SHIP TORPEDOED

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25055, 20 November 1944, Page 6

SHIP TORPEDOED

.-/OVER 1000 LIVES LOST . f,.. STORIES BY SURVIVORS ' CANBERRA, Nov. 18 , . .Crammed into the foetid and stiflingly hot hold of a Japanese ship, 1300 British troops, including 700 Australians, ■yvere torpedoed by a United States submarine on September 12, 1944, in the .Western Pacific. Ninety-two Australians and 60 other British troops were rescued by American submarines, and all but one of the Australian survivors have Eoiv arrived in Australia. Japanese destroyer actually put "out boats to rescue any Japanese on . rafts, but refused to pick up any prisv.'oners of war and waved derisively at the Australians, who replied by singing - from the water, "Rule Britannia." Shocking Conditions Amazing stories of tho hardships and ' the almost incredible conditions under : -which the prisoners _of war were car- „ lied on Japanese ships have been told by survivors. These facts were related 5 in the House of Representatives by the is acting-Prime Minister, Mr F. M. Forde. Accommodation on a ship provided for , 1300 British troops consisted of space in the ship's second hold carrying a 4 sign reading "Accommodation for 187 'steerage passengers," and horizontally - divided by a false, floor. Thus the Japanese created two ' X decks, neither of which had a ceiling height exceeding four feet. The men liacl just enough room to sit up. Their * bedding was. their own personal cloth- •; jug and one blanket, usually of poor . cotton. Portholes were sealed and the only ventilation was through the hatch. Starvation Diet The sufferings of the men were in- * tensified by the shortage of drinking ; water. The rice ration, often the stew, ■was cooked with salt water, making the * men even thirstier. The food ration for each man consisted of three-quarters '■ of a pannikin of rice three times daily, with an added spoonful of sugar in the morning and a small tin of watery fish •- stew at night. * When the ship was torpedoed_ the Japanese panicked most and hurriedly left the ship. None displayed the slightest interest in the fate of the prisoners, ■: but the prisoners, under the direction * of their officers, effected an orderly V evacuation and jumped overboard after flinging rafts and wooden articles into _ the sea. Between the afternoon of the ~ fourth day and the evening of the sixth . day the survivors were rescued by an . American submarine.

PRISON CAMP HORRORS 2000 DEATHS REPORTED .PRIVATIONS AND HARDSHIPS CANBERRA, Nov. 18 " Of approximately 10,000 Australian prisoners of war in Japanesa prison camps in Burma and Siam, about 2000 are estimated to have died. The first detailed story of the terrible privations and hardships suffered by the Allied soldiers in these camps has been given ; by the acting-Prime Minister, Mr Forde, • Tvho said that .the main causes of deaths of. men in jungle prison camps were pialnutrition, dysentery, malaria and -exhaustion, and, in some places, cholera. ■ "Men stricken with fever were forced to work on a railway which was being constructed through the virgin forest. Many were brutally treated by their gaolers. Sir William Webb, Commonwealth Government's commissioner for investigation of Japanese atrocities, reported that the Japanese had almost entirely disregarded < the rules of warfare concerning prisoners of war, but there •were times when Australians came under the control of humane Japanese commanders and had relatively decent conditions. The conditions detailed had no reference to camps in Hongkong, Formosa, occupiecl China, Korea and . Ja"pan ; where it is believed the present conditions may be relatively better, although still far below the standard desired. No issue of clothing was made by the Japanese to men working on the Bnrma-Siam railway, and many, of the prisoners were reduced to wearing only a loin cloth. Food was inadequate and the issue of soap was one small piece about every six months. .. Each day there was a sick parade held by: an Australian medical officer, but if an insufficient number of men were available for work a Japanese doctor would make a casual inspection of the sick and _ order to work all men who had no visible disease. Often men with very high temperatures would be forced to work. - Australian doctors did their utmost for sick men, but the absence of medical supplies and facilities made sickness and death inevitable. Allied surgeons used mainly improvised instruments and only local anaesthetics were available, even fo.- the removal of limbs. Many patients had tropical uicer3. often from the knee to foot. Many such cases had to have the leg removed, and a large percentage died. Under pressure shifts were increased from 12 to 18 hours a day, sometimes exceeding 24 hours of continuous work. Guards maltreated the prisoners at the slightest pretext. Beatings were frequent. Another punishment was to make the prisoner stand holding a heavy piece of wood above his head for two to five hours. Sometimes prisoners were made to stand to attention for several days.