The prisoners were paraded in front of the doctor in groups of ten and made to do pushups as long as they were able. The Jap doctor questioned those who were unable to carry out this exercise or who collapsed early. Captain Reid would offer an explanation to as to the man’s inability as best he could. The whole process appeared academic as men riddled with diseases were posted for work anyway.
Most of the prisoners did not bother to deceive the Jap. They knew from past experience that sick or not they would be put to a task in the mine and that this would be the real test of their remaining strength. All the prisoners were aware that the more that faked the test the harder it would be for the others. Therefore the prisoners developed a kind of game around the tests. They began booing those who collapsed early; especially if they knew the man could do the work, and cheering those who managed to out last the others. None of the prisoners achieved anywhere near what they could have when fit however most did quite well. Of course they were so thin they had a lot less weight to lift.
When my turn came I was determined not to go into that mine and decided to fall right away. I pretended to make an effort and fell on my face. The boys did not boo me. They knew that I had been badly wounded. That my arm had been broken and healed crooked, and riddled with diseases. The Frog was right on the spot to beat me for malingering when I pointed to my arm saying, “ Hong Kong.” Captain Reid explained to the Jap doctor and I was excused from further tests.
Now a forty foot circle was marked out and the boys were made to run around it as many times as they could while carrying a hundred pound bag of rice on their backs. Some made a fairly decent job of this and were cheered by the others. This pleased the Japanese doctor and the guards immensely. Even the Frog momentarily stopped kicking and cuffing prisoners near him on watch. Others however just staggered a few feet and dropped the bag. If the boys thought they were putting it on they booed.
When all the prisoners had completed the tests they were assigned their tasks. Most of course went to the mines. A few, like myself, having very obvious disabilities were found jobs in the camp. Another Grenadier and I joined two more of our boys in the shoe shop, which was in the same hut as the tailor shop. There were also two Dutchmen working there and we worked two shifts day and night. The work consisted of patching by hand the rotten footgear the prisoners wore. Our good boots had been taken away from us and we were issued old rubber sneakers. These were mostly too small for our feet as our toes stuck through and the soles fell off. We managed to save these as best we could by using one old shoe to patch another.
When our boys had returned from their first day in the mine they had a terrible story to tell. The mine went down into the earth over a mile and there were no ventilation or safety provisions. Pit props were so scarce that the men were in constant danger of being buried by a collapse and there had been many accidents in the past. Men worked naked and up to their knees in water. The Japanese miners were like animals, ignorant and stupid, speaking a patois that was hard to understand. They threw coal at the prisoners, beat them, some even bit them. They were a very sad bunch of boys. Some of the prisoners were lucky and by chance had fared a bit better then the others. They had been assigned to digging an opening in a new vain of coal in a different part of the hill out in the open.
As the summer dragged on there was very little to ease the men’s lot. We received one half of a Red Cross parcel each during our stay. There was some attempt made at entertainment on rest days, which were few and far between. The Dutch Captain was quite a performer of stage magic and once in a while would put on a performance.
He would mesmerize the Jap Commandant’s chickens and sew two prisoners together by passing a needle and thread through their throats without pain. Many of the prisoners swore by his magic powers so I asked them, “ Well, if he has so much mystic power why can’t he get himself out of here?”
