After all the kindnesses shown to us by the Thais of Kamburi, we threw a cocktail party and theatre show for them. They were received in a big hut decorated with flags and flowers, and the Governor, Boon Pong, the Paper Factory leaders, and all the Thai friends of anyone in the camp were invited. I don’t think they liked our doctoring of their lao, and they understood little of the concert; they merely took it for what it was – a gesture of sincere friendliness and gratitude.

On September 1st we were treated to an aerial circus, and two planes circled low round and round our camp dropping about 70 crates of food and cigarettes by parachute; and a very fast brand of Spitfire careered over the roofs of our camp and did a superb Victory Roll. Every P.O.W. and Thai turned out to watch and cheer, and Allied Stock went up several points.

Though we had no idea of it, this was our last day in Kamburi. We were invited to a large party that night in Aroong’s café but it wasn’t our turn for a pass. Then Emney, an ardent atheist, had the brilliant idea of going out as an official party to collect flowers for the Harvest Festival on the morrow! The request was granted – provided we did really bring back the flowers and the Padre, who slept alongside us, signed our chit. So at midday Mick and I went over to see Achit and he promised to have vast bunches of flowers cut that we could collect at midnight on our way back from eating and drinking.

At 7 o’clock we were all in the café drinking a very subtly and gently flavoured beverage, a special brew of rice-beer that Aroong had put on for us. We had ‘sati’ to eat, a sort of friend meat on the end of little spits and extremely succulent. It was a good evening and Achit and Sowana were there as usual, Aroong and his family, Bencha, whom we nicknamed Charlie Chan, and lastly a most villainous looking Thai who had been the wood contractor at Chungkai in the old days.

Everybody was exceedingly talkative. Charlie Chan kept bringing out the most unlikely words from his vocabulary and he appeared to be defending Thai women – though what defence they need is little enough. He ended up saying: ‘Thai girls very good. In Thailand, one girl 50 dollars! Yes! Sometimes 100 dollars! Very good indeed.’ (Q.E.D.!)