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Notes:
British Sumatra Battalion
8th November 1943
Out of the 500 that had left Padang in Sumatra, as the British Sumatra Battalion, 18 months before, only 300 made it to Changaraya, 86 had died along the way, the others were too sick to be moved some were left at Thanbyuzayat and about 50 were at the 55 Kilo Camp, which was a hospital were Col. Coates was operating on patients who had to have limbs amputated because of tropical ulcers.
‘Pissaphone’ in operation
The photo is available from http://www.awm.gov.au
The huts at Changaraya were of bamboo construction with atap roofs and were sited high on the side of a very steep slope. The valley being fairly light jungle with clumps of bamboo. This was the first camp the prisoners found it cold at night. The latrines had a ‘pissaphone’, which was used to urinate into, shaped like a horn of a gramophone connected to a hollow bamboo tube which entered the latrine pit, thus assisting in the aim being accurate.
The food at the camp was the worst the prisoner had yet found, the prisoners suffering from pellagra and beri beri. These vitamin deficiency diseases effecting the eyes, tongue and skin. Causing swelling of the feet, making the feet burn at night. Malaria and dysentery were very common amongst the prisoners.
In one hut a screen divided off the bed space given to native workers.
Shortly after arriving at Changaraya the prisoners were taken to a camp to clear it up, it had been occupied by ‘H’ and ‘F’ Forces as a cholera hospital, many bodies were buried.
In mid December 1943 American Red Cross parcels arrived, these were divided as one parcel per fourteen men.
Early in January the Japanese split the prisoners up. It was decided that the prisoners in poor health were to be sent to Kan’Buri Hospital in Thailand, the journey started on 12th January 1944 and included the majority of the British Sumatra Battalion, a small party were left at Changaraya to carry on maintenance work. Those travelling to the hospital had to put up with thirty men to a four wheeled cattle truck, the journey lasting two days.
Information from British Sumatra Battalion by A.A. Apthorp
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Changaraya
Japanese
