Escape to Pagan (18 page)

“My mother wanted to bypass what looked like a village ahead, but the thought of finding pure clean water made me beg her to seek out a well. Cautiously approaching through the scrub, to our surprise we came across large Godowns (warehouses) and a row of bungalows. We later found out this small town was called Yu. It was a hive of activity: looting! Burmese villagers, mostly women and children, were looting the warehouses near the river. My mother greeted them politely in rural Burmese but apart from some quick looks in our direction they did not trouble us. Our priority was to find a well, which we soon located behind the row of small brick bungalows. It was so nice to drink clean fresh water again. As usual all the bungalows had been picked bare, all doors and windows had been taken away. We entered one of the bungalows and watched as many loaded bullock carts left Yu while empty bullock carts were arriving. My mother called out in Burmese to an old woman walking behind a bullock cart. ‘What is happening, wise grandmother?'

“'The Chinese merchants have run away,' the old woman answered, ‘they set fire to the buildings – we put the fires out. We are now helping ourselves.' After a quick rest we began looking behind the dwellings that once belonged to the Chinese workers. Inside each of these bungalows we found a traditional mud and brick fireplace. A heavy smell of Chinese incense and aniseed hung in the air. Every back garden contained neat lines of vegetables. My mother insisted we thoroughly wash these vegetables as they would be infected with human liver fluke eggs. Most Chinese of that time were infected with liver flukes because they used human manure. The Chinese are a clean race, but their habit of eating partially cooked vegetables put them at risk of infection. My mother picked one of the better small bungalows and we settled in, we were so tired. The Burmese villagers were far too busy helping themselves from the Chinese Godowns to worry about us.

“After resting I went poking around and found the best find of all, an old pram. For some reason the pram was full of earth. I quickly cleaned it out, hoping there was nothing nasty buried in it. This wonderful find could carry you and our few possessions. The pram was old, deep and had hard tyres that squeaked. Your grandmother was delighted and put cooking oil on the wheels to stop them squeaking, then headed towards the warehouses. I stayed behind and looked after you.

“After a while I became concerned at my mother's long absence, we could not survive without her! My mother soon reappeared, red-faced and sweating. The pram was full to the brim with small bags of rice that had red Chinese characters written on them.

“'I am going back' said my mother ‘we have to get all we can – there is so much left – we will have to hide everything.'

“'I want to come – I am afraid waiting here,' I told my mother. We all set off to join the other freeloaders; I felt so guilty that we were stealing. On reaching the warehouses I saw Burmese of all ages enjoying this family day out of looting from an old enemy.”

It was here where one of my first distant memories kicks in. There was a large pile of white sugar in the open. I joined all the other young Burmese children trying to run up this pile of shifting sweetness. We naked children stopped occasionally to bend down and lick the sugar.

“Tins of Lyle's golden syrup were scattered everywhere. The picture of the dead lion surrounded by bees always fascinated you: ‘Out of the strong came forth sweetness' was the legend around the picture. I always had to convince you that the dead lion was surrounded by bees and not flies. That picture, which looks exactly the same today, and the picture on the gripe water bottle depicting a baby holding a snake were your only storybooks. This syrup is one of the secret weapons of Chinese cookery even now. For some reason the Burmese looters were ignoring this product as a food stuff or sweetener; they all preferred the
many sacks of jaggery (lumps of brown sugar) stored in the warehouses. They had found another practical use for Golden Syrup; it was great for lubricating the wheels on their bullock carts, as grease was in short supply. We took at least half a dozen tins. My mother could not resist loading up another three small sacks of good quality rice.

“On several occasions some of the women looters asked my mother what some of the labels said in English, or why she was taking them. She pretended not to know saying only that she liked the colourful labels.

“Free running salt was a valuable commodity in rural Burma at that time and my mother took several small bags. Salt usually came in big lumps or blocks and you had to break it with mortar and pestle. We also took a big tin of cooking oil and several small bags of dried shrimp. Dried shrimp can be used in many ways, is a good sauce of protein and lasts for months. Balachaung (a relish) and henjo (vegetable stew) were a favourite of the Japanese front line troops. The Japanese army issued dried shrimp and dried eels (I did not like dried eels – they were slimy) as hard rations, together with a 24lb bag of rice which they had to carry themselves.”

Before the invasion of Burma, Japanese agents made a precise study of wild food in the country with the help of Burmese villagers as their soldiers were expected to live off the land.

“We hid most of our loot in a large empty warehouse nearby under piles of empty gunny sacks and only kept enough food for our daily needs. We did not wish to be caught stealing especially by the Japanese who had written in their leaflets that looting was forbidden. When I think about it we were in such a dangerous position staying there.

“Though exhausted, Mother cooked a large evening meal. The only baby food left was a tin of powdered milk and gripe water. Most of the other baby food was left behind at the train station. My mother and I had to resort to the Burmese way of feeding you; chewing the food before giving it to you. You got used to this type of feeding and would
stand in line waiting to be fed when other mothers were feeding their own children. The Burmese thought this most amusing and used to feed you.

“Even though we now had food and a roof over our heads we could hardly consider ourselves safe even in the loosest terms. We were constantly looking over shoulders. The following day all the warehouses were deserted as people had gone back to their villages. We began to feel uneasy so kept a low profile talking in whispers. We expected the Japanese or the Chinese soldiers to arrive at any moment. Even without these physical dangers, any deserted town will always have its own ghosts. The bungalow only offered protection from the elements.

“As night approached my mother and I slept uneasily; we always felt vulnerable. We decided if we had to leave quickly, we would escape into the thick surrounding scrub jungle behind the bungalows with just our basic possessions.”

CHAPTER 10

Sham Shui Po POW Camp

HONG KONG

By Christmas day isolated groups of soldiers, including Tam and Willie, were still holding out or hiding in the more remote parts of the island. Hong Kong was unusually quiet. Normally all the church bells would be ringing and the sound of Christmas carols would be drifting on the pleasant South China Sea breeze. Now the sounds of breaking glass replaced the sound of carols as bottles of alcohol were being smashed; this was the Lotus eaters' last gesture of defiance, mourning the lost halcyon days. Alcohol was the second most common spirit on the island after petrol.

The sounds of smashing bottles was often punctuated by the drunken singing of Cockney voices from the Middlesex Regiment or the just as distinctive Glaswegian or Edinburgh accents of the Royal Scots. Champagne bottles were being rolled down slopes in the streets and exploded like grenades when the gas inside the bottle expanded. The smell of gin and whisky and cordite dominated. Not all parts of Hong Kong had been touched by the fighting. Even before the fighting had ended several of the bars were still open, their Chinese owners long departed; free drinks were now being served by soldiers who were drunk themselves.

Some of the long term British inhabitants of the island were surprised to notice that many Japanese professionals who where once resident came back in uniform as officers and grinned happily at their former clients.

It may be appropriate to mention at this time, that many of the Indian defenders who fought bravely throughout the Hong Kong, Malayan, Singapore and Burma retreats, after capture were given the opportunity to join the Japanese cause. The alternative was to be used for live bayonet practice. Many did join the Japanese and were shipped to Singapore and Burma. Others refused to betray their salt and paid the price with a painful and traumatic death.

British prisoners, including many Royal Scots who were out collecting Japanese dead, observed a line of Sikh prisoners, hands tied behind their backs, enter a depression behind St Stevens College where they were about to be used for live bayonet practice. Japanese soldiers with fixed bayonets stood in front of each prisoner. An order was shouted and each Japanese soldier slashed at the prisoners' thighs to cause them to fall over. The British prisoners watched horrified as a deadly game of cat and mouse began as the bound prisoner by instinct desperately tried to protect his vital organs from the bayonet thrusts. This atrocity haunted them for the rest of their lives.

On the mainland, Sham Shui Po Prisoner of War Camp awaited the British troops. This camp was a POW Camp in name only. The barbed wire fences would be erected by the prisoners later. Amazingly, it seems that the Japanese found supplies of barbed wire stored on the mainland; barbed wire that was once desperately needed by the defenders of the Gin Drinkers' Line.

By now Sergeant Devereux was in Sham Shui Po POW Camp although he was not aware of his precise movements due to long periods of unconsciousness. There were only a few iron beds in the medical area of the camp; the Sergeant was lucky to be on one of these. Most of the badly wounded were placed on the concrete floor. Food in the camp was adequate for the first few days. Some prisoners had time to collect tinned food before entering camp. There were also still many
warehouses in Kowloon, albeit damaged; the more able prisoners helped themselves while the guards were still celebrating their victory. At the beginning the Medical Staff were not overwhelmed by the number of wounded patients. This would soon change.

Back on the island hundreds of disarmed Allied and British soldiers were being marched into captivity back to the mainland. Many prisoners had not eaten or slept for days and were physically spent. Friends helped each other and the wounded. Many prisoners still had their hands tied with telegraph wire; those who fell on the march were quickly bayoneted by the guards. Their screams spurred the other exhausted prisoners onwards.

“I am almost sure that Jack was in the POW camp on the mainland after his capture. The wounded were being treated by military doctors and orderlies who were mostly volunteers. The wounded here were lucky; small amounts of drugs were still available. However there was no cat-gut to stitch Jack's wounds and so cotton thread was used again instead. Many of these men with stomach wounds died as complicated operations could not be carried out. The poor men who had been bayoneted in the stomachs soon had another serious problem: ants. Tiny ants were crawling under the soldiers' bandages and biting them.”

I wonder if these tiny ants were “Pharaohs Ants” brought to Hong Kong from the holy land by the Royal Scots. These miniature carnivorous ants caused problems in UK hospitals during the 1970s. Now overcrowded, Sham Shui Po camp was rife with disease; diphtheria and dysentery began spreading throughout the prisoners. Within days strong healthy men looked like walking corpses. Some prisoners quickly gave up hope when they found out that the Japanese Navy now ruled the Pacific. Perhaps they had heard of the sinking of the
Prince of Wales
and the
Repulse
, and the attack on Pearl Harbour.
Without hope of immediate rescue by the navy, the mind and the body of the weaker men withered.

There was also the cultural shock of being under the complete control of a brutal Asiatic Army they could not identify with. Many died. Others waited in vain for rescue by the American equipped Army of Chiang Kai-shek or the communists' army.

That night Tam and Willie (still in Hong Kong) decided to escape, and made their way to the harbour leaving their weapons behind. Tam, the non swimmer, had second thoughts about entering the water in the dark. Both men were so drunk they could barely walk. An argument ensued and they came to blows just as a Japanese patrol spotted them. After having their faces slapped, they were ordered to continue fighting each other, which they did willingly to the delight of the Japanese soldiers. Japanese soldiers found inebriation amusing. They were then given lessons on how to bow to their captors correctly and had their faces slapped again for good measure. The two friends ended up in Sham Shui Po POW camp and soon found themselves looking after soldiers who had suffered minor wounds caused by the small Japanese fragmentation grenades. By the time they met up with Sergeant Devereux he was able to walk around the barracks. Food was now becoming scarce. Tam and Willie were able to join the burial parties that left the camp under guard. The Japanese cremated their dead first with much ceremony. These outings for the fit prisoners were a chance to steal food and other useful items. As the perimeter fence was not completed around the camp, many prisoners began to sneak out and visit their Chinese girlfriends who lived nearby in Kowloon.

“To Jack's surprise, the Jap Sergeant who had first captured him occasionally came into the camp and would inspect his wounds, showing great surprise that he was still alive. At the end of each visit he received a packet of Players cigarettes. With much sign language and a few words of English, the Japanese Sergeant gave his name as Yoshida
and conveyed that his Regiment was being posted to Australia, which had already fallen.

“Jack told me that he dreaded the re-dressing of his wounds because it was extremely painful, especially the removal of the old dressings that had been pushed deep into his head and neck. Although he was hungry, the act of chewing was agony; he constantly heard and felt the torn muscles and sinews in his head making strange noises. After eating he could taste blood in his mouth. The entrance wound of the bullet in his temple had almost healed but the exit wound was still weeping.”

By August 1942 nearly 200 prisoners had died of disease or of their wounds; others had just given up the struggle when no salvation was in sight. Then came another shock; over 600 prisoners were to be shipped to Japan. These men were handpicked by the Japanese and classed as “trouble makers.” The
Shi Maru
left Hong Kong in early September and reached Japan safely, loaded with a full cargo of troublemakers. It seemed that these prisoners had more than enough room below decks to sleep in and were often allowed on deck. The Japs now wanted another 2000 fit men for work in Japan. These prisoners would not be so lucky. Selecting fit men for Japan was a most difficult task for the British Officers, as there were no fit men as such. The officers in command refused to carry this out and the Japanese were forced to make the selections themselves.

The prisoners selected were told by a Japanese interpreter, 2nd Lieutenant Wada “You are going to a wonderful place, the beautiful cherry blossom islands of Dai Nippon where you will be treated well.” Many men were eager to leave.

The Sergeant was one of the prisoners selected. One thing I know, Dad's head wounds were soon to be re-infected by maggots either on the way from Sham Shui Po POW camp to the
Lisbon Maru
, or in the No 2 hold of the ship while waiting in harbour. Perhaps the flies in Hong Kong were also eager to see the beautiful islands of Dai Nippon.

Many miles to the South of Hong Kong, the
Lisbon Maru
's sleek nemesis, the American submarine
Grouper
, was quietly slipping her moorings at Pearl Harbour for another war patrol. This would be her second war patrol under a new and more aggressive young commander.