Form Cold Storage and Boy Oh Boy it was great. It was undoubtedly the best meal we have yet had. A few more meals of that type and everyone would benefit greatly.

Today the European war completes its fifth year and embarks on its sixth! I do not think it will last for much of the sixth year. A number of the more optimistic people in camp have lost bets on this date, as they had wagered the European War would be over by Sept 3rd. Well, there may be something in my date of 17th Oct. 

On Friday last we had another most pleasant surprise: the Japanese Authorities sent us in ox-tongue! So since the electricity has been off we have had pheasant twice, then grouse and now tongue. It arrived frozen in blocks. I am told it will take 3 months for the inner chambers of the cold storage depot to thaw out so we continue to live in hope! This time there was enough tongue for about 3 ½ ozs each. That was supposed to last three days, but having no refrigeration of our own we had to eat it at once – not that we minded! It was boiled and allowed to cool and then cut in slices. Each person received quite a decent slice. Then cooks made a delicious vegetable stew with sweet potato, taro and onions cooked in meat liquor with rice flour thickening. It really was a delicious meal. If we get a few more like that we shall soon be putting on weight.

Yvonne stayed in bed today with a slight feverish cold, it may have been from a touch of flu, but she is better now and will be up tomorrow. That reminds me that on Jan 16th this year I went to hospital for four days. I caught a heavy chill and had in addition an upset tummy. By the evening I had a pretty high temperature and Y sustained quite a shock when she borrowed a thermometer and found I had sent the mercury up to 105’. Dr Smalley came and packed me off to the hospital. They thought it might be malaria and took a blood smear and dosed me with quinine. The blood test proved negative so then I was dosed with castor oil, followed next morning with salts and then I was put on a course of strepticide. Their second guess was dysentery but in the end they put it down as enteritis, a mild form of dysentery. I still think it was a heavy chill on top of an upset stomach. The strepticide kept me awake for the whole of the third night. I did not sleep a wink. I thought of everything under the sun and got so bored that at 4 a.m. I just sat up in bed and smoked a cigarette! The following night I was given a sleeping draught and slept like a log.

I quite enjoyed my brief stay in hospital, especially as I was given half a pint of milk each day. Y used to visit me in the afternoons, bringing a thermos of tea and we had tea with milk in it! When repatriation was first mooted, the hospital called for volunteers amongst the men to train as male nurses for the men’s wards, as the QA’s and the Naval nurses were on the repatriation list. Some of the bankers, who had recently come into camp, volunteered and Mike Holmden, Alec Kennedy, King and a man named Evans (who had come out from England and driven a truck on the Burma Road) used to sweep the ward, wash the bedridden patients and make our beds. They have kept on with the work ever since.

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER

Sandbach / Myhill / Betty Twydale

Hot night, cramp and left chest pain, poor sleep.

Overcast, cooler, rain.

5th anniversary of outbreak of European War. We have the assured satisfaction of knowing there will not be a 6th. 

Oil 4oz. Sugar 1.6oz & Curry Pwdr 1oz issued. Mrs Brown gave me hers.[This written above the curry powder] ((MW Brown?))

Aberville captured. Lodz & Cracow too? Germany collapsed yesterday? North, the chap here who makes up a series of very useful notes from the Chinese & Japanese papers, thinks that the European war will be over within 10 days.

With Steve pm.

Hungry.

Lorry arrived with a good load of veg. at 9.30pm.