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Statement by No. 845353 Sergeant Nolan P of 23rd. Coast Training Battery 4 Coast Training Regiment R.A. of his experiences with the Party of '600' which left Changi PoW Camp on the evening of 18th October 1942
600 PoWs left the Changi Camp on the evening of 18th October 1942. I was unfortunate enough to be one of them and I am going to endeavour to give a truthful account of what happened from midday of that day we arrived at Singapore Docks by truck. We sat on the dock side under guard for about three hours watching Japanese soldiers going aboard on of the ships in the harbour, then we were escorted by Japanese soldiers to the lower holds of this ship where the atmosphere was foul with dampness and filth and we sensed immediately that we were in for an unpleasant voyage. A little later on the Japanese handed out straw mats for us to lay on, but even this small comfort was not enjoyed by all of us. The holds were very confined, about 45ft. by 45ft. We were very overcrowded. Our first taste of food on board was a small portion of rice, half a pint of week tea, devoid of milk or sugar, but as we were fortunate enough to have brought Red Cross tinned meat etc. , with us from Changi we issued it out at the meagre rate of one tin for 5 men. Late that same evening we drew away from the dockside and left the harbour, by the next morning we were on the way. Being curious we had. asked. the Nips where we were bound for but discovered that they knew very little themselves, some replied. and gave us Australia, United. States, India and though perhaps a little sardonically London was our next port of call. We appeared to be sailing alone and taking a zig zag course. It was three or four days before we sighted land again, that was when we called at Sourabaya. During this time the conditions on the ship were appalling they were 400 men in the forward hold and the ration of drinking water was half a pint , twice per day. As the elements were very vrarm and the ventilation practically nil we soon began to feel the effects of this. Six men were allowed on deck to use the lavatory at a time and this privitation was made worse when many of the chaps contracted. Dysentry. Two days after departing from Sourabaya we had our first death, this was BSM Lambourne (7th Coast Regiment R.A.) who we buried at sea. The Japs according to their customs paid, their last respects to the deceased by placing a bottle of lemonade and a packet of biscuits in with the corpse prior to it being placed over the side. We carried. on sick at heart, the journey seemed interminable. One of our officers, Major Steele R.A. , made repeated requests for extra and better quality food and an increased ration of drinking water, and an allowance of water to wash in, the latter being an essential necessity that had been denied us since starting our journey, however these requests proved of no avail apart from one pitiful concession of four buckets of sea water per day between 599 men. It as with relief and thankfulness that we eventually arrived at Rabaul and lay at anchor in the Rabaul Harbour on November 5th. 1942 an ironical reminder of the occasions we had often celebrated on this day, being the bangs of Jap AA fire opening up at what we were later told was an American Reconnaissance Plane which was not however hit by the fire. We went ashore to find that we had to sleep in the jungle 12 tarpaulins about 20 feet square being provided, these of course being totally inadequate to cover all the 599 men, many slept out in the open, providence being kind it remained dry until we awoke the following morning when we were told that we moving to a proper camp. We embussed on trucks and after one hour and a half journey over rough country we came to antiquated looking factory, it had been a copra factory but had fallen into disuse, the district was called KOCOPO, here the Japs issued 12 dilapidated bell tents, these were meant to house the whole of the 599 men, unfortunately providence did not remain so kind as the previous evening, for several hours rain fell heavily, the majority of the tents leaked very badly and a hellishly uncomfortable night was spelt by all of us. The following day the Japs asked for 550 men for work on unloading ships but as we had been living under appalling conditions for nearly three weeks many of the men were suffering from Dysentery, Beri. Beri, Malaria etc. so our Officer Lt.- Col. Bassett R.A. said that it would be impossible to provide such a number but he thought that about 250 of his men were in a reasonable state of wealth to work, but on being told this the Japs were totally unmoved and threatened that if 550 men were not forthcoming no food would be issued so it meant that we worked or, starved. 450 men, some in great pain, the greater part of them physically unfit were sent out as a working party, the work we found was very strenuous and the hours long, the food was still of a very poor nature and very low in quantity consequently our health was rapidly declining. After about a week at KOCOP0 we had a very heavy raid one night and the Japs gave orders in very poor and broken English
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