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Burma
Liberated Rangoon Jail
Notable Experiences
Notable Experience 2
One aircraft was damaged on 30th July 1943 by light A.A. fire just aross the river from Yenanyaung, and was successfully crash-landead at abut 0910 hrs.
The PoW does not remember getting out of his aircraft but when he came to, he found that he wasg lying some distance away and later discovered that he had a broken ajw, a lot of teeth knocked out, a fractured left arm and a badly injured knee.
His first recollection was of walking to a small Burmese hut and asking for help. He was feeling very ill at the time and the Burmese in the hut put him into a bullock cart and took him to their village. He arrived there at night and was taken to a large empty house by two of the Burmese who had come with him in the bullock cart. There were two beds in one of the rooms of thig house. The PoW lay down on one of them and indicated to the Burmese that they should lie down on the other. One of the Burmese then said that he was going away to get a doctor. The PoW lay on the bed feeling very sorry for himgelf and after some time the remaining Burmese said he was going to gee what had happened to the first.
During the night there wag a procession past the house but the PoW did not know the reason for it.
At dawn, he woke up, opened the door of the room and found a Burman armed with a rifle standing guard outside. The Burman spoke a little English and gave the PoW a little coffee and some food which he was unable to eat because of his injuries. He also announced that a doctor had been sent for. The PoW then walked out to the front of the house and sat down under a tree.
A little later a doctor arrived and whilst examing the PoW’s injuries five Burmese came up from behind and held him down.
They took away all the PoW’s kit and one of them then remained standing over him with a rifle.
The headman then told the POW. that the village was under Japanese rule and that they would have to hand him over to the Japanese.
In spite of attemping to reason, the headman was very firm on this point and said that i the PoW was not handed over, the Japanege would burn down the village. The headman expressed his sorrow at having to follow this course of action but said that he had no alternative.
The PoW was then taken to the centre of the village and secured with a pair of handcuffs to which a long chain was attached, and was placed in a small Jail.
Again he tried to persuade his jailers to help him escape, but was told that this was quite impossible as there were so many Japanese spies in the village.
He received very good treatment, and on the 31st was taken by pony and cart along the river, and aoross to the Japanese Military Headquarters in Yenanyaung and handed over to the Japanese.
At approximately 1800 hrs. on the 28th April, 1945, one
3.
of the P. W. being marched out ot RANGOON JAIL, broke away from the
column with g even othep W. Each Of the party had managed to
gteal a certain amount of food from the Japanese ca+tg which the
W. were hauling.
They moved off into the jungle individually and met at
a rendezvous two to threoe mileg west of the roa& at approximately
2230 1-arg.
The party then reéturned to the road to make sure that
the oolümn had moved on, erogged over to the eagt, through the
paddy, over the railway, and turned south along the grack.
At 0400 hrs. on the 29th, April) they made camp in
gome elephant grass, and some of the party glept whilgt otherg
prepared a meal.
rested there for some time and at 1600 hrs. two
Burmese arme with gpearg approached, but made off agaih when they
reallged that they were outnumbered. The evaders gathered up
their belongings and get off gouth for gome dløtange unaer cover
of the elephant gragg
After dark,' they regumed their marc , avoiding all
They finally reached one village which stretched from
villages .
the river to the railway and could not therefore be avoided.
Chey marched into the village and were surrounded by gome Burmese
who were all heavily armed.
The headman proved reasonable giving
them gome water and. directing them to a KAREN village about 5
miles further, on.
At the KAREN v lil lage the evåderg were very well
received and cared for, and the Kareng kept them for about 5 days;
ag they gaid that the A1 lieg were on the way.
One Karen acted ag gcou$ ana reported that he had
geen Allied armoured oars In the Vicinity. Cho next day he
reported a whole column near the village, go two of the party get
off to make contact Gana found a column of the West Yorks., who
gent back a jeep to collect the remainder of the party and then
pagged them babk to ?EGU.
While the evaderß were in the KÅBEN village three
Japanege arrived and agked if there vere any Englishmen In the
village. The headman had to glen a declaration to the effect that
Che Japanese departed but were ambughed»
the Eng11Bhmen had left.
on the outgklrfg of the village by the, Karengvwho beheaded them.
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