Use your intelligence to avoid drinking contaminated water, or coming in touch with infected persons or articles. Use only your own feeding utensils. Those who were stupid or careless died, as diphtheria and other contagious diseases were rampant. Men survived by natural immunity, stamina, ingenuity, and dissembling towards the Jap, and by a certain amount of just plain luck.
A job as a cook or as an Orderly relieved one from arduous labor. They also had their little advantages, a little extra food, and the first selection of the belongings of the dead.
The Japs used hunger to discipline and to get the maximum amount out of us. What little rations of food there was went first to the strongest. If a man was sick and unable to work his ration was cut and he lay in the so-called hospital and starved to death, a long and painful death aggravated by beriberi and other diseases. Men lost their sight and hearing. Some, who were rescued just in time to escape death, may never recover the full use of their eyes. In dry beriberi the body shrinks to a skeleton, nerves become paralyzed, all functions of the body become impeded, some lost. It starts at the extremities, hands and feet. They feel as if on fire. Men plunged their feet into icy cold water to ease the pain so that they could get some sleep. Gradually it spread to the hips, stomach, and finally to the heart, ending in a protracted period of intense torture. Men with this, or some other form of beriberi, dysentery and other diseases, would be marked for work and would be seen trying to carry a load on the point of collapse, often with one foot dragging behind them.
At every prison camp I was at there was always a black market. This was strictly ‘hush-hush.’ There was always someone in touch with the outside, either by bribing the guards or by contact with the Chinese civilians that might visit the camps on some duty. Through these sources a few individuals received money and some supplies but this was so strictly secret few benefited.
Tom Marsh - Chapter 7 - Prison Break
On the Island the Canadians were grouped together at North Point prison camp. The Grenadiers were in some huts and the Royal Rifles in others. The Sergeants of the Grenadiers made a little group at one end of one of the huts. Here were my own particular friends, Sergeants Bob Manchester, John Payne and Ken McCully. As work parties at this time were few we had plenty of time for discussion. John Payne contended that it was the Jap’s intention to ultimately destroy all of us and that starvation and disease were all part of that plan. He also was of the opinion that the best we could hope for was years of slavery and then death. He stated he would much prefer to take a chance of dying now, while attempting to escape, then to live in the misery were experiencing.
The matter was discussed pro and con. Bob Manchester and myself were of the opinion that it was impossible to escape. We were on an Island and would have to swim at least a mile. We would be easily identified as white men and were not able to speak Chinese. A reward would be offered and many of the Chinese would gladly turn us in. If recaptured the Japs would kill us all after torturing us. Our friends left behind would be punished, perhaps shot. Where would we go? It was a thousand miles through hostile country to our nearest lines. Still John was determined to go and was annoyed that we tried to deter him.
He was in touch with a group of three enlisted men in another hut, Privates Ellis, Adams, and Bereziski. They were of the same mind as John and would accompany him so they prepared for the attempt. His plan was to steal a boat and to make his way along the coast. Somehow he provided himself with a large knife, which he sharpened assiduously, and I believe a revolver. He had obtained a pair of cavalry britches and puttees and seemed concerned that there should be no mistake he was in military uniform. The Jap however makes no distinction with escaping prisoners. In their code any prisoner escaping had broken the surrender terms and his life was forfeit.
