Evening star., 1945-11-05

49, IUll Cdu. 1llIs
1 became a daily
practice, an6
Gen. Wainwright. once we had te
wait at attention two hours before
the Jap sauntered by.
When the first morning roll cal
was over, our food carriers went
again to the kitchen and brought
back another bucket Of rice and
the same kind of watery vegetable
soup. We were as hungry after fin
ishing it as when we began. We
were beginning to be haunted by
hunger.
That Afternoon our small luggage
was returned to us, after having
been thoroughly picked over. Never
theless, we were required to take 1t
out to the parade group and once
again it underwent thorough pick
ing. Finally, however, we were hand
ed our toilet articles and when given
permission we shuffled off to the
w.ter spigots in the rear Of the bar
racks and brushed our teeth and
shaved for the first time since leav-
ing Manila nearly week before
The first few days Of our long
stay at Karenko were fretful ones
and the air was SO tense it could
be cut. We sat around talking
quietly and wondering what was in
store for us.
Our months of half rations on
Bataan and Corregidor and then the
starvation diets of our Imprisonment
were beginning to catch up with us.
Aside from our ever-more skeleton
lied appearance, the first sign of
our physical deterioration was our
feet and ankles. The Japs would
not return our shoes, and the strange
clogs aggravated our lower extremi-
ties. The feet and ankles of many
officers and men began to swell,
some to such an extent that the skin
cracked open. Maj. Gen. Edward P.
King was hardly able to walk.
Baggage Searched Again.
After perhaps week at Karenko
we were led out to the parade
ground one afternoon and found all
of our heavier baggage in pile.
We had to sort out our individual
gear and separate it. Then 1t was
minutely searched once again What
few bits of military equipment we
had left to us by that time were
taken from us. Somehow a pair of
my field glasses-presented to me
on Corregidor by one Of my staff
oficers-had been left untouched in
one OF my bags. These now were
taken away by young Jap officer.
Our systematic starvation con-
tfnued without incident, one dreary
day upon another, until September
%, 1912, when there was a commo-
ton at the entrance to the prison
enclosure and we saw many old
friends being led in.
Among them were Maj. Gen.
Sharp and other officers and en-
listed men from his surrendered
Observation-Disclosures force. In the
group also were a number of Brit
ish, Dutch and Australian general
officers. as well as Sir Shenton
Thomas, former Governor of Ma
laya; Sir Mark Young, former Gov
ernor of Hong Kong; Sir Percy Nc
Elwaine, chief justice of the Straits
Settlements, and Sir Harry Trusted
formerly chief justice of the Fed
Grated Malay States.
The new prisoners also included
the Governor General of the Meth
erland East Indies, Tjarda van
Starkenbourgh, and the Governor OF
Sumatra, A. I. Spits. Among the
British were Maj. Gen. Ian M. Mac
Rae, retired, Red Cross director fol-
Malaga; 1t. Gen. A. E. Percival
former commander in chief of the
British forces in Malaga; 1t. Gen
Sir l.. M. Heath, commander of the
Indian Sd Corps in Malaga.
Dutch Brought In.
In the Dutch contingent was my
good friend, 1t. Gen. Helm terPorr-
ten, commander in chief of the
Netherlands Indies forces. I had
last seen TerPorrten in the Philip
pines when he had toured our in
stallations. He was my guest al
Fort Mckinley about the time he
was promoted to his new rank.
The new prisoners were placed ir
the only barracks on the reserva.
tion, resulting in great jamming
Our squads were reorganized, and
yielded my role as squad leader te
Gen. King. had been given the
post by the Japs because of my
rank, but my ears, hurt on Correg-
1dor, were giving me trouble. 1t was
hard to hear instructions and ]
sensed that the Japs were just wait
ing for us to make some blundel
that would invite them to take II
out on all of us.
Instructions to the whole camp OF
405 men were given to an assembly
of squad leaders. The interprete,
spoke such atrocdous English thai
there was always considerable con.
fusion over our duties, and resultant
fear that we would do something
wrong.
One of the best-liked of the new.
comers to Karenko was Mai. Gen
Beckwith-Smith. This commands
of the 18th British Division in Ma.
laya and former commander O
the crack Coldstream Guards, was /
tirst-class gentleman and soldier.
He had been badly used, as hae
been the others, but his spirit wa
excellent and he was a comfrot t,
us all. What feelings he had in hi,
own breast he kept to himself. Blu
one Sunday morning we saw his fin,
reserve break up.
Hold Religious Services.
We had been holding a religion
service each Sunday since our ar
rival at the camp, though we had n,
lsHRst;onai,g
Skepin1Ier6A