Brennand-John

To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

641337

Leading Aircraftman

John Brennand

1920/05/23 - Born New Mills, Stockport

Son of John and Margaret Brennand

1939/04/27 - Enlisted

Royal Air Force

153 Maintenance Unit

Service

1939 - After enlisting Appointed as a Class F Reservist.

1941 - Aircraftman 1st Class, Main Party.

Engine Repair Depot, Kuala Lumpur.

Duties - Fitter II.

Japanese PoW

1942/03/08 - Captured Tasikmalaja, Java

1942/04/02 - Malang Camp, Java

PoW No. III 1293

Commander W/Cmd. Welch

At Malang when forced to handle aero engines and aircraft parts, these were severely damaged during course of work. Also sand was put into petrol.

Japanese Index Card - Side One

Japanese Index Card - Side Two

Transported to Sarabaya Camp

Before leaving Sarabaya Camp the PoW were examined, well they walked past the doctor in single file, that was the examination, everyone was passed fit.

1943/04/17 - The morning of the transport Squadron Leader Pitts was without warning badly beaten in front of the assembled PoWs. it went on for about 15 minutes the assailant was Sergeant Mori who was trying to impress the 2,060 British and Dutch awaiting transport.

The holds of the two ships Cho Saki Maru (1,030 PoWs) and Amagi Maru (1,030 PoWs) were very cramped with just enough room for the PoWs to lie down, head to toe with those next to them. The latrines were two buckets with holes in them suspended over the side of the ships. The ships remained in Sarabaya harbour for days and dysentery broke out due to cramped and unhygienic conditions on board. Eventually the ships got under way in convoy.

1943/05/05 - The ships arrived at Haruku in the Spice Islands. No deaths on voyage but many with illness.

The huts were of bamboo and made by the Haruku natives but many did not have any atap roof and the PoWs were faced with heavy rain on arrival. Some latrine pits had been dug for the native workmen’s use, but with the heavy rain they were overflowing. The camp was situated on a slop and the huts were lower than the latrines so their contents flowed into the camp and the huts.

Walking in this mess caused infection to spread quickly and dysentery spread, as there were no bunks in the huts the PoWs when they arrived had to sleep on the floor and it developed into an dysentery epidemic.

The Japanese decided the illness was caused by flies and gave orders that each PoW had to catch 100 flies per day.

May and June was a nightmare for the doctors with little medicine to cope with the epidemic.

It reached it’s peak in July with 350 deaths mainly from Bacterial Dysentery and over 1,100 men ill. Anyone who could stand were worked at the airstrip.

The Dysentery was not the only illness the men suffered, the symptoms of another illness was a burning sensation in the feet. This was caused by a lack of vitamin B. The men called it ‘Happy Feet’ and most of the camp suffered from it. At night there were many walking up and down the huts as this was the only way to relieve the pain.

1945/10/27 - Liberated PoW Camp 1 Batavia, Java