Japanese Murdered Patients Of Field Hospital In Burma

Northern Advocate, 28 February 1944, Page 5

Japanese Murdered Patients Of Field Hospital In Burma

(Rec. 1.30 p.m.) LONDON, Feb. 27. The Japanese' for 36 hours after their seizure of the Seventh Indian Division's improvised field hospital in a pass in Burma on February 7, used the wards as battle headquarters. They killed the British and Indian doctors and nursing orderlies, and murdered the patients in their beds, says a cor-, respondent of the “Daily Mail” on the Arakan front, in^Burma. Wounded men, whose moans might have given away the position were bayoneted. The Japanese refused water to dying troops and refused to allow’ doctors to attend them. They bound the prisoners' hands- behind their backs and pushed them forward in couples as a screen against fire from attacking British tanks and infantry. Four doctors, at least 25 wounded soldiers and an unknown number of orderlies had been massacred by the time a West Yorkshire regiment threw the Japanese out of the hospital. An Indian doctor whom the Japanese left for dead, told how, after brutal interrogation by a Japanese general, British and Indian prisoners were dragged into a nullah where they were forced to sit with their hands tied so tightly that many cried with pain, No Mercy Shown

“Others begged for water, but the Japanese ignored us," he said. “After what seemed like hours, we heard a British tank approaching. The Japanese pulled out British n.c.o.’s and pushed them to the entrance of the nullah. The tank opened fire with machine-guns and eight of our men were wounded. The Japanese lay back under cover, laughing and smoking. “When our chaps tried to withdraw, they were driven back to the line of fire. The tanks attacked three times. We were also dive-bombed and mortared. Eight more, including myself, were injured. The wounded by this time were screaming for water. Hardly a single man was left unscathed. The Japanese refused water and bandages. They bayoneted one man and shot another because they were crying with paio.

“The Japanese, when they prepared for retreat in the evening, look aside and shot ordinary British soldiers and some Indians. I pointed out that we were doctors and members of the Red Cross. Their answer was to put rifles to our heads and fire. Two bullets hit me, after which I fell into a slit trench and lay all night among the dead and dying.”

Major E. J. Currant said: “I lay all night listening to the Japanese walking up and down. Patients at intervals would cry 'Don't, don't’. Then there would be silence.”