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

18th JANUARY 1943

Me on the left, not the centre

Had a inoculation today.  It sure put me on my back but alright after 24 hours.

20th JANUARY 1943

Today is my anniversary.  Have been married three years and don't regret one day.  This is my second anniversary in India and very much hope I am back home with Olive (wife) for the next one.

Olive

The food is getting very bad, yesterdays dinner we could not eat any.

The pictures in Bauragarh collapsed last night and tonight it poured down with rain owing to no roof we all got wet.

22nd JANUARY 1943

Lightning

We was sitting in the pictures at Bauragarh when a gale blew up and blew half the picture house down, so was told to come next night.  Next night it poured down with rain so we had to run out of the pictures for shelter owing to the roof only made of linen!  We decided to sit in the rain as the picture was half over.

The pro-British prisoners do the operating, they also built the place.

My gramophone keeps going wrong so I sold it, bought Olive her birthday present.

1st FEBRUARY 1943

One of my army mates got me an oil painting done of wife, from one of the stations prisoners of war in the camp. It took him nearly three weeks to do it but he sure made a good job of it, cost twelve rupees.  Now having a pencil drawing of wife.

My mate today went into hospital.

16th FEBRUARY 1943

Sent parcel home to wife for her birthday present.

"Tiger" is lose and supposed to be hanging around camp.

1st MARCH 1943

Bibbies at work

Had two frames made by stations. Nine prisoners escaped yesterday.

Receiving plenty of mail.  Writing every day to wife.

Went to Bhopal.  Pictures last night.

The weather is getting very hot now!

Parcel sent by wife 25.10.42, 29.11.42, 11.1.43.

Some of the army lads got beaten up over the village!