AUGUST 1942

Vizagapatum

Finished parachute course.  Came back to Vizag (Vizagapatum): at moment feeling now too good. Waiting now for posting, hopefully it will be Lahore.

Lahore

Had thirty-six letters on arriving back to Vizag.  Now in the tent with my mate Bill, my other two mates got posted.

We now have a straw canteen!  Cannot wear any shoes at all now through operation.

21st September 1942

Bhopal

Date now September 21st.

POSTED TO ADVANCE TRAINING UNIT BHOPAL

29TH SEPTEMBER 1942

Leaving for Bhophal 29th, will take two days to get there. Going from here on my own. Received parcel from wife.

Got my 217C at Vizag September 26th with eight months back pay!

Now going to Bhopal as parachute packer!

2nd October 1942

What a camp

It took me four days to get here, one nights sleep in the station at NAGPUR, also one night a Bhopal station.

The camp has been a prison camp for High Tides so they moved them and put us in!  They say there are seven thousand prisoners here.  Only the other day they found thirty seven revolvers on them, also under the cook house the prisoners built a radio set and was getting connections with Burma

Bhophal 1942

The battery was from torch lamps.

We played them football, they beat us 4-0.

The officers pull our lads teeth out!

The prisoners are right on top of our camp.

3rd NOVEMBER 1942

Some of the lads, hope you can find me. November 1942

My day off today so doing plenty of writing to wife.

This is a grim place, at night we have a chat over the hurricane lamp if we can get one.  We play cards if we have any money.

Cannot get drunk as we are only allowed three bottles of beer a month!  

The jailbirds

I often watch the HIGH TIDES as they are only about thirty yards away in the same billets as us.  Some of them have not seen home for seven years.

CHRISTMAS AT BHOPAL 1942

Bhophal 1942

Went out Christmas Eve to railway station at Bhopal owing to no beer in camp.

Christmas day here and still no beer!

Had Chicken for Christmas dinner but very tough, but enjoyed it very much.  They told us we would have plenty of beer for Christmas but Boxing day here and still no beer!  I think this is the worse Christmas I have ever had. Had fine Yule-tides escape!

One guard shot another one.  Still when I think of the prisoner I consider myself lucky.

I had my Christmas mail from Olive so I don't mind, went to the pictures during Christmas.

Hopefully I will be home with the wife by next year, as this life gets me down.  It came on D.R.O. that married men will have to do three years so my hope of two years deteriorated but soon be done two years now.

1st JANUARY 1943

India

Started the New Year with a boil on my leg.  It sure is painful.

Went to bed 8 o'clock New Years Eve!

Rumour came out that two years for married man.

Oh boy, if its only true should be on the boat in six months.

16th JANUARY 1943

Now living in tents.  Six of us in a tent.  The prisoners have built us a temporary picture house made of bamboo.

Having a painting done of wife by one of the Italians.

Prisoners of war