Letter from George Milson to his family

Letter from George Milson to his family

George writes they know the war is over but the Japanese have still kept them locked up. He describes their morning routine. He remains cheerful.

1945-08-18

Three typewritten sheets

This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.

EMilsonGWMilson[Fam]450818-0001, EMilsonGWMilson[Fam]450818-0002, EMilsonGWMilson[Fam]450818-0003

[inserted] M1 [/inserted]

Many Happy Returns Of The Day to Dad & Eric on Their Birthday’s

Krangi No 2 Working Camp
Aug 18th 1945

To All At Home.

At last after nearly 3 1/2 years I can write to you as a free man (almost). We have not been told by the Nips afaicially [sic] yet that things are all over. What a funny position to be in. We know on the quiet that it is so, and yet working parties are sill [sic] going out, at least they were until yesterday, they are all camp today and I hope that they continue so. I think that it is fairly safe to say now that we have been lucky enough to have had the up to date news practicually [sic] all the time, the people who have ben [sic] operating the sets ought to receive public recognition for what they have [deleted] ben ding [/deleted] been ding [sic], and for the risks that they have been taking. It has helped to make things a little more bearable. Although we have been giving the troops the news daily, it was not until today, working parties being cancelled, that it has been fully brought home to them. One can hardly realise it even now that it has happened. It must have been an anxious time for you all at home waiting and listening for all the news from this part of the world. Here, during the last few days the tension has been something terrific, waiting, waiting, waiting, trying to keep up the spirits of the troops, the weather and the general attitude of the Nips cancelling out the good news we were telling them when they returned to camp each evening. First their spirits were up, then right down again, so[inserted]m[/inserted]e of them could not sleep at nights, everyone smoking far too much. What a week! Perhaps it was a little easier for [inserted] me [/inserted] as all along I have had complete faith that I was going to get out OK, although I must [deleted word] admit that [deleted words] even my day dreams have reached far into the night some nights. However your prayers and mine have been answered and it is all over at last, all we want now is for someone to come and take us all over and get us back home. What a day that will be! I sometimes wonder what the home-coming will be like. You will have to kill that fatted calf. Looking back I see that the last letter which I wrote was back [inserted] / [/inserted] in April, soon after we came into this camp. When I was writing that one I wondered if the next one would be the last as a P.O.W. and lo and behold it is. Well here is a little of [deleted] then [/deleted] the news. I have received a further 18 letters and cards [inserted] / [/inserted] since we left Changi. How I have rea[inserted]d[/inserted] them through and through. I think that I had the bigest [sic] fan mail in the camp. When on the odd occassion [sic] I slip of the top of the world I take out my small library of letters and read them through again. Since writing the last letter I have been a little bit off colour. Stomach trouble on and off, A touch of beri-beri, (deficiency of vitamin B) for which I had a couple of injections and complete rest on my bdd [sic] for a week, was de-wormed about a month ago, a few cuts and sores went u/s, and finally have just got over

[page break]

[inserted] M [/inserted] 2

touch of tonsilitis [sic] What a life! But as I have already said, “Every thing in the garden looks rosy,” About the middle of June we had an additional 330 added to the camp. Men who had been with Millar in Sumatra, he is now over in Changi, 70 of them [inserted] / [/inserted] being R.A.F. The Nips only gave us two more huts, each holding around 65 men so we now have people sleeping under some of the [deleted] hut [/deleted] huts. The majority of the[inserted]m[/inserted] are in a pretty poor state, almost walking skeletons. They ought never have come according to the M.O’s. We are awakened each morning by an Australian orderly sergeant doing his rounds just before it gets light. You have no idea what an Australian voice sounds like. Always the same thing “Rise and shine, 7 o’clock reveille, rise and shine.” Always the same call. A few minutes latter [sic] you can hear people begin to cough and move about, “Mess orderlies, mess orderlies”, is the next cry. One W.O. a short thick set, rather dour type, calls his hut to conscieusness [sic] with “Wakie, wakie”. “Breakfast up, come and get it” and they start to serve out the food. The sound of metel [sic] laddles [sic] being knocked against the side of the food containrts [sic], [deleted word] mingled with such phrases as “Come and get it”, “any more for breakfast”, “59, 58, 57, . . . for “lagi” (each man has a number in his hut for messing) All this goes on in the dark with the aid of a few candles that they have been able to pinch of [sic] the Nips out on the working sites, or small tins which have pa[inserted]l[/inserted]m oil burning in them; there is no electric light in the morning. With six huts all around you can imagine what it is like. Then the M.P. in the next camp beat a gong about 07.30hrs followed by the Aussie again on his job shouting “Sick parade, sick parade”. This is my cue to get up. And so we start another day. We have had a change in the camp messing officer, an M.O. called Findlay, who lived at Ilford but does not know that friend of Dad’s, has taken over and a Sergeant Cruickshank, one of our own squadron fitters is the N.C.O. i/c. Fitters and such like make the best P.O.W. cooks. I am still the stooge around the cook house filling in my time with a spot of wood sawing, digging out rubber tree [inserted]st[/inserted]umps for fire wood, or repairing food containers. We have been sending out up to 900 mens rations out each day for lunch in oatmeal cans, 4 gall petrel [sic] cans etc. Even in a P.O.W. camp a petrol can in [sic] a very useful thing to have around, these things have won this war for us. Some of the men have a happy knack of trying to acquire them for their own use which necessitates a walk around the camp each morning to round them up. All these little things pass the time away, one does not seem to have much time to do anything for one’s self except sleep. I can still do that alright. The Nip rations have gradually deteriorateed [sic] in both quantity and quality since we first came but they are now throwing rice around like a man with four arms. Not too good as far as the beri-beri is concerned as there is

[page break]

[inserted] M [/inserted] .3.

nothing to balance it with. For days we have been receiving maize in lieu of tapioca root, we [deleted] cans [/deleted] can almost crow. The veg ration has been very poor indeed. We had an issue of Red Cross parcels (food) roughly 900, and a [deleted] l [/deleted] little clothing and a few pairs of boots but not nearly enough. I was lucky enough to get a towel the other day. The food all went through the cookhouse. Some of the bars of chocolate were in a sorry state, the servicable [sic] blocks being issued one to two men. It was great! Perhaps you at home have not been able to get any more of these luxuries than we have. The working party Nips have been sending in oatmeal, jam, sugar, and cigarettes. I used to exchange my fags for sugar.

19.8.45

The Nips have told us today that the war is over. We are not allowed to celebrate or make any demonstrations against them. The Nip Camp CO said that the Nip soldiers had come to Singapore to fight to their death i[inserted]f[/inserted] neccessary, [sic] but as they had been told to lay down their arms they were obeying orders. They have increased the rice ration to 800 gms per man. A few Red X parcels would have been of more use. The wire is being taken down between the two camps today, not that that has prevented the fellows from going over almost every night. They have not told us when British troops are due in so we must wait a little longer and be patient. The work was begining [sic] to get the troops down, the sick figures increasing daily. The [sic] have been digging tunnels in the hillside around the place for defence purposes. We had one man killed and several injured by tunnels falling in. Malaria has been one of the big snags, I have been lucky enough to miss that, and diptheric [sic] ulcers have been rearing their ugly heads again. As the sick increased so were our rations decreased. It came only just in time. One of the Padres who was posted to us some time ago underwent an operation for pancrititis [sic] I think the M.O’s called it, and he failed to make the grade. He died and was buried the same day Friday the 13th. He is the only death we have had in hospital. The M.O’S and the surgeon have done an excellent job of work under the worst possible conditions. Perforated duodenul [sic] ulcers have been the big thing, brought on by the very rough food. They say that one mans food is another [deleted letters] mans poison. When it came to splitting up the Padres kit I was given his slacks and a shirt. I had to lengthen the slacks and fix them up but have never been so well dressed since I became a P.O.W.

Well I don’t seem to be able to concentrate [inserted] /on [/inserted] any more of this writing, I think that at this stage of the proceedings I shall be able to remember the happenings of these days and what is happening to us. So cheerio to you all, God bless you all and keep you safe. All the best to you all.

[inserted] G. [/inserted]