ESCAPE STORY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 114, 16 May 1942, Page 5

ESCAPE STORY

SHOCK AFTER SHOCK

N.Z. WOMAN'S STORY

Escape from the terrible ordeal of the Japanese attack on Singapore only to encounter more perils at sea before reaching safety makes a stirring story told by a Wellington woman who, with her family, had been living for some years in Singapore, states the Post.

"We had prepared for a siege," she writes, and goes on to tell of the attacks from the air and of days spent in trying to save life and property, and in doing hospital and ambulance work. After the Causeway was blown up the family took the law into their own hands, grabbed a few clothes and, picking up some friends, set off by car to join a ship that was expected to leave that night. There were fires and ruins everywhere as they drove on, and after abandoning the car as near as possible to a blazing warehouse, they crawled on to the ship, not knowing where it was going.

A Direct Hit It turned out that the ship was bound for Batavia. There were over 300 Chinese evacuees on board, and the ship was one of five making a break unescorted. "We were 11 hours out when we got it," the writer continues, "and, although we had guns on board, five planes attacked each ship. We had 15 bombs dropped around us and received a direct hit with an armour-piercing shell, which went through three decks and then burst in the, doctor's surgery. We were shut in the dining saloon on that deck, and I cannot even now tell you how we lived through it. The Japs, left us for sinking, as they did the other ships, which were less fortunate than we were. On our ship there were eight killed and many seriously injured; the medical stores had gone and a fire had broken out, so our food was finished.

"Morning came at last and, after burying the dead, we limped into Palembang (Sumatra). We were all badly shocked and the ship badlv damaged. The wounded were taken off and we were put up at Pladoje. The women of that place had been evacuated, but the men were wonderful and took us to their homes. Next morning 80 Japanese planes came over, but did not have any luck." Then followed train journeys, on one of which they, and many others, stood in cattle trucks for 10 hours. A boat trip across the Sunda Straits was part of the trying journey. The people in Batavia were very good to the Singapore people, who were there for 10 days, while air raids were frequent. "Each day in Java we saw our hopes fading." the writer states, "and then out of the blue came a certain ship, and we left with a convoy. It was wonderful while we were in convoy, but imagine the shock we got when, after 24 hours, we found ourselves alone in the Indian Ocean! It got colder and colder, and all we could do was to wrap the ship's blankets around us for warmth." After a week thev arrived in Australia "like destitute, deserted old dogs."

"Glad to Have TJved Through"

Surprise is expressed by the writer at finding everyone "working according to plan." and the point is made that "the Japanese plan is to demoralise everything." With a note of advice on keeping cool and endeavouring to save life in circumstances such as those she experienced, the writer concludes: 'I've gone grey now, and the ordeal was terrible. But I have alvays wanted to live in dangerous times and, although it was almost more than we could stand, I'm glad to have lived througfe. it?*