Burma Railway Man: Secret Letters From a Japanese Pow Read online

  As with any large concentration of men, different opinions and personalities led to disharmony. Some were life’s skivers and justified their lack of effort as striking a blow against the Japanese war effort. This threw more of the burden on those men who were natural workers and who took the pragmatic view that they had no choice but to do as they were ordered so they might as well take some pride in their work. Colonel Toosey personified this latter attitude. Some accused him of colluding too closely with the Japanese, but others recognized that this, albeit reluctant, cooperation did prevent the worst excesses occurring at Tamarkan that were commonplace at other camps.

  Tamarkan Dec.’42

  My Dear,

  17th December. The Kempis (IJA police) search camp. Took my torch and … an egg. Obviously been reading last war secret agent stuff as they broke open soap etc. The bastards!

  Christmas is coming. The IJA have promised a day’s yasme on this date and are allowing us to buy extra food etc.

  Coffee vendors now infest our huts after dark with cries of ‘Hot an’sweet’ – (5 cents). We have recently contacted No.2 Camp at Chungkai with our working parties coming face to face with some Cambs (Cambridgeshire Rgt), when clearing the jungle a long way from the camp. They are not doing too well and many are dying.

  I was swimming today when a crocodile came down stream. I didn’t know it had arrived until it had passed!

  The Japanese allowed both prisoners and their own men to bathe in the river, despite the presence of crocodiles. Later, this welcome recreation was forbidden when there was an outbreak of cholera at a camp further upstream.

  Letter 57 Dec.’42

  My Dear,

  The question of escaping has been uppermost in our minds since February, but the difficulties are so great they appear insurmountable.

  The Japanese have very cleverly placed the most effective barriers in the world around us. No barbed wire but instead hundreds of miles of tropical jungle between us and freedom. Most of this is bamboo jungle and quite impenetrable. Even under good conditions, malaria, cholera and dysentery are rampant in Thailand. The Japanese idea seems to be to weaken us so much that we are too weak to even think about risking the dangers of attempting to get thro’ the jungle to Burma. Those who have attempted to escape – so far 4 ORs and 2 officers have been caught easily and shot here. Water in the jungle caused them to keep to the rivers. The Thais cannot be trusted and a white man in this country is as noticeable as a negro in North Cray. We’ve got to stick it out, dear. I am determined to come through alive. I am glad I married you because of the will power you have endowed me with. Nothing will ever be so bad as this is – nothing can be. The Japs are the lice of the body of civilisation. They must be exterminated. I sometimes wish that we had died fighting at Singapore. It would be better than this degradation and beatings up of a POW camp.

  Although Tamarkan did have a perimeter fence it was by no means a deterrent, for many prisoners habitually left the camp at night to trade with the local people. Like most of his fellow POWs, Charles could only dream of escape, for the surrounding jungle was a most effective deterrent. There were, however, some desperate souls who were willing to take on the overwhelming odds against a successful escape.

  The two officers consulted Colonel Toosey, Captain Pomeroy of the Indian Army and Lieutenant Howard, Royal Artillery, and he agreed to cover their absence from roll-calls for a couple of days. Along with four other ranks, the officers easily left the camp and divided into two parties. Out of necessity, they had to keep close to the river, which made detection almost inevitable.

  First, the four other ranks were captured after ten days and returned to Tamarkan. Despite Toosey’s pleading on their behalf, the quartet were driven off into the jungle and shot. A week later, the camp inmates were dismayed to see both Pomeroy and Howard brought back to be brutally interrogated by the kempietai before being sentenced to death. It was not until after the war that it was revealed that the two officers had been forced to dig their own graves and were then decapitated by sword. The new camp commandant, Lieutenant Takasaki, who had recently succeeded Kosakata, was tried and executed as a war criminal.

  Despite the shock of these executions, some attempt was made to celebrate Christmas. In some of the camps, like Kinsaiyok, great efforts were made to put on decent shows to the extent of producing programmes. Shows titled Frills and Follies, Follies de Noel and Revue de Monde were put on at the Scala Theatre, Kinsaiyok and featured the Scala Ladies and Gentlemen of the Chorus.

  Christmas ’42

  My Dear,

  A Merry Christmas to you!!

  We have put on as good a show as possible here.

  Last night there was carol singing under a lamp and a Church Service.

  This morning, the Officers brought round that luxury – sweet coffee – at Reveille. We had a good breakfast – good to us – and at lunch time the main meal, brought and served out to the men by the WOs and Sjts. Throughout the day there were sports, a concert, football and a lucky bran-tub. I went swimming in the morning and afterwards picked some limes, which were growing wild by the river. They are very pleasant in our milkless sugarless tea.

  Everyone was very jolly, a forced jollity, which was rather pathetic. Maybe, next year!! By the way, aeroplanes believed to be Allied Bombers were heard passing over the Camp in December.

  The construction of the railway had by now attracted the attention of the RAF and American Air Force and bombing by their own side became an additional hazard for the POWs to endure. In just under a year, Japanese supremacy in the air and at sea had been usurped, mainly by victories won by the United States at the Battles of Midway and Guadalcanal. The Japanese High Command recognized that she could no longer win the war but, by stubbornly defending her land conquests, she could avoid the humiliation of ‘unconditional surrender’. By refusing to retreat from remote conquered countries like Burma, the Japanese sought to keep their homeland ‘at arm’s length’ and secure from foreign invasion. This outer defensive ring meant an increase in the role of the Imperial Japanese Army.

  Thousands were inducted into the army and this led to a diluting of its professionalism. There was a decline in the calibre of its officers and many were given organizational duties which were quite beyond their capabilities, which adversely affected the helpless prisoners of war. Large numbers of semi-literate NCOs were commissioned as junior officers and many ended up in charge of prison camps, where their lack of managerial skills led to increased problems of food supply and increased ill treatment of prisoners. Standards plummeted as the bottom of the manpower barrel was scraped. Other ranks were filled with low-calibre recruits who included sociopaths, like alcoholics and the mentally disturbed, the majority of whom came from harsh impoverished backgrounds. A high proportion of these despised misfits found themselves guarding Allied prisoners of war, where they were, for the first time, in a position of authority and able to abuse their power over their helpless charges.

  * See photo 26.

  Chapter 7

  Bridge over the River Kwai

  Tamarkan January’43

  My Darling,

  A Happy New Year!! – and may we be reunited before the end of it!!

  I have great hopes sometimes – hope springs eternal, you know. Anyway, at this season let us look at the bright side and do our best to be happy in our circumstances.

  We spent most of New Year’s Day on the square in the full glare of the sun – an old Nip punishment because two men got drunk on sake (smuggled in) and molested a Korean, who fired his rifle in fright.

  Incidents and yet more incidents …

  A few notes on what can be bought with our hard-earned 40c.

  For most things, we rely upon the old Thai women vendors who carry baskets containing fruit, tobacco etc. near the working parties. When a sentry’s back is turned, we hastily deal with these old ladies, who reap a rich harvest owing to our lack of time to bargain. Bananas cost 10c a bunch. They are not the ban
anas you know but a very jungle variety – most growing wild. Eggs are all duck’s eggs – about the size of a European chicken egg and cost 5c. These are my chief purchases.

  The old ladies also sell a large variety of 5c and 10c ‘cakes’, officially banned by Col.Toosey as ‘Dysentery Cakes’.

  A kind of acrid sugar cake made from gula (palm tree sugar) is also bought in large quantities.

  In camp, when it is functioning, the Canteen sells soap (10c upwards), brown sugar (fairly reasonable) and raw peanuts, which are essential to eat because of the B1 content in the skin. We already have many beri-beri cases – an unpleasant disease, indeed. Tobacco is sold in small boxes and is known as Thai Weed. Most of the merchandise is Chinese.

  Not a very interesting selection but how welcome as an addition to our meals! I usually eat rice, peanuts and sugar after each meal – till the money runs out and we plonk back on marrow water. Nevertheless, one hears about much worse conditions further up country – Kynscok (sic) (Kinsaiyok) (No.6) Camp for instance where the POWs are living on the water in which the Japs have boiled their dried fish.

  The Japanese, after months of denying their captives any form of communication with their families relented for once. Some lucky prisoners did receive old correspondence that miraculously found its way into the Thai jungle. Sadly for Charles, he was not among the lucky ones. Instead, he was allowed to send an impersonal pre-printed card, which does not appear to have reached Louise. Despite the privations and suffering endured by Charles, he still found regret within himself about his elusive commission.

  We are allowed to send a second postcard home – this time a proforma effort worded in Queen’s English. I do hope you get it. I feel terribly guilty about the dreadful worry which I must be causing you. I also feel terribly upset that my chances of a Commission in this war have now gone.

  I have learnt recently that if I had remained in the 499 Bty, I should undoubtably have been sent home on the official escape party. As it was, I was in the 366, who sent no one owing to the heavy casualties suffered and consequent lack of men. Never mind, never mind …

  With the railway project swallowing up manpower through overwork, sickness and malnutrition, the Japanese injected into the workforce captured Dutch from the Netherlands East Indies. About 1,000 of these came under Toosey’s command at Tamarkan.

  Tamarkan January’43

  My Dear,

  We have recently built five new huts. These are for the Dutch troops who are being transported from Java and Sumatra.

  The Dutch have now arrived – and a peculiar assortment they are too. They all have their Eurasians with them. The result is that the whole lot look like coloured troops. Many are very elderly and men who were in the equivalent of the Home Guard. Again, the fact that a lot of the Dutch army was composed of native troops means that now they are separate, there is a preponderance of WOs and Sjts. We have a whole hut of various varieties of WOs (WO1, WO11’s, Ensign officers and Adjutants).

  They are very pleasant and range from 15 to 69 years in age. Their families are in concentration camps in Java or, in some cases, in Holland. They have lost their homeland and colonies.

  Whatever happens we, at least, can be certain that our loved ones will not fall into enemy hands and who cares what happens so long as nothing ever happens to you?

  The work on the surrounding line and the temporary wooden bridge was completed, which enabled equipment and supplies to reach Tamarkan for the major project. This was the construction of the concrete and steel bridge, which was sited a few hundred yards upstream from the wooden structure.

  The design of the bridge bore no resemblance to that depicted in the film. Furthermore, it did not span the River Kwai (Kwaenoi) but the River Mae Khlaung, some two miles from its junction with the Kwai.

  Ten concrete piers were to support eleven 20-metre steel spans, which gave length of 238 metres. To allow for high water during the monsoon season, a further nineteen 5-metre wooden trusses were constructed on the northern bank, which was prone to flooding. The steel trusses were plundered from Dutch railway stores in Java and arrived at Tamarkan along with an ancient excavator and other heavy equipment. The Japanese were entirely ill equipped to undertake this hugely demanding engineering project. Lack of rails necessitated the ripping up of over 300 miles of track in Malaya, as well, as the confiscation of a third of that country’s locomotives and half of its wagons. This grave shortage in Malaya led to a knock-on effect as rolling stock was replaced by material transferred from Java.

  Lacking modern machinery, the construction of the piers was a serious engineering problem. Firstly a circular cofferdam was built where each pier was to be sited and filled with earth until the water had been forced out. Then a large concrete ring, which had been cast on site, was lifted into the coffer dam and the earth removed from its centre. The weight of the concrete ring helped it to sink and, with each additional ring, it finally settled on the riverbed, which, below a couple of metres of silt, was slate.

  This was a delicate and difficult operation even with sophisticated equipment. Instead, the POWs had to perform virtually every operation by hand, an arduous and dangerous occupation even for the well-fed and physically robust, let alone weak and semi-starved men. With thousands of half naked emaciated prisoners climbing the flimsy bamboo scaffolding and ramps and carrying away baskets of mud and earth, the scene resembled something out of a Hollywood biblical epic.

  Tamarkan January’42

  My Dearest,

  The concrete pillars are now sunk in the bed of the river. Gangs are working in three shifts – two gangs to a pillar, with a Nip officer or WO in charge of each. I have one of these gangs and am, comparatively speaking, quite happy at the job.

  The work is hard but as it isn’t general labouring but rather something at which a man can take an interest, the men prefer it. My gang, ten gunners and PO Sjts are engaged in working the excavator. The pillar is sinking below us the whole time. Sometimes one can feel it move!! Practically all the tools are British or USA – the Nips have simply nothing of their own.

  The sun is our worst enemy: it really is terrible.

  Charles wrote another wistful letter on the 18 January, the only one he specifically dated.

  My Dear

  Two years ago we were married today.

  A year ago, I slept in long grass in a rubber plantation in Johore and got bitten to pieces in the absence of a mosquito net. I remember thinking of the difference to the twelve months previously, because, after all, a man’s wedding day is a really great landmark in his life. In place of the snow covered houses and church at North Cray were the raised houses of the Malays, instead of the white fields and woods were the mysterious greens of the jungle and the orderly lines of rubber trees. In place of that deathly silence of a snow covered world, there came to my ears the million chirpings and cries of Johore: and the brilliant sun and blue skies of Malaya were quite different from the kindly grey skies of Kent.

  And now, this year, I am in Thailand, hoping against hope that next year I shall be back with you. Nothing will ever matter again if only I can see you again and hold you in my arms. My dreams are, quite truthfully, of you. I wake sometimes with the illusion that you are with me. I love you very much indeed, Louise.

  The Japanese had turned a blind eye to the trading that went on between the prisoners and the locals, which was the only way that the inadequate diet could be supplemented. Then, on a whim, it was decided to forbid all contact with local Thais. This resulted in the prisoners risking punishment by smuggling in the badly needed eggs.

  My Darling,

  I was involved in a man’s beating up today, which rather annoyed me. The Canteen is being so messed about, that the regular supplies of eggs are non-existent. This is about the only thing we can feed the really sick on, so we were asked to smuggle eggs into the camp for hospital purposes.

  Unfortunately, we have recently been forbidden to speak to Thais. The Japs got wind that eggs w
ere coming in so searched all working parties. The officer I was with had his glasses smashed, but I got mine off in time!!

  Our turn will come ….

  The river was the artery that fed this incredible project. There was a constant traffic of Thai river craft putt-putting their way up and down the stream and stopping off to trade with, the Japanese and the prisoners. One of the biggest contractors was Boon Pong, who established contact with Colonel Toosey and between them they managed to smuggle much needed drugs and food into the camps. Boon Pong took a great risk in helping the POWs and even extended credit to his impoverished customers. His bravery was recognized after the war with the award of the George Medal by the British and the Order of Orange-Nassau by the Dutch. In a more practical way after Boon Pong fell on hard times, £40,000 was raised by an appeal by the 18th Division Association.

  Letter 67 Tamarkan February’43

  Happy Birthday, Darling!!

  My Dear,

  The rail-laying party, which started from Nongpladuc Camp near Bangpong, has reached here and the lines are now past the Camp and over the wooden bridge. Trains of diesel lorries and special wagons are already going up, while many carry Nip troops on their way to their deaths (we hope) in Burma. We are still engaged on the big steel and concrete bridge, which will take the place of the wooden bridge ….

  I wonder if people at home realise that the adage that in the tropics Europeans should rest during the burning afternoon hours is now being refuted?

  We have now worked regularly all day, almost everyday for a year. We are almost as black as niggers. Many haven’t even got hats, let alone shirts. An increasing number now go barefoot, and this on stony ground, where a favourite Nip punishment is to make an offender kneel or lie down to produce burns on his back or knees. I wonder if we shall ever be civilised again?