L. T. Ride's P.O.W. and ESCAPE DIARY.: View pages

Bitterly cold wind last night which kept on blowing bags away from windows.  Slept very little owing to sore hips and cold wind.  Rice for breakfast with a little cabbage and carrots at 10 am. 

Saw General and asked him to lodge a vigorous protest about camp conditions. 

Dysentery cases in Jubilee refuse to move to new isolation hospital.  7 of them are lying on the floor in a room in Jubilee Blgs.  They are relatively cosy and if they move they will have to go onto concrete floors in a large room without windows or doors and without any reasonable sanitation.  At present their stools can be thrown down lavatory and flushed with buckets of water.  Decided to let them stay, and reported the matter to the General and asked him to allow me to come along when a Jap Rep. came this afternoon. 

Bought three little pieces of almond toffee through the fence for 50 cents.  They were about 2” long and 1” wide and ¼” thick.  Plates were being sold at 1 dollar a piece and army plates too at that.  Mug of tea and 3 army biscuits at 1300 hrs. 

Sat in sun for an hour or so writing when suddenly visited by a party of Japs.  Again the arrogant Major was there together with a Mjr General (medical) who said nothing throughout the interview.  Another more junior officer with a red and gold sash was very pleasant;  he apparently knew Prof Furuhata.  We asked the Major what he wanted to see, he said everything, so we started with the Hospital – no windows, no doors, no beds, no blankets, no utensils, no fuel.  He said we should ask for them and we said we had.  Next he wanted to see the isolation Hosp.  It was in just the same condition and we got the same reply.  He said we could have some straw and when I said that was no good for dysentery patients he said that is all we would get.  We asked again when we would get the med supplies and equipment and he said “tomorrow”.  We said that is what they promised yesterday and had not done it whereupon the Majs face flushed and he shouted to our interpreter to shut up and if he spoke like that again we would have the machine gun turned on us.  He then strode off in a temper to the main road.  There General Maltby asked him for permission to see Gen Nagouchi;  he flatly refused.  I asked for permission to visit the sick in Argyle St which was also flatly refused;  I pointed out that by the Geneva Convention we [doctors] were not prisoners of war and shd be allowed to visit our sick and wounded and he said “You stay here;  the British doctors in Philippines have machine gunned our men”.  We asked when he was coming again and when he would send us medical supplies.  Again the reply came “tomorrow” and when I asked at what time he said “Maybe morning maybe afternoon” and with that he jumped into his car and went, leaving us standing in the road no further forward. 

A few minutes later a Capt of the Jap navy arrived with armed escort.  We approached him and he said the military officer would attend to Gen Maltby after he had finished talking to him.  This officer later said he would try and get permission for Gen M to see Gen Nagouchi.  The arrogant Major asked to see Commander Young (HE) and seemed surprised he was not in the camp.  All through these interviews he spoke through young Kerr, our interpreter, but when he lost his temper he broke into English.  ((The interpreter was probably Stanley Robert KERR.))

Later saw Scriven who had been to Argyle St and he said conditions there were terrible.  Only Newton left there, the other two Drs being ill and there were a number of deaths from dys. (('Newton' was Dr Isaac Newton. He was later interned in Stanley Camp.))

Commanders conference at 1700 hrs decided lights out 2100 hrs rev 0800.  Sanitation not yet satisfactory.  Excellent meal with Grenadiers of rice pork potatoes and carrots and cabbage.  Full moon beautiful clear night and less wind.

Cloudy morning, but fortunately not windy.  A few more cases of dysentery admitted to hosp today.  Camp sanitation far from satisfactory yet.  Large number of Indians marched out of camp today being sent either to Gun Club Hill or Argyle St.  Waited all afternoon for the promised medical supplies but they did not come.  Cooked some of the rice left over from bkfst for lunch, quite a good meal.  Discussed important affairs with Barrow who is of the same general opinion as I am but has different ideas of the best method of execution. 

Inspected camp at 1500 hrs still very unsatisfactory.  Suggested at the next commander’s meeting that each A.D. Comdr allot cook houses, ablution sheds and latrines to the subsidiary units or huts, and that police be appointed at the ablution sheds to see that mess tins are cleaned into provided receptacles and not tipped into drains.  Sub. Units should appoint orderly officers to visit huts etc after meals and inspect gutters.  Small dumps of refuse not to be left lying near gutters, but to be taken to the incinerator.  Arranged for Brig Peffers to inspect hospital daily at 1115 hrs. 

Clear night, moon rose at 2015 hrs.  Low tide about 1400 hrs.  No sign of Lt Sawamoto and the promised equipment.  Went all round camp again after dark, making note of important affairs.  Visited pier at 2200 hrs.  OK.  Rice for dinner.

Rained in the early hours of this a.m.  Jap band turned up about 1000.  Inspected Hospitals, 18 in isolation, 7 in our hosp, 12 in Indian. 

Section 8 of RAMC training manual p175 para 489.  Geneva Convention 1929.  The chief points to be noted in the C.[onvention] are that the sick and wounded must be taken care of irrespective of nationality, that med personnel must, as far as military exigencies permit, be left in charge of sick and wounded, and that when they are captured by the enemy they must continue their duty under his directions.  They will be sent back to their own side only when the enemy can arrange to do this conveniently to himself and by the route which he shall determine.  Art 9.  The personnel engaged exclusively in the collection, transport and treatment of the wounded and sick and in the administration of medical formation and establishments, and chaplains to attacked armies, will be respected and protected in all circumstances.  If they fall into enemy hands they will not be treated as prisoners of war.  The commander who remains in possession of the field must cause a search to be made for wounded, and as far as possible prevent any acts of pillage to dead or wounded.  490.  The protection afforded to the personnel of medical units is not forfeited by the fact that they carry weapons for self-defence, or hold the arms and ammunition of the wounded who are under their care. 

Cooked the remainder of breakfast (rice) with a tin of sardines, fried in our new pan; unanimous vote was that it was excellent.  Went round hospitals with General and Brigadier.  About 1500 hrs lorries began to arrive with Indian Dysentery cases from Argyle St;  in all about 120 cases came in plus 12 British including Hance [?] who is pretty bad.  Had to open other isolation hospital;  sanitary arrangements in awful mess, Indians passing motions everywhere, no buckets for them no implements to dig latrines and only one medical officer who can speak their language.  Implored Lt Sawamoto to get us more beds, medical supplies and more Indian medical help, and he said he would do what he could.  I also suggested that Argyle St should be made into a concentration camp for the sick - the dysenteries etc – and all the fit prisoners brought over here but apparently this cannot be done, most probably because Sawamoto does not want dysenteries anywhere near his hospital at C.B.S. 

He took me off to get some more med supplies;  at the CBS he gave me a beer to drink and a pear, an apple and some British army biscuits; then we went off to his flat down the stone steps at the back of the school and there Kerr (the interpreter who by the way is a lad who was at St. Giles, Tsingtao) and I watched him eat a huge basin of rice and a lovely steak.  I was given a cigarette and another drink and then subjected to some mild questioning.  This afternoon we all had to satisfy Sawamoto’s curiosity about ages and again at CBS all the ORs wanted to know all about our age, size of boots etc.  One Pte who was the humorist of the party spent a long time telling us how much better small people were at various things than large people.  In the flat there were 3 other medical officers and they ran through the same group of inquisitive questions.  The conversation was in English German and Jap (through Kerr). 

Got back eventually by car about 2200 in a slight drizzle.  Streets deserted, lanterns near every corner with Wang Ching Wei sentries.  Had a bun and jam on return and so to bed.

Bitterly cold night last night with a biting wind;  very difficult to get any sleep at all; wired bags and strapped clothes over windows but still the cold blew in. 

Went round the hospitals this a.m. with Brigadier and then were visited by a Jap Colonel, who told us that the dysentery was our fault and that we had to stop it at once.  We replied that we had nothing to stop it with and he said the Jap Army was very strict about these things and we had to do as we were told.  We had to put barbed wire around the dysentery hospitals but it just annoyed them when I said that that would not stop the flies.  We asked for fittings for the latrine pans, mag sulph, lime, creosote etc but they replied that the Jap army was very busy and they would give it to us when they could get it.  Lime was promised at 1 p.m. today.

Had long talk with Morley and Davis and they are inclined to have a shot at it.  Lee made contact with boat coming back at 9.30 pm. tonight.  Had to speak to Naval Cmdr for nearly spoiling Lee’s contact.  Boat for Lee turned up about 18.30 instead of 2100.  It was still very light and attracted a lot of attention.  Just after 1945 when it was just dark got Lee’s things out for him and then he waited his chance and called the boat across.  Another naval man nearly spoilt things by standing there and watching.  I had to ask him to come away as we were expecting a message through.  Everything went off successfully and Davis and I waited till 2020 when all was clear.  Then returned and packed.  Gave Morley the Red Cross Haversack. 

Had 2 ½  biscuits with butter and jam before turning in.  In bed by 2145.