Description
Object description
British civilian cadet administrative officer and district officer in Sarawak, British Borneo, 1938-1941; internee in Batu Lintang Camp, Kuching, Sarawak, British Borneo, 14/7/1942-11/9/1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in GB, 1914-1942: family; education; obtaining employment with State of Sarawak. Recollections of period as cadet administrative officer and district officer with Colonial Administrative Service in Sarawak, British Borneo, 1938-1941: arrival in Sarawak, 9/1938; initial posting to secretariat in Kuching; posting to and duties as cadet administrative officer to Bintulu; move to 6th Division of Sarawak; appointment as district officer and magistrate in Saribas District, 8/1941; importance of good relations with local people; degree of contact with other Europeans and fellow district officers; degree of effect of war in Europe; fund raising activities; contact with Chinese community; degree of war preparations in Saribas District; question of leaving Sarawak or staying on Japanese threat, 1941.
REEL 2 Continues: contents of letter sent home, 5/1/1942; Japanese attacks on Sarawak, 12/1941; continuing duties, 1/1942. Recollections of period as internee in Samarhan and Kuching, Sarawak, British Borneo, 1/1942-7/1942: arrest by Japanese, 30/12/1942; items taken into internment; Ibans’ attitude towards Japanese occupation; initial incarceration at Samarahan; removal to Kuching; treatment by locals during march in handcuffs in Kuching; degree of contact with GB; description of internee compound; contrast between first Japanese guards and later reservists; Japanese treatment of his gardener who brought him food; question of escape; relations between internees in cramped conditions; removal to second internee camp in former Roman Catholic School in Kuching.
REEL 3 Continues: obtaining supplies from civilian contact outside the camp; growing sweet potatoes; amusing story of visit by Japanese senior officer; state of morale; rations; degree of organisation in camp. Recollections of period as internee in Batu Lintang Camp, Kuching, Sarawak, British Borneo, 14/7/1942-11/9/1945: move to camp, 14/7/1942; description of camp; accommodation; sleeping on stretcher and repairs made to it; organisation of internees, arrival of internees from North Borneo and establishment of committee; need for co-operation amongst internees; removal of internees on discovery of newspaper; trading with British prisoners of war in adjoining camp; working on construction of airfield; contacts with civilians outside of camp; construction of illicit radio by British prisoners of war; method of disseminating war news.
REEL 4 Continues: nature of camp concerts and entertainment; camp lectures; reading material; chess games; sources of paper for camp newspaper; internee morale; degree of contact between married internees; growing state of apathy amongst internees; social composition of internees in his hut; internees’ loss weight during captivity; medical and dental facilities available; nature of deficiencies diseases experienced by internees; Japanese respect for dead.
REEL 5 Continues: changing character of internee and prisoner of war burials, 1943-1945; problems of sleeping and hunger; state of rations, 1945; vegetable gardens; occasion when he acquired chicken; vegetables and spices grown; description of kitchens; water supplies; question of shaving; examples of Japanese verbal commands; need to bow to Japanese; Japanese guards treatment of internees; suicide of camp interpreter; nature of relationship between internees and Japanese guards; suicide of Japanese camp commandant, Lieutenant-Colonel Tatasuji Suga, 16/9/1945; degree of contact with home; liberation of camp, 11/9/1945.