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Chapters (40)
  1. FOREWORD
  2. RAILROAD OF DEATH
  3. REFERENCE LIST:
  4. Railroad of Death
  5. PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION (1948)
  6. INTRODUCTION
  7. PART ONE: SINGAPORE
  8. CHAPTER 1
  9. CHAPTER 2
  10. CHAPTER 3
  11. CHAPTER 4
  12. CHAPTER 5
  13. PART TWO: RAILROAD OF DEATH
  14. CHAPTER 6
  15. CHAPTER 7
  16. CHAPTER 8
  17. CHAPTER 9
  18. CHAPTER 10
  19. CHAPTER 11
  20. CHAPTER 12
  21. CHAPTER 13
  22. PART THREE: BASE CAMPS AND LIBERATION
  23. CHAPTER 14
  24. CHAPTER 15
  25. CHAPTER 16
  26. CHAPTER 17
  27. CHAPTER 18
  28. CHAPTER 19
  29. CHAPTER 20
  30. APPENDIX ONE:
  31. APPENDIX TWO:
  32. APPENDIX THREE:
  33. APPENDIX FOUR:
  34. APPENDIX FIVE:
  35. APPENDIX SIX:
  36. APPENDIX SEVEN:
  37. APPENDIX EIGHT:
  38. APPENDIX NINE:
  39. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  40. And The Dawn Came Up Like Thunder

The Nips told us that our sector had had to be increased, and one more move up, a short way and only for a short time, would be necessary, and then the railway would be finished. They appreciated that the camp was well below half strength, and very exhausted, but in a few months we’d all be sent below. Nip promises, ugh!

We learnt finally that the camp would leave on August 1st, and go by foot to a camp about 23 kilometres up, where it would still be under Ino’s command. All the sick would move into camp 206, which was now a Hospital Base Camp. At that time I was still sick, and my foot was very sore, and old Woolley was also sick with Singapore Foot. We therefore decided that we’d try and make Camp 206 together, and laid our plans accordingly.

But we had reckoned without Fate. Nuts suddenly announced one afternoon that Colonel Featherstonhaugh had asked him to send eight officers to reinforce the terribly depleted Officers Battalion that was now still in 206 but about to go north once more. At first Nuts chose eight people headed by a young major but, as Billy Phair pointed out, the young major was very sick. So then a list of attached officers was made out, but at least half of them were sick or even already evacuated, and then a third list was made out more or less by the luck of the draw. Amongst the eight were one of Nuts’s own senior Territorial Officers, Gus and myself. Gus and I were both sick, and we’d fight our own battles when we got to the H.Q. camp; but Ronny Tompkins, when he had an interview with Nuts and complained that he thought it unjust that he should be sent to this Officers Battalion, had his nose publicly tweaked by his Colonel in front of all the troops!

Of course only one thought was in Woolley’s and my mind: had Nuts volunteered to send eight of his officers away, as he had so often threatened to do, or had it been a genuine request? As Gus and I left for 206 with old Woolley we had one primary objective – to find out the truth about those eight officers at once.

On the parade ground Nuts wished us farewell and good luck. He saw my bare feet and said he thought I’d always gone about barefooted because I preferred it – was I lame too? He was so sorry. Off he went.

CHAPTER 11