I went round the flooded sections of the huts with the only good light to help people find their kit and evacuate to higher ground, and when dawn came hundreds and hundreds of troops were lying wrapped up in sacks and bits of blanket along the main camp road. Of course, a few hours later the main river broke down the other bund and the second state of that camp was worse than the first!

It was in Chungkai at the end of May, 1944, that we received parcels from the American Red Cross – the only ones we received in Thailand. They were issued out at one parcel to six men and were marvellous. But it infuriated us to think that our families were probably paying enough money for us to receive one of these complete every month; for there was no doubt that if we’d received useful and vitaminful food like that regularly in the bad days we’d have had only half the casualties and the Nips would have had the work done quicker by a healthier labour force. As on all these occasions the Nips looted the stuff wholesalely, and our first intimation that Red Cross goods were in the camp was seeing and smelling Nips smoking Camel and Chesterfield cigarettes.