Peter Haynes' memoir

Peter Haynes' memoir

A memoir sent to George Milson.

1996-03-26

Six printed sheets with handwritten annotations

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SMilsonGW937875v60012

[inserted] [underlined] PETER HAYNES [/underlined] [/inserted]

– 1 –

[inserted] Received from Peter Haynes 26.3.96 [/inserted]

When Japan entered W.W.II on the 7th December 1941 I was a W.A.G. in 211 Squadron (R.A.F.) stationed at Wadi Gazouza, (Red Sea Hills) in the Sudan. We were equipped with long nosed Blenheims.

Shortly after, our then pilot, Ted Tyzack, crashed our aircraft and the Observer (Alan?) and I were posted to the Middle East pool at Casaferite Egypt. There we joined F.O. John (Aggie) Owen, our new pilot, and were posted to 84 Squadron (R.A.F.) Singapore as reinforcements.

We left Heliopolis Egypt on the 1st January 1942 by civil aircraft, flying to Haban[inserted]i[/inserted]ya via Baghdad. There we picked up our Blenheim [deleted] s [/deleted] and together with five other aircraft commenced our journey.

Our route was via Bahrain Island, Sha[inserted]r[/inserted]jah, Bombay, Jodhpur, Allahabad, Calcutta, Rangoon, Sabang (a small island at the top of Sumatra), Singapore, arriving during the second week of January. Only three planes reached destination and I never learnt what became of the others.

[inserted] NO 84 SQD ? [/inserted] [deleted] 84 [/deleted] Squadron was stationed at Tengah airfield from where we operated for a short time. [inserted] WE WERE AT TENGA BUT 84 SQD NEVE [sic] MADE SINGAPOR [sic] WE JOINED THE [sic] IN PALEMBANG SUMATRA [/inserted]

I was slightly wounded in the back and hospitalised for two days during which time our aircraft flew to Palembang I in Sumatra.

The Japanese were now in full command – land, sea and air. Each night gunfire became louder and the skies lit up with shellfire. Their airforce bombed any target of their choice on Singapore with only A/A defence.

[page break]

– 2 –

I was discharged from hospital and fortunate enough to embark on one of the last vessels or ferry to leave Singapore. The small convoy was escorted by H.M.A.S. Swan to Palembang where I rejoined my crew.

The Japanese took Palembang I by paratroops but we had already left for Palembang II an airfield they never found – at least while we were there.

[inserted] 211 SQD ? [/inserted] We operated from PII as the Japanese were occupying Sumatra but the situation became impossible and we flew to Kalijati in Java. There we were joined by aircrew who sailed from the Middle East to Batavia (now Jakarta) but had no aircraft, leaving the Squadron with virtually double aircrew to aircraft.

[underlined] PAUSE – JAN [/underlined]

When I left the Middle East I only knew the names of our crew. You must realise we arrived Singapore as reinforcements. I had no idea who or where 84 Squadron was and with continued pressure from the Japs the whole picture was total disarray. We were given no opportunity to regroup and appeared to be continually on the run from Singapore to Sumatra and finally Java.

[underlined] END OF PAUSE [/underlined]

We operated from Kalijati until the Japs invaded Java and early one morning destroyed our remaining aircraft by ground attack i.e. tanks. While still on the airfield I became separated from Aggie and Alan and joined Shorty Cameron an R.A.A.F. Observer. Together we commandeered a Ford Sedan and set off for Bandung. The remainder of the Squadron had like ideas and most, I believe, made the town.

[page break]

– 3 –

We were billeted in a medieval Dutch barracks, given a weeks pay and the town put out of bounds.

Shorty and I went over the wall and had a night in town where we ran into Bill Cosgrove. We slept in a staff car outside a pub and at first light has a wash and brush up at a drinking fountain. We then walked around town and decided it was time to return to Barracks.

While [inserted] we were [/inserted] returning the Japanese bombed the town and we took refuge in a pub which locked the doors against looting. There was no charge for our drinks.

With the day far spent we again decided to return to Barracks and on arrival found only ground staff who informed us the others had left to be evacuated. They did not know from what place or port.

Still having our vehicle we drove to R.A.F. Headquarters and were informed we were deserters and should be shot. We were in disagreement with this and finally told to proceed to Tjilijap.

Being totally unfamiliar with the country we drove slowly all night and approached the Port in the early morning. Tjilijap is an oil port and the Japs were bombing it. We waited until they departed and then drove in to find what was left of our Squadron. On the way through town we passed a N.A.A.F.I. Canteen and seeing it was deserted returned and borrowed some cartons of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and cigarettes.

We found the remnants of the Squadron and while the C.O. W/C Juedwine [sic] was not impressed with our earlier activities he was somewhat forgiving when shown the booty.

[page break]

– 4 –

The corvette to evacuate us never arrived and following a meeting with the senior officers of the few remaining naval and army personnel, the C.O. gave us the choice of guerillas in the hills or escape by sea. Escape by sea was unanimous, without thought, by most, of how. All allied forces had capitulated.

The search was on for a suitable boat/boats. Four Officers – S/LDR. Tayler, F/LT Wylie, F/LT Holland, F.O. Owen – went across the river to see what was offering there – they never returned.

Two ship lifeboats and a small motor boat were the best to be found from our search.

The fires from the raid were still raging and we kicked 6 x 44 gallon drums of petrol into the river to cool before loading aboard the motor boat. She was to tow the lifeboats until fuel was exhausted.

Beakers of water and provisions were gathered and loaded aboard the boats together with the purloined beer and cigarettes.

The C.O. waited until midnight for the four officers to return but to no avail. He then ordered all to board being:– The motor boat – P.O. McDonald in command, [deleted] 1 [/deleted] 6 all told; Lifeboat – P.O. Streatfield in command, 28 all told; Lifeboat – W/C Juedwine in command, 28 all told.

So silhouetted against a fuel inferno and believing the Jap was on the other side, towed by the motor boat, we put–putted down the river on the first leg to Australia.

Tidal and sea conditions at the mouth of the river were such that the motor boat could no longer tow the two lifeboats. We cast off and started to row.

[page break]

– 5 –

At dawn we headed towards what appeared to be a small island and in an attempt to beach, the motor boat and Streatfield’s lifeboat were wrecked on a reef. Juedwine stood out and anchored. Those able to swim (mainly Australians) assisted ashore the others and then brought the provisions etc. from the two stricken boats.

Thus the situation – 62 airmen and one lifeboat.

I don’t know how or why I was selected but early in the afternoon I was told to report to the C.O. Juedwine simply said “Would you like to make a run to Australia” or words to that effect. I replied “Yes Sir”. I understand the approach was similar with the others.

The provisions etc. were [deleted] equally [/deleted] divided [inserted] as equally [/inserted] as possible and we set sail late afternoon. It was in this situation I met the other nine of my fellow passengers – having previously met only Juedwine and Cosgrove.

[underlined] JAN [/underlined] – You have a copy of the Log which follows the [deleted] above [/deleted] FOREGOING.

[underlined] 48 YEARS ON [/underlined]

I suddenly felt the urge to revisit two towns etched in my memory so, accompanied by my wife Jean, I joined the West Australian “Great Java Train Journey” in July of this year. [inserted] 1990 [/inserted]

Starting from Jakarta (Batavia) we travelled to Bandung [sic]. There Jean and I left the group for a day and by taxi found Kalijati, 125 km away, now an Indonesian air base. After much “negotiation” we were permitted to inspect or view the airfield from a distance (see photographs). Without doubt it was the same airfield from where we operated when the Japs invaded Java. We also passed what I considered to be the three mess and accommodation buildings used by us – now ruins.

[page break]

– 6 –

We rejoined and continued by train to Jogjakarta where again we left the group and by taxi found Tjilijap (now Cilacap) about 250 km to the coast. We first searched the Dutch Cemetery with the hope of finding the graves of the aforementioned four Officers, but sadly without result.

We then turned our attention to finding our departure or escape point. The oil depot was located but we were denied entry. It had grown tremendously and was surrounded by a high fence with guards. Not to be thwarted we found a ferry terminal further up the river from where, looking towards the oil depot, was a clear picture of our departure point (see photos).

THE END

[inserted] The foreing [sic] account of my introduction to 84 Sqd, and service therein is as factual as memory and interpretation of then events can be relied upon with the passage of time.

It was written for my daughter Jan who was hoping to produce a television documentary of our escape from Tjilajap to Australia.

At the time of writing it was not known if the four Officers, mentioned had escaped death and survived the war as P.O.W.s.