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Post by okla on Jan 16, 2011 23:42:25 GMT 8
Hey Guys (and Gals, if any)....I thought I would toss a little tidbit out there that some of you might find interesting. A few days ago I attended a family gathering and was talking to a cousin, a retired USAF M/Sgt that I had not seen in fifty or so years. I met his wife, an English girl (London Eastender, great Cockney accent,etc). She told me how, as an elementary school girl, about surviving the Blitz of 1940-41, spending many evenings in the "Tube" to escape German bombs. She also described how her Father survived Dunkirk and her Step-Father was taken prisoner at Singapore, but was never shipped to Thailand to work on the "railroad to hell", although he was brutally treated while at Changi and other prisons at Singapore and Malaya. I wonder what the odds would be for these two Brit soldiers from the same family, serving in two campaigns, half a world apart, surviving to come home to "Blighty" alive, and according to this woman, in fairly decent physical condition. The Dunkirk vet escaped being wounded and except for much weight loss, the soldier from Singapore was very fortunate as compared to many of his companions. Cheers.
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Post by westernaus on Jan 17, 2011 0:55:30 GMT 8
Howdy Okla. I had a Aussie teacher who had done time in Changi as a guest of the japanese (POW ). What he told us was that they learnt the weakness of the nips in the way the nips checked things especially when they used the Aussies to empty big storage sheds ( GO Downs as they were called in Singapore) . The Aussies would pilfer cigaretts and tin food items especially Vegemite in jars it is a concentrated yeast extract and comes in glass jars and is high in vitamins . The nips thought that Vegemite was shoe polish as it is black in color . Consequently the aussies didnt have too much trouble pilfering it . Most items were concealed or hidden under their hats. Because of the lack of decent food the teacher swore if it wasnt for the vegemite a lot more prisioners in Changi and surrounds would have died.
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Post by okla on Jan 17, 2011 2:46:23 GMT 8
Heyr West Aussie....Well, they say that "necessity is the mother of invention". You mentioned cigarettes. I have always wondered, having known and served with several ex-POWs, where those "butts" came from, other than Red Cross Parcels. I realize that some prisoners carried a small number of smokes into captivity, but there seemed to be a few cigs always in existence many months into their stints behind the wire. A vet of the 31st Infantry Regiment (US) from Bataan once told me that they had one guy in their group who was literally starving to death at Cabanatuan, actually trade his small food ration for three cigarettes. Now that's what I call an addiction. I used to smoke and can truly say that I enjoyed it "big time", but I do believe, deep in my psyche, that I would rather eat than smoke, if my actual existence was at stake. What say you? Cheers Postscript....It would seem that those large brimmed campaign hats (to me the symbol of the Australian soldier) were very useful other than warding off the sun. Do you know if those type hats were also used by Aussie troops serving in the 8th Army in Libya/Egypt???
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Post by JohnEakin on Jan 17, 2011 6:39:29 GMT 8
Howdy Okla. I had a Aussie teacher who had done time in Changi as a guest of the japanese (POW ). What he told us was that they learnt the weakness of the nips in the way the nips checked things especially when they used the Aussies to empty big storage sheds ( GO Downs as they were called in Singapore) . The Aussies would pilfer cigaretts and tin food items especially Vegemite in jars it is a concentrated yeast extract and comes in glass jars and is high in vitamins . The nips thought that Vegemite was shoe polish as it is black in color . Consequently the aussies didnt have too much trouble pilfering it . Most items were concealed or hidden under their hats. Because of the lack of decent food the teacher swore if it wasnt for the vegemite a lot more prisioners in Changi and surrounds would have died. Feeding Vegemite (or Marmite) to the POW's could be considered torture. <G>
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Post by EXO on Jan 17, 2011 8:24:07 GMT 8
More torture, pleeease!!!
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Post by westernaus on Jan 17, 2011 9:42:19 GMT 8
HI EXO , JOHNEAKIN and OKLA regarding the Vegemite EXO and JOHNEAKIN I torture myself just about every morning with it spread on buttered toast . ( vegemite good ole aussie food ). OKLA my view on smoking is we weren't born with cigarettes in our mouths , so they don't serve a purpose in life but food does and i would rather eat than smoke. Regarding the aussie slouch hat during WW2 it was issued in the middle east , but most Aussies fell into line with the British and wore the obsolete tin hats during battle . Once a area was secure they then wore their slouch hats. Thanks for your query.
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