F.HELL'S MEMORIES

HELL'S MEMORIES

by Arthur Lane, a survivor

A Web site consisting of memories and to remind those whose loved ones were at one time visitors to HELL that their loved ones will never be forgotten.

This site is open to all former rice eaters and their families please feel free to add your story.

My particular hell commenced on the 15th February 1942 when along with 87,000 other British and Allied soldiers I was ordered to lay down my arms. From that day forward and for three and a half years, we became the slaves of our Japanese captors. Every heavy, dirty and demeaning job was ours. Then at the beginning of September men were asked to volunteer to go to Thailand to build a series of modern prisoner of war camps.

Although there was nothing we could do about it, we should have known better, having observed the Japanese nationals capacity for lying and prevaricating. We took the bait with great apprehension, Most people are aware of our journey and method of transport which took us to Banpong and from there Kanchanaburi and points north. More than 19,000 prisoners perished , plus 250,000 local labourers, many just walked into the jungle and died

The war in the Far East is and has always been referred to as the forgotten war, although it was fought with great ferocity in the wildest jungles of the tropics. The map below shows The area of the Pacific and East Asia in 1940 before the Japanese entered the war.

The picture of Singapore below might look like an artists impression, but it is a picture of hope and happiness which will always remain in my memory

Then came the war and the erection of shore defences .

The building of the Sea Plane Base was the heralding of a bright future, two years previous the new Naval Base was completed. The future looked bright and prosperous.

Below the view of Singapore which greeted the Japanese pilots as they set out to destroy

That which they did not have the capacity or ingenuity to build.

Singapore approach

Kualu Lumpar Before the Japanese came.

The beauty and simplicity of Singapore was destroyed forever by its capture. Although its people remain the same, the landscape now resembles an architects impression of wealth. Has changed forever .

In the afternoon of the fifteenth of February 1942 the guns of the defenders fell silent and we were all instructed to make our way to Changi at the north of Singapore. There we were to imprison ourselves until the Japanese found time to decide what to do with us, They found more than enough work to keep us all employed for several weeks until finally deciding to use us to build a railway.

Kranji Cemetery Singapore is now the resting place for all British and Allied service men and women plus other ex patriots. The Singapore government in their desire for more land had the remains from all cemeteries removed and those of all westerners moved to Kranji.

To the rear of the cemetery are erected twelve pillars on which are carved the names of more than fifty six thousand British and Allied service men and women whom have no know grave. Some were lost at sea during the war, others were drowned when the ships transporting them to Japan were torpedoed by Allied submarines and aircraft. Many more were incinerated by local people, others were murdered by the advancing Japanese soldiers or Japanese guards. Others just walked into the jungle and died.

There are several more cemeteries which trace the paths of their existence, The one's following are just one or two of the most prominent