Letter from George Milson to Peter Haynes
Title
Letter from George Milson to Peter Haynes
Description
George explains what happened after they were left behind at Tjilatjap, Indonesia. He was eventually captured by the Japanese.
Spatial Coverage
Coverage
Language
Format
Three typewritten sheets
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Rights
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.
Contributor
Identifier
SMilsonGW937875v60008-0001, SMilsonGW937875v60008-0002, SMilsonGW937875v60008-0003
Transcription
[censored]
14.2.96
Dear Peter.
I was very interested to receive your letter of the 6th, the second one from Australia in the last 4 days. More of the second one later.
I do not know what you may have gleaned over the last 50 odd years, as to the happenings to we who were left behind on the beach. We stayed living like Robinson Crusoe, having sufficient food for two meals a day, and plenty to drink, there was a fresh water stream on one end beach, all we were short of was a gramaphone [sic] and some desert island discs. Jeudwine has left some recognition signals in the hope that he would be able to send something to pick us up, but it was not to be.
On the day after you left, 2 parties of four made their way back and over to Tjilatjap to find out what was happening, f/sgt Hare shot a Nip, f/sgt Len Small and sgt Bell went and picked him up, they were taken prisoners, and we heard sometime later from a Catholic priest that they had been beheaded. The rest of the two parties returned safely.
After some of us slept up in the lighthouse the first night, we put it out of bounds. One day a small boat came past, it was brought [deleted word] ashore, and eventually four sergeants with some food we gave them, set off, they did not get very far, and it was at a P.O.W. reunion some years after the war that I heard what had happened to them, they had been picked up by the Nips further east along the coast.
After a month, Ron Millar, my observer, and I decided that we would go up to the lighthouse to try to find some limes, or some sort of fruit, to support our diet, as some peoples sores were begininning [sic] to fester. We heard voices but could not make out where they were coming from, so we returned down to the beach, deciding to have another go the next day. Ron had a touch of his tummy trouble, something that he picked up in the Desert, and was not feeling too good so I went up on my own the next morning. Thinking that I was well hidden in some bushes and doing fine, I was seen by a party of convicts from the jail, further west on the island almost opposite Tjilatjap, they were doing time for murder and all sorts of crimes, taken along to the jail, given a meal by the Dutch staff, along with a packet of cigarettes and a petrol lighter, and ferried over to the harbour, and handed over to the Nip guard on the quay. I sat there all day with my hands tied behind my back, then around tea-time put into the back of a car with I don’t know how many wogs, taken along to the Dutch barracks where we had eaten when we arrived in Tjilatjap, and put into solitary confinement for ten days, taken out one evening on a motor bike and sidecar, stopping at a guard hut for what seemed years, I thought I was going to get the chop, carried along the road for a short while, pulled up at a a [sic] wire gate, it was a small P.O.W. camp, pushed through the gate and started my P.O.W. stint. The rest of the beach party were found four days later, delt the same way by the Dutch, herded together in a few cells, they could only stand up, were threatened with all sorts of [deleted word] dire ways of being polished off, brought along to the same camp I was already in, pushed through the gate and that was it. We were all pleased to see each other again, they had been very worried as to what had happened to me.
[page break]
2.
It was a long time after that we heard you had made it to Australia, andd [sic] that an U/S submarine, on its way from the Philipines [sic] to Australia, had been diverted into Scorpian Cove to pick us off.
We squadron aircrew were all together in various camps on Java until September 43, when we were all part of a working party, leaving Batavia for we knew not where, by boat, eventually after 3 days being put ashore at Singapore, where we stayed until sometime before Xmas, when about 20 of we officers who had been in charge of little parties were left off, the main party finishing up working in copper mines in Japan, they had a tough time.
I had had more than my fair share of good luck while actively participating in the war effort, and it held even while sitting behind the wire. For the last 6 months I went off with a party of 250 airmen to a working camp of approx. 800 at Kranji, a camp just short of the Causeway over to Johore. I had flown on 63 ops, from the U.K. the Desert, and the Far East.
Returning to the boat trip, Jeudwine, Passmore, Streatfield, and Turner, as you say all returned to the U/K, Jeudwine survived the war, finishing up a Group Captain D.S.O. O.B.E. D.F.C. and was involved with a fatal accident flying a Typhoon aircraft on 19.10.45, Passmore and Streatfield both survivid [sic] Passmore a Wing Commander D.F.C and Bar, loosing his life when he parachuted out of a Washington (B17) over the Irish Sea at night, and was picked up in a fishermans net, Streatfield died of cancer in 58, I did meet them both at 84 Reunions for several years, and Turner went down somewhere over Europe, on ops.
I am sorry that I cannot remember your observer’s surname, but I can give you some news about Owen. He survived the war, retiring from the R.A.F. a Group Captain, and in [sic] now living in B[inserted]e[/inserted]lgium, a very sick man. He was one of the four, Wyllie, Holland, Jackson and Owen, who on their own set off from Tjilatjap, the same night that we left, got well on the way to Australia, were blown back into Jave [sic], became P.O.W. and were living in the same house as Ron Millar and I until we left Bandoeng. I rang John Wyllie to get Owen’s address for [inserted] you [/inserted] but he did ask me to tell that you may not get an answer, as he, Wyllie only gets very short notes from him now.
The address is G/C J.S. Owen
[censored]
Another Australian address is that of Geoff Dewey, he was with us on the beach, but I lost touch with him when we got to Bandoeng, when he became absorbed into the Australian administration side. He was with 34 Squadron.
His address is [censored]
The other letter from Australia was in reply to my letter answering an enquiry for help in the last Air Mail, for anyone who had known Harold Jeudwine, who went missing in a Blenheim over Crete, also Raymond Jeudwine – Singapore 84 Squadron, escaped from Java in a boat to Australia. Please contact G.S. Jeudwine, [censored] Australia [censored]
[page break]
3.
The G.S. Jeudwine is J.R’s cousin. I have enclosed a copy of his letter to me, along with the copy of his citations.
If I can help any further get in touch.
Kind regards,
Yours faithfully,
[signature]
George Milson.
[underlined] Distinguished Flying Cross. [/underlined]
[symbol] [underlined] Wing Commander John Raymond JEUDWINE, O.B.E. (33116), R.A.F., No. 619 Sqdn. [/underlined]
This officer has taken part in a large number of sorties and has displayed exceptional skill, courage and determination. On a recent occasion he took part in an attack on the railway junction at Tours and his gallant leadership and great tactical ability played a good part in the success of the operation. Wing Commander Jeudwine is a most efficient squadron commander whose example has impressed all.
[symbols] * [underlined] Acting Group Captain John Raymond JEUDWINE, [inserted[ D.S.O. [/inserted] O.B.E., D.F.C., R.A.F.O. [/underlined]
Since being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross this officer has successfully completed numerous sorties against dangerous and difficult targets. Ho [sic] has, continued to display the highest standard of skill and bravery and has executed his assignments with the greatest determination in the face of anti-aircraft fire and fighter opposition. He is a brilliant leader.
2. [underlined] Group Captain J R Jeudwine OBE, DSO, DFC [/underlined]
Our records state that G/Capt Jeudwine was the Officer in Command of Little Staughton which was part No 8 Group Bomber Command at the time of his death. G/Capt Jeudwine lost his life on 19/10/45 after the Typhoon aircraft No JR.350 which he was piloting crashed at Little Staughton, Bedford during a non-operational flight.
The aircraft took from Little Staughton at 13.00 hrs to enable G/Capt Jeudwine to carry out an airtest after re-assembly. Shortly after take off the aircraft was seen by a witness to carry out a slow roll to the left of the aerodrome. After completing the roll the aircraft [indecipherable words] seen to go into a spin to the right at approximately 3,000 [indecipherable word]. Control was not regained and the aircraft hit the ground at a [indecipherable word] angle at high speed causing fatal injuries to the Pilot.
The Court of Inquiry concluded that there was no evidence of [indecipherable word] or engine failure. G/Capt Jeudwine although experienced on [indecipherable word] aircraft was not experienced on Typhoon aircraft or in the [indecipherable word] of aerobatics. The aircraft evidently stalled while [missing letters]covering from the inverted position with G/Captain Jeudwine unable to [missing letters]cover from the resulting spin.
[missing word] have also enclosed photocopies of the G/Captain Jeudwine’s citations and hope that the above information is of interest.
14.2.96
Dear Peter.
I was very interested to receive your letter of the 6th, the second one from Australia in the last 4 days. More of the second one later.
I do not know what you may have gleaned over the last 50 odd years, as to the happenings to we who were left behind on the beach. We stayed living like Robinson Crusoe, having sufficient food for two meals a day, and plenty to drink, there was a fresh water stream on one end beach, all we were short of was a gramaphone [sic] and some desert island discs. Jeudwine has left some recognition signals in the hope that he would be able to send something to pick us up, but it was not to be.
On the day after you left, 2 parties of four made their way back and over to Tjilatjap to find out what was happening, f/sgt Hare shot a Nip, f/sgt Len Small and sgt Bell went and picked him up, they were taken prisoners, and we heard sometime later from a Catholic priest that they had been beheaded. The rest of the two parties returned safely.
After some of us slept up in the lighthouse the first night, we put it out of bounds. One day a small boat came past, it was brought [deleted word] ashore, and eventually four sergeants with some food we gave them, set off, they did not get very far, and it was at a P.O.W. reunion some years after the war that I heard what had happened to them, they had been picked up by the Nips further east along the coast.
After a month, Ron Millar, my observer, and I decided that we would go up to the lighthouse to try to find some limes, or some sort of fruit, to support our diet, as some peoples sores were begininning [sic] to fester. We heard voices but could not make out where they were coming from, so we returned down to the beach, deciding to have another go the next day. Ron had a touch of his tummy trouble, something that he picked up in the Desert, and was not feeling too good so I went up on my own the next morning. Thinking that I was well hidden in some bushes and doing fine, I was seen by a party of convicts from the jail, further west on the island almost opposite Tjilatjap, they were doing time for murder and all sorts of crimes, taken along to the jail, given a meal by the Dutch staff, along with a packet of cigarettes and a petrol lighter, and ferried over to the harbour, and handed over to the Nip guard on the quay. I sat there all day with my hands tied behind my back, then around tea-time put into the back of a car with I don’t know how many wogs, taken along to the Dutch barracks where we had eaten when we arrived in Tjilatjap, and put into solitary confinement for ten days, taken out one evening on a motor bike and sidecar, stopping at a guard hut for what seemed years, I thought I was going to get the chop, carried along the road for a short while, pulled up at a a [sic] wire gate, it was a small P.O.W. camp, pushed through the gate and started my P.O.W. stint. The rest of the beach party were found four days later, delt the same way by the Dutch, herded together in a few cells, they could only stand up, were threatened with all sorts of [deleted word] dire ways of being polished off, brought along to the same camp I was already in, pushed through the gate and that was it. We were all pleased to see each other again, they had been very worried as to what had happened to me.
[page break]
2.
It was a long time after that we heard you had made it to Australia, andd [sic] that an U/S submarine, on its way from the Philipines [sic] to Australia, had been diverted into Scorpian Cove to pick us off.
We squadron aircrew were all together in various camps on Java until September 43, when we were all part of a working party, leaving Batavia for we knew not where, by boat, eventually after 3 days being put ashore at Singapore, where we stayed until sometime before Xmas, when about 20 of we officers who had been in charge of little parties were left off, the main party finishing up working in copper mines in Japan, they had a tough time.
I had had more than my fair share of good luck while actively participating in the war effort, and it held even while sitting behind the wire. For the last 6 months I went off with a party of 250 airmen to a working camp of approx. 800 at Kranji, a camp just short of the Causeway over to Johore. I had flown on 63 ops, from the U.K. the Desert, and the Far East.
Returning to the boat trip, Jeudwine, Passmore, Streatfield, and Turner, as you say all returned to the U/K, Jeudwine survived the war, finishing up a Group Captain D.S.O. O.B.E. D.F.C. and was involved with a fatal accident flying a Typhoon aircraft on 19.10.45, Passmore and Streatfield both survivid [sic] Passmore a Wing Commander D.F.C and Bar, loosing his life when he parachuted out of a Washington (B17) over the Irish Sea at night, and was picked up in a fishermans net, Streatfield died of cancer in 58, I did meet them both at 84 Reunions for several years, and Turner went down somewhere over Europe, on ops.
I am sorry that I cannot remember your observer’s surname, but I can give you some news about Owen. He survived the war, retiring from the R.A.F. a Group Captain, and in [sic] now living in B[inserted]e[/inserted]lgium, a very sick man. He was one of the four, Wyllie, Holland, Jackson and Owen, who on their own set off from Tjilatjap, the same night that we left, got well on the way to Australia, were blown back into Jave [sic], became P.O.W. and were living in the same house as Ron Millar and I until we left Bandoeng. I rang John Wyllie to get Owen’s address for [inserted] you [/inserted] but he did ask me to tell that you may not get an answer, as he, Wyllie only gets very short notes from him now.
The address is G/C J.S. Owen
[censored]
Another Australian address is that of Geoff Dewey, he was with us on the beach, but I lost touch with him when we got to Bandoeng, when he became absorbed into the Australian administration side. He was with 34 Squadron.
His address is [censored]
The other letter from Australia was in reply to my letter answering an enquiry for help in the last Air Mail, for anyone who had known Harold Jeudwine, who went missing in a Blenheim over Crete, also Raymond Jeudwine – Singapore 84 Squadron, escaped from Java in a boat to Australia. Please contact G.S. Jeudwine, [censored] Australia [censored]
[page break]
3.
The G.S. Jeudwine is J.R’s cousin. I have enclosed a copy of his letter to me, along with the copy of his citations.
If I can help any further get in touch.
Kind regards,
Yours faithfully,
[signature]
George Milson.
[underlined] Distinguished Flying Cross. [/underlined]
[symbol] [underlined] Wing Commander John Raymond JEUDWINE, O.B.E. (33116), R.A.F., No. 619 Sqdn. [/underlined]
This officer has taken part in a large number of sorties and has displayed exceptional skill, courage and determination. On a recent occasion he took part in an attack on the railway junction at Tours and his gallant leadership and great tactical ability played a good part in the success of the operation. Wing Commander Jeudwine is a most efficient squadron commander whose example has impressed all.
[symbols] * [underlined] Acting Group Captain John Raymond JEUDWINE, [inserted[ D.S.O. [/inserted] O.B.E., D.F.C., R.A.F.O. [/underlined]
Since being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross this officer has successfully completed numerous sorties against dangerous and difficult targets. Ho [sic] has, continued to display the highest standard of skill and bravery and has executed his assignments with the greatest determination in the face of anti-aircraft fire and fighter opposition. He is a brilliant leader.
2. [underlined] Group Captain J R Jeudwine OBE, DSO, DFC [/underlined]
Our records state that G/Capt Jeudwine was the Officer in Command of Little Staughton which was part No 8 Group Bomber Command at the time of his death. G/Capt Jeudwine lost his life on 19/10/45 after the Typhoon aircraft No JR.350 which he was piloting crashed at Little Staughton, Bedford during a non-operational flight.
The aircraft took from Little Staughton at 13.00 hrs to enable G/Capt Jeudwine to carry out an airtest after re-assembly. Shortly after take off the aircraft was seen by a witness to carry out a slow roll to the left of the aerodrome. After completing the roll the aircraft [indecipherable words] seen to go into a spin to the right at approximately 3,000 [indecipherable word]. Control was not regained and the aircraft hit the ground at a [indecipherable word] angle at high speed causing fatal injuries to the Pilot.
The Court of Inquiry concluded that there was no evidence of [indecipherable word] or engine failure. G/Capt Jeudwine although experienced on [indecipherable word] aircraft was not experienced on Typhoon aircraft or in the [indecipherable word] of aerobatics. The aircraft evidently stalled while [missing letters]covering from the inverted position with G/Captain Jeudwine unable to [missing letters]cover from the resulting spin.
[missing word] have also enclosed photocopies of the G/Captain Jeudwine’s citations and hope that the above information is of interest.
Collection
Citation
“Letter from George Milson to Peter Haynes,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed May 19, 2026, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/collections/document/55364.