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Far Eastern Heroes
S/86989
Corporal
Thomas Taylor Morrison
Into The Fire
After a short period of time the Japanese loaded us, like cattle into trucks, and moved us to Batavia. From there we we marched to Tanjon Priock PoW camp and given a PoW Number 3335.
After a week of being at Tanjon Priock , I was detailed into the Kitchen, courtesy of Captain Armstrong and Captain Smythe who was to die later. Having some company funds to hand, we were able to purchase meat, vegetables and fruit, but this soon drained what funds we had. I remember one day in particular when we had approximately 200 chickens to feed 4000 men – Good Stock, but well watered!.
A team of men worked together cutting up any vegetables that we were able to obtain. Joe Henry (77 R.A.S.C) was in charge, and before Army service he worked in the Glasgow Meat Market. He now lives in the Erskine Hospital Cottages – we remain good friends, and continue to socialise on occasions.
 We were now getting used to the sight Japanese Money, wishing we had some of it to buy more food.
Platoon Sergeant Major “Chips” Colvan in charge (Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders), grew Tomatoes as large as tennis balls – fertilized by human excrement – so they had to be well cooked. He also manufactured “Saki, and boy was it strong!.
During this period “Chips” built a boat with Ballast Tanks and a mosquito net, dyed with coffee, for a sail. I believe the Escape Committee was involved in this task. The boat was kept in a “dummy” roof above the kitchen, but unfortunately we all moved camp before it could be launched.
We were moved on to Boe’Gloddoch Jail in the town, and once again I was involved with Kitchen Duties, under the command of “Chips Colvan”. There had been rumours that the hygiene at Boe’Gloddoch left a lot to be desired – but we soon rectified that…..by channelling running water via open pipes of sorts, which ran out to the river outside the camp. Prior to achieving this, twenty five to thirty men slept in the same cell and all used the concrete hole in the corner for their toiletry needs. As far as I can remember, there was only one death in nine months. This particular man had weighed thirteen stone at the commencement of imprisonment, but he gradually deteriorated – I looked upon this as someone who had gave up hope and his will to live.
P.S.M. Chips Colvan once again began his boat building, but unfortunately the Japanese Guards discovered it. They were terrified to report it to their Senior Officers as it was so far advanced. The same morning, the rice was cooked in double quick time as we had Kindling for the fire. The Japanese Guards were really scared of their Senior Officers.
One night a ‘Scot’ came down to my cell – He had heard there was another ‘Jock’ there – this being myself. During our conversations, I took out some photographs and he said ‘Hey, I’ve danced with that girl’ I asked ‘Where?’ and his reply was ‘The Woodside Halls, Glasgow’. He could tell me her name and address – It was my Cousin!. His name was Robert Young (Gunner 77 H.A.A. and this was the first time we had met, even though we both went out on the ‘Empress of Australia’ and had been in Tanjon Priock together. We became real good buddies – looking out for each other at all times. But more of this friendship later’.
At approximately May, 1944, we moved again – this time packed like tins on a grocers’ shelf, aboard one of the Japanese Tramp Ships from Batavia to Pedang on the west coast of Sumatra. On arrival, we crossed the equator on land by vehicle transport to reach our new camp. This was known as Base Camp, and spread all over the area were piles of “Sleepers”, Rails, bags of bolts, the usual Junkels, and baskets for moving earth.
We then knew what we were about to do – Build a Railway!.
Not many people are aware that TWO railways were built by forced labour – “The Burma – Thailand” and this one in Sumatra.
Sumatra Railway Map by Ron Taylor
I know that this Railway started in Pedang, on the west coast of Sumatra, and went east across the island. However, I do not know how far we went with this railway, where the final point was to be, or how many of our Men died at the hands of our Japanese captors.
On my first day out on the line, I was picked by a Japanese Engineer who handed me a rail gauge with a spirit level to set the distance between each rail as it was laid. At this stage, I must mention that the Japs had lorries, which when the road wheels were lifted, left behind were wheels suitable for the gauge of the rails, and pulled two, four wheeled ‘bogies’ which had been loaded with rails and sleepers laid between them, and our men would sit on top hanging on for grim death. It took at least ten men to lift one rail from the bogie and carry it to the track end,
As the railway moved forward, we were moved up to Camp 3 – Packanbaru. I was taken off the working party and was involved in the distribution of rice rations to the working party after their Dawn to Dusk labour.
This brings to mind one of my kitchen duties as a butcher. Occasionally, we were supplied with the entrails of Water Buffalo and my task was to clean them by reversing the entrails outside-in. This was achieved by using butchers Steel – kitchen equipment that I had brought with me from Tanjon Priock.
Conservation from the men arriving back at the camp after a days’ Slave Labour on the Sumatra Railway was very limited other than the cruelty which had been inflicted by the Japanese to the PoWs in the course of their days labour. This cruelty could take various forms, one of which was to beat the PoW with a bamboo pole across the body. “A Bashing” was to be struck very severely by the Japanese using the palm and knuckles of the hand.
One of my jobs involved in the distribution of rice to our men, was to sound ‘Reveille’. This was achieved by part of a rail hung from a tree branch and struck three times by a large bolt.
We had an old alarm clock in the kitchen.
We were all standing outside the huts and cook-house ready for ‘Roll-Call’, when ‘Little four eyes’ (The Quarter Master Sergeant) in charge of the Guard asked ‘Who rang the bell’? Of course I stepped forward and was informed through the interpreter that I was late with ‘Reveille’. From then, until late afternoon I was made to stand outside the guard house in the heat of the day, with no protection from the sun, and took several ‘Bashings’ across the face. I was told that in future, I was to check the kitchen clock with the Guard house clock before clanging the bell.
By the end of July, 1945, there were rumours of sabotage on the line – presumably by guerillas in the area.
In early August of this year, one of the Guards told us that the war would be ending soon as thousands and thousands of Japanese had been killed by a large bomb. You and I know there were rumours, rumours, rumours.
Then came the news from one of our own officers – THE WAR WAS OVER!
Meantime, the Japanese kept guard, mainly to keep us detained in our camp for our own safety as a precaution against any outsiders who did not now that the war was over.
Eventually our own men who were fit enough, took over Guard duty and keep the Japanese in their own compound. Food rations were dropped from aeroplanes into the camp - tins of stew and tins of fruit etc., but after three and half years of a rice diet we found that we were unable to tolerate such rich food – At this time my weight was just six stone. Magazines were also dropped to us from aeroplanes and we were amazed to see photographs of boats opening at the bow, and personnel carriers floating in water ‘Who’s kidding who’ was what we thought! How could we understand such things!
Before we were officially released from captivity, we were visited by Edwina, Lady Mountbatten, who wished us all a safe journey home. It was at this time that things really started to move. The poorest in health were taken out first, then gradually the rest of us were entrained and it was the very railway that we had built that provided the means of a very slow journey across Sumatra, eastwards to a river, where we embarked on a Landing Craft Tank (L.C.T.) and headed for Singapore. We were taken to the Alexandria Hospital to be de-loused, and provided with fresh clothing. Shortly afterwards, we were taken aboard a flying boat to (Sri Lanka) and arrived at Kogogala to be taken to the 35th General Hospital at Mount Lavinia (?).
It was here that my old mate and I met up again – Bob Young who had been flown out from Camp 1, Sumatra – this was the sick and dying camp and these men were considered too unfit to work on the railway.
Diyatalaiva Camp was to be our next destination, specifically providing rest and recuperation for the troops. We were fed on half chickens and bottles of stout and slowy we began to put on weight.
We must have missed out being shipped home on at least three occasions due to having re-lapses of Malaria, and the fact that I was awaiting a new set of dentures courtesy of the Royal Navy!.
At last, we got on a draft and were bused down to Colombo where we boarded “H.M.S. Oronte’s” on Saturday, 17th November, 1945.
We travelled via Bombay, Suez, The Mediterranean, into the Bay of Biscay and finally into Southampton on 11th. December, 1945, to have a joyful meeting with my younger brother George Morrison who was a Royal Marine.
To conclude, Bob Young and I arrived back in our home town of Glasgow on 12th December 1945, and are now brothers-in-law after marrying Anne, my wife, and Jean (nee Doman).
I hope I haven’t bored you all with this tale, but as you know, we can only talk about these things between ourselves.
P.S. If Jimmy Mitchell from Ayr and Jimmy Boyd from Greenock read this, why not come along to S.F.E.P.O.W. meetings, or better still get in touch with me!
The writer wishes you to know that the facts as such, have been explained in greater detail so that my children, their children and their childrens’ children will have an understanding of my experience as a PoW.
The End
But Our Memory Lives On
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