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10 travel bucket list ideas inspired by Korean variety show Running Man

Now that international travelling is made possible again, are you looking for some unique travel bucket list ideas?

Korean variety show Running Man is a reality-variety show concept that focused on games.

It has been airing since July 11, 2010 making it one of the longest running Korean variety shows.

The show even made it to the list of Business Insider’s 20 TV Shows of 2016.

The current members are Yoo Jae-suk, HaHa, Jee Seok-jin, Kim Jong-kook, Song Ji-hyo, Jeon So-min and Yang Se-chan.

Over the years, the show has invited hundred of guests including Hollywood stars Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Simon Pegg and Ryan Reynolds.

On top of that, Running Man has also filmed in countless number of different locations both in and out of South Korea.

So here are ten travel bucket list ideas inspired by Korean variety show Running Man:

1.Shop at a Floating Market in Thailand

The first country that the Running Man cast visited for filming is Thailand back in 2011.

During that episode, one of their filming spot is the Pattaya Floating Market.

Located in the heart of Pattaya, this market offers delicacies and handicrafts from four different regions of Thailand.

Let say that you are not in Pattaya but in the capital city of Bangkok, you have up to 17 different floating markets to choose from.

This list include Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, Amphawa Floating Market, Wat Sai Floating Market and more.

2.Visit the Great Wall of China

After the successful episode in Thailand, the Running Man cast visited another country in the same year, China.

Besides playing a string of games around Beijing city, the cast members also visited the Great Wall of China.

Do you know that some of these walls were built from as early as the 7th century with some of the stretches later joined by the first emperor of China Qin Shi Huang during 220-206?

This historical site is a definitely a must-visit place in any travel bucket lists.

3.Go for the highest commercial bungee jump in the world from Macau Tower

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Song Ji-hyo bungee jumping from Macao Tower

The episode that the Running Man filmed in Macau is one of the most talked about years down the road all thanks to one legendary scene.

The only female of the group back then, actress Song Ji-hyo was the only cast member who bungee jumped from Macau Tower in the 2013 episode.

With a wide smile on her pretty face while showing as many teeth that she could, Song was seen happily bungee jumped from a platform 233m above the ground point.

Apart from Song, there were many other celebrities who went for the same adventure including Edison Chen, Jack Osbourne, Xie Na and Joe Chen.

Watch the clip here.

4.Skydiving in Dubai

During an episode filmed in Dubai, Kim Jong-kook along with two celebrity guests Jung Il-woo and Lee Da-hae did something that only meant for thrill-seekers out there.

The trio did sky-jumping. After returning to the ground, all of three of them agreed that it is something that you need to do at least once before you die.

With majestic desert landscape, skydiving in Dubai is absolutely an unforgettable experience.

While you are in Dubai, might as well go for the world’s longest urban zipline.

Xline Dubai Marina offers adventurers an experience to ride on a zipline at 170 meters high from the ground, sliding up to 80km/hour for 1 km long.

5.Opt for a paranormal experience at Labyrinth of Fear; Japan’s Most Terrifying Haunted House

How about a dose of paranormal fear added on your travel bucket list?

The Super Scary Labyrinth of Fear (yes, that is the full name) is one of the two haunted attractions in Fuji-Q Highland.

It is a theme park located near the base of Mount Fuji.

The labyrinth holds the record for the world’s first and largest haunted attraction covering a two-storey building with 900m in length.

The attraction is inspired from a legend of a popular hospital where doctors were accused of selling internal organs of their patients. Unsurprisingly, the spirits of the dead victims came back to haunt and avenge their own deaths.

Running Man had done many horror-theme episodes before but this one definitely took the cake.

We were not surprised at all to see Jeon So-min in tears at the end of her scary labyrinth tour.

Watch the clip here.

6.Ride a manual wooden cable car over the crashing waves of Timang Beach at Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Timang Beach in Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta is like any other beaches in Indonesia at first glance.

What makes it different is that there is an island called Panjang Island which is a lobster habitat.

The island is the best place to catch lobster for the local community.

But due to the steep hill that is directly adjacent to the sea, crossing over to the island is not an easy task.

Hence, the locals built a wooden cable car fit only for one person which is driven on a rope connecting the beach to the top of the island.

The 200-meter long ride is not a big deal unless there is a raging sea beneath you and huge waves that keep on crashing on your cable car just like what it did to Lee Kwang-soo and Jeon So-min in the 369th till 371th episode of Running Man.

Watch the clip here

7.Get into the Cage of Death at Darwin, Australia

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Lee Kwang-soo inside the Cage of Death

During the 378th and 379th episodes of Running Man, Yoo Jae-suk, Ji Suk-jin, Lee Kwang-soo and Jeon So-min went to Darwin, Australia.

There, they had to complete the mission of going into the Cage of Death.

The Cage of Death is a tourist attraction known for being Australia’s only crocodile dive.

This unique experience offers swimmers the chance to get up and close and personal with saltwater crocodile for 15 minutes.

In that short (or long) period of time depending on how you see it, swimmers can stare into the eyes of this famous predator while witnessing the power of his bite force.

Watch the clip here.

8.Take a swing at one of the world’s biggest swing, Nevis Swing

running man travel bucket list idea
Song Ji-hyo and Kim Jong-kook riding the world’s biggest swing upside down.

While half of the team were in Darwin, the rest of the members were in Queenstown, New Zealand.

Flinging people in an arc out over 300 meters, Nevis Swing is undoubtedly catered to adrenaline suckers.

You can choose swing by yourself or tandem with a friend – forwards, backwards or upside down like Song Ji-hyo and Kim Jong-kook did during their trip.

Later, Song revealed in a show that Kim and her had to go on the swing twice because the first time they rode the swing, the camera was not rolling.

Watch the clip here.

9.Visit Switzerland to walk on the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the Alps

During the 540th episode of Running Man, HaHa and actress Kang Han-na were chosen to take up the mission of hiking the world’s longest suspension bridge.

Despite their fear and constant complaints from HaHa, the unlikely duo successfully finished the mission.

The bridge that they crossed is the Charles Kuonen Bridge. It is the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge, giving walkers the view of 86 meters above the ground at its highest point.

It is a record-breaking 494 meters long connecting Grachen and Zermatt on the Europaweg foot trail.

Located near the village of Randa, the bridge provides views of Matterhorn, Weisshorn and the Bernese Alps in the distance.

10.Wing Walking in England

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Yoo Jae-suk wing walking in England.

Have you heard of wing walking? Lee Kwang-soo, Yoo Jae-suk and Lee Da-hee had the opportunities to do so during their trip to England.

The experience took them 10-minute flying while being strapped to the top of a plane while flying 500 feet above the ground.

After the episode was aired in 2018, many viewers expressed their concern over the activities raising the question if the production team had went to far.

The then production director assured that wing walking is totally safe and it is a leisure sport that has not seen an accident in 30 years.

Watch the clip here.

So which travel bucket ideas would you pick? Let us know in the comment box.

Check out these photos of Batu Lintang Camp after liberation

Also known as Lintang Barracks and Kuching POW camp, the Batu Lintang camp was a Japanese internment camp during the Second World War (WWII).

Unlike other Japanese internment camps, the Lintang Barracks held both Prisoners of War (POWs) and civilian internees.

The camp was originally British Indian Army barracks. The Japanese took it over from March 1942 and extended the original area.

After the Japanese officially surrendered on Aug 15, 1945, the camp was liberated on Sept 11, 1945 by the Australian 9th division.

Check out these photos of Batu Lintang camp taken after the Japanese had surrendered:

MiConv.com Batu Lintang Camp WW2 1
Flying over the prisoner of war camp (POW) in Batu Lintang at a low height, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Beaufighter pilots reported sighting white POWs, clad in khaki shorts, who excitedly waved as the RAAF aircraft flew over to drop leaflets announcing Japan’s surrender.

One pilot also reported having seen white women who could have been either nurses or nuns.

Reportedly, there were 160 nuns interned in Batu Lintang camp in March 1944. Of these nuns, a large majority of them were Dutch Roman Catholic sisters with a few English sisters.

This image is believed to have been taken by the navigator of a Beaufighter aircraft possibly of 30 Squadron RAAF, whilst on operations to drop leaflets and to investigate the POW camp on Aug 22, 1945.

The RAAF planes were sent to drop these leaflets all over Sarawak’s First Division.

The leaflet was a foolscap size with a broad orange border.

Read the content of the leaflet here.

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A photo taken on Sept 12, 1945. A Japanese guard delivering a fowl to Mrs Iva Penlington of Yorks, England who was interned at the camp, in payment for the two years use of her typewriter.
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A photo taken on Sept 11, 1945. After the surrender ceremony at Kuching, 9th Australian Division, Kuching Force Commander Brigadier Sir Thomas Charles Eastick, accompanied by Lieutenant Colonel A.W. Walsh, 8th Australian Division ( a POW) and Lieut-Col Tatsuji Suga, Commandant of all POW camps in Borneo, visited Batu Lintang Camp.

A parade was held at which the prisoners were informed of their liberation.

In this photo, a section of the parade sitting in front of Eastick are listening to the address.

After the liberation, Eastick oversaw the liberation and repatriation of Allied POWs and internees in Sarawak.

Subsequently, he became the military governor of Sarawak from Sept 10, 1945 until December.

The last White Rajah of Sarawak Vyner Brooke awarded him The Most Excellent Order of the Star of Sarawak.

It was the highest order of chivalry within the Kingdom of Sarawak.

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A group of POWs leaving their compound to board the hospital ship Wanganella. The hut named ‘Australia House’ is in the background.

The camp was divided into different compounds with each person was allotted a very small space within a barrack building.

These compounds included British officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs), Australian officers and NCOs, Dutch officers and NCOs, other ranks of British soldiers, British Indian Army, Royal Netherlands East Indies Army, Roman Catholic priest and religious men, male as well as female civilian internees.

Agnes Newton Keith, one of many civilian internees

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Agnes Newton Keith (left) speaking to Major T.T. Johnson (centre) and Eastick (right) after the surrender ceremony,

Keith was an American author and wife to Harry G. Keith.

She arrived in Sandakan in 1934 where her husband was working as the Conservator of Forests and Director of Agriculture under North Borneo Chartered Company.

When Sandakan was first captured by the Japanese on Jan 19, 1942, the Keiths were allowed to stay at their own home.

However on May 12, the couple were imprisoned on Berhala island. They spent eight months there before they were transported to Batu Lintang Camp.

Under the encouragement of her husband, Keith wrote three autobiographical accounts of her life in North Borneo.

Her book Three Came Home (1948) is based on her experience during WW2 and was made into a film of the same name in 1950.

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A photo taken on Sept 15, 1945. Internee children being taken for a ride in an Australian field ambulance soon after their release from the Japanese by members of the Kuching Force.

There were 34 children interned at the camp and all of them survived the war.

The women of the camp often went without provision to ensure the children’s survival.

During their internment, the children were taught by the nuns.

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A former Japanese guard from Batu Lintang Camp handcuffed on the front of a jeep.
About 8000 captured Japanese soldiers were then held at the camp after they had surrendered.

Life at Batu Lintang Camp

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Private J. M. Curry who was cook for Australian officers at the POW camp.

Curry is wearing the chawat (loin cloth) issued to him by the Japanese, his only clothing in two years.

The oven was improvised from an officer’s trunk packed round with clay. All the kitchen gear had to be improvised as the Japanese only provided them with two 44 gallon drums.

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A typical POW’s bed in the interior of ‘Australia House’.
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Former POWs standing around the coffin that has been used in for a burial conducted by a former internee, Father Brown.

Due to shortage of materials, coffins were constructed with a collapsible bottom so that they could be used again.

At first, the dead were buried in coffins but soon the number of fatalities increased.

Toward the end of the war, the bodies were buried in shrouds made from rice sacks or blankets.

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The daily ration of boiled rice for 1200 men in the camp only half filled this pig trough which they used for mixing with sweet potato.

In a war crime trial held against the Japanese soldiers in-charge of Batu Lintang camp, it is revealed that the only meat the prisoners was pig’s heads.

Reportedly, about 400 Allied POWs died of malnutrition in the last 12 months of the war.

The prosecuting officer of the case claimed that the diet fed to the camp’s pigs was more nutritious than the food given to the prisoners.

MiConv.com Batu Lintang Camp WW2 12
The frightfulness of the treatment handed out by the Japanese to their POWs is shown by the emaciated condition of two British soldiers who were evacuated from Batu Lintang camp.

Like many Japanese POW and internee camps, the life in Batu Lintang was harsh.

Both POWs and civilians were suffering from malnutrition, diseases such as beriberi, malaria, dengue and scabies.

The mortality rate among the British soldiers was extremely high with two third of the POW population in the camp.

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A photo taken on Sept 18, 1945. All Japanese soldiers of Batu Lintang camp, were ordered from their quarters, searched and placed in the former British officers compound.
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Private H. J.P. Riseley, a former POW, holding his chicken pet as he stands on the verandah of ‘Australia House’.

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The graves of British, Dutch and Australian POWs at Batu Lintang Camp.

By July 1946, all the bodies had been exhumed and reburied in Labuan War Cemetery.

The Labuan cemetery is also the final resting place of soldiers who died during the Japanese invasion of Borneo, the Borneo Campaign 1945 and POWs who perished in the horrific Sandakan Death marches.

Photos by Australian War Memorial. Copyright expired – All Images are under Public Domain.

Escaping POW camps during WWII under Japanese occupation

The Geneva Conventions are four treaties and three additional protocols which establish international legal standards for humanitarian treatment in war.

Basically, the treaties define the basic rights of wartime prisoners for both civilians and military personnel.

In other words, just because you have conquered a country, it doesn’t mean that you can do whatever you want to the people who live there.

The first treaty was signed by international committees in 1864.

For the next century, the Geneva Conventions are negotiated over and over again.

In 1907 for instance, the convention added the standards for the ‘humane treatment’ of Prisoners-of-Wars (POWs).

Then in 1929, the Geneva Conventions Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War was signed by 47 governments including Japan.

But then why did so many POWs died during World War II (WWII) in the hands of Japanese forces?

This was because the Japanese government never ratified the 1929 treaty.

In 1942, the Japanese government stated it would follow the terms of the Convention mutatis mutandis (changing what has to be changed).

Escaping POW camps according to the Geneva Conventions

The Convention recognised that a POW may have the duty to attempt escape.

In fact the Geneva Convention prohibits a captor nation from executing a POW simply for attempting escape.

Under the authority of the senior official, a POW must be prepared to escape whenever the opportunity present itself.

In a POW compound, the senior POW must consider the welfare of those remaining behind after an escape.

However, as a matter of conscious determination, a POW must plan to escape, try to escape and assist others to escape.

During WWII, the POWs died in Germany at a rate 1.2 per cent. Meanwhile in the Pacific theatre, the rate was 37 per cent. In the Philippines alone, the death rate of POWs was 40 per cent.

One of the many motives contributing to these death rates was execution for escaping POW camps.

Selarang Barracks Incident
Photograph taken during the Selarang Barracks Square Incident when Japanese General Fukuye concentrated 13350 British and 2050 Australian prisoners of war because of their refusal to sign a promise not to escape. The picture shows external excavations for latrines made necessary because of overcrowding in the barracks. Courtesy of Australian War Memorial (Copyright expired-Public Domain).

The Selarang Barracks Incident

In August 1942, four POWs escaped from the Selarang Barracks in Singapore. The barracks was used to house a British Army infantry regiment.

After the British surrender of Singapore on Feb 15, 1942, one of the places used by the Japanese as Allied POWs for internment was the Selarang Barracks.

The four escapees Australian Corporal Rodney Breavington and Private Victor Gale and British soldiers Private Harold Waters and Private Eric Fletcher were recaptured.

The newly arrived Japanese Commander General Shimpei Fukuye wanted every POWs intered at Selarang Barracks to sign a pledge to prevent any escaping attempts.

The pledge stated, “I the undersigned, hereby solemnly swear on my honour that I will not, under circumstances attempt to escape”

Only three agreed to sign while the rest refused to since it clearly against the Geneva Convention which stated the POWs had the right to attempt to escape.

General Fukuye then ordered all prisoners except the three who signed to gather at the parade square in Selarang Barracks.

The result? Almost 17,000 men had to cram themselves into the square which was designed to hold 800. (Some reports stated 15,000 men cramped into a space for 1,200).

Meanwhile, the four escapees were executed on Sept 2 with rifles. The initial shots were non-fatal and the poor men had to beg the Japanese to be finished off.

Despite the execution, the rest of the POWs stood firm and did not sign the oath.

However without food and little water available, and cramping under the hot sun, dysentery broke out among the POWs.

Slowly, those who were already sick before began to perish.

Before more men would die, Lieutenant Colonel Holmes ordered his men to sign the oath.

Taking advantage that the Japanese were not familiar with British names, the POWs signed them using false or meaningless names.

Finally on Sept 5, the Japanese allowed the prisoners to disperse and went back into the barrack buildings.

Escaping POW camps in Sandakan

Sandakan Death Marches
The cemetery at Sandakan POW Camp after the war.

Among the first to escape from Sandakan POW camp in Sabah were Herb Trackson and Matt Carr.

However, they were recaptured six weeks after their escape at the end of August 1942.

When being interrogated, they told that their commanding officer Major G.N. Campbell and Captain J.G. Scribner had ordered them to take any opportunity to escape.

The two officers then were also arrested. Due to this, the commandant in-charge Captain Susumi Hoshijima gathered all POWs to sign a contract.

The contract contained three demands; ‘we will attempt to accomplish any order given the Japanese, we will not attempt to escape and we are aware that we will be shot if we we attempt to escape.’

After back and forth debate between Hoshijima and the POWs about how the contract was not in line with the Geneva Convention, the POWs finally did signed the contracts.

However just like in Singapore, the Allied POWs signed them using fake names and even actors’ names.

Escaping POW camps – success stories

So did any of these POWs manage to escape Japanese POW camps without being captured?

The only successful mass escape from a Japanese camp during WWII was not as massive as 400 POWs that were rescued by Steve Rogers in Captain America (2011).

On April 4, 1943, US Air Force pilot Samuel Grashio, US Air Force Lieutenant William Dyess, US Marines Austin Shofner and Jack Hawkins, six other Americans and two Filipinos escaped from a camp in Davao, the Philippines.

Before their historical escape, they spent two months smuggling food and equipment to a jungle cache.

After wandering for three days in the swamp, they made contact with a group of Filipino guerrillas.

Over the course of the few months, seven of the men were transported using a submarine to Australia while three stayed behind with the guerrillas to fight.

Unfortunately, one of the three was killed by the Japanese.

The Berhala Eight

4069257 Berhala Island
One of the Berhala Eight, Jock McLaren (at left) returning to Berhala Island in October 1945. Awm121749. Credit: Public Domain (Copyright Expired).

Another group of POWs that managed to escape from Japanese camp was the Berhala Eight.

The Berhala island in Sandakan was made a temporary camp before the POWs were sent to a more permanent camp at Sandakan.

Eight men realised that it would be harder to escape from the permanent camp so they decided to escape from the island before they were to be transferred.

They managed to steal a boat and set off to the Tawi-tawi islands in the Philippines.

Their escape from Berhala Island save their lives as they then missed the infamous Sandakan Death Marches.

Speaking of Sandakan Death Marches, these were a series of forced marches from Sandakan to Ranau which resulted in the deaths of 2,434 Allied POWs.

There were only six survivors and they survived because they managed to escape.

The last POW to be alive at Sandakan camp was Australian John Skinner.

He was executed five hours before Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s unconditional surrender marking the end of WWII.

Understanding the Japanese laws behind escaping POWs

Whether in it Singapore or Sandakan, what was with the Japanese obsession to have the POWs sign contracts stating that they would not escape?

Japanese historian Yuki Tanaka did some explanation in his book Hidden Horrors: Japanese War Crimes in World War II.

Generally, the contract incident was an example the distinction between Japanese and Western attitudes to law and the contradictions between the Geneva Convention and the principles of Japanese military law.

Tanaka stated,

“The seventh article of the Japanese law on punishment of prisoners states that the leader of a group of prisoners who had been captured while attempting to escape would be punished by death or between ten years and life imprisonment and all other members of the group would be imprisoned for a minimum of one year.

“The regulation on the treatment of POWs stipulates that POWs must sign a contract promising not to escape and that any prisoner who did not sign a contract would have thereby expressed an intention to attempt to escape and therefore be subject to heavier surveillance.

“If a prisoner did sign such an oath and subsequently attempted to escape, he would also be subject to a minimum sentence of one year’s imprisonment.”

Plus, a Japanese law dating from 1904 gave Japanese prison guards the right to shoot at escaping prisoners when such action was necessary to prevent a prisoner from successfully escaping.

Since their law did not define ‘when such action was necessary’, the Japanese guards would just shoot anybody who tried to escape.

The Japanese and Geneva Convention

The truth was actually simple; many of these Japanese commandants and POW camp guards were unaware of the contents or even the mere existence of the Geneva Convention and if their country had anything to do with it.

The commandant of Java POW camp Major General Saito Masazumi testified to the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal after the war that and issue of international law in relation to POWs was never raised in a meeting.

Furthermore, he himself had no knowledge of any international law regarding to POWs and so he did not ask about it.

The same thing with Lieutenant Colonel Yanagida Shoichi, the commandant of a POW camp on the Burma-Thailand Railway. He testified that he never heard of the Geneva Convention.

Thus, just about all Japanese POW guards at every camp would shoot prisoners who made unsuccessful escape attempts.

Escaping POW camps under the Japanese was a gamble of life.

If they didn’t died being shot during the recapture, they were either executed later or died while being tortured.

Were there any justice for these men who were executed because they tried to escape after the war?

Generally, yes. For instance, General Fukuye who was responsible for the Selarang Barrack Incident was sentenced to death during the Singapore War Crimes Trial in 1946.

He was executed by firing squad on April 27, 1946 on the same spot where the four escapees were shot three years earlier.

Fortunately for the general, he died instantly and did not need to plead to be killed off.

Beriberi, the deadly disease among Allied POWs during WWII

Do you know that a severe chronic form of thiamine (vitamin B1) is known as beriberi?

The term ‘beriberi’ is believed to come from a Sinhalese phrase for ‘weak, weak’ or ‘I cannot, I cannot’.

There are two main types in adults; wet beriberi and dry beriberi. Wet beriberi affects the cardiovascular system while the dry beriberi affects the nervous system.

During World War II, beriberi was widespread among Allied prisoners of war (POWs) captured by the Japanese.

This is due to they were fed only with a diet of rice which did not contain adequate quantities of most vitamins.

Beriberi
Four prisoners of war (POWs) with beriberi at Burma-Thai Railway. Copyright expired – public domain

Beriberi’s symptoms among POWs

When suffering from dry beriberi, the victims would experience tingling in their hands and feet, loss of muscle function, vomiting and mental confusion.

Meanwhile, suffering from wet beriberi commonly can cause oedema or severe swelling. Another Australian POW Stan Arneil recalled what was it like to suffer from oedema due to beriberi.

“The symptoms were swollen feet and legs as the moisture contained in the body flowed down towards the feet. Ankles disappeared altogether and left two large feet almost like loaves of bread from which sprouted legs like small tree trunks, in bad cases the neck swelled also so that the head seemed to be part of the shoulders.”

Despite this, the Japanese continued to force the POWs to work through their sickness as no medical care was given.

During the Sandakan Death Marches for instance, POWs were forced to march from Sandakan to Ranau, of a distance of approximately 260km long through thick tropical jungle.

Those who too weak to walk due to exhaustion or sickness, were shot by Japanese guard.

“Death had slippers” when it came to beriberi

Speaking of Sandakan Death Marches, an Australian POW who had a very narrow escape from the deadly march witnessed first hand how a victim of beriberi perished.

Billy Young was among the soldiers who was imprisoned at Sandakan POW Camp.

After a failed escape from the camp, he was sent to Outram Road Jail in Singapore. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Young as those who stayed at Sandakan camp all died during the war (except for six Australians who managed to escape).

Still, Young went through hell on earth where he spent six months in solitary confinement and was forced to sit cross legged for hours at a time.

Since food rations were scarce, everyone including Young became skeletal. One time, one of Young’s inmates, a Dutch, died in his arms due to beriberi.

“I put his head on my lap. I chatted to him and I pushed his chest and felt it. And you could feel it going up and down as he was panting for breath. But death must have had slippers because he died and I didn’t know so I waited.

“I put him down and I didn’t tell the guard, and I waited till his box of rice came and I put Peter’s bowl by him. And I got mine, I ate mine, and then I ate Peter’s. And that’s the only banquet we ever had between us you know.”

Similarly, many of the surviving POWs described the deaths of the fellow comrades due to beriberi as ‘wasting away’.

Beriberi, a ‘norm’ for Prisoners of War

Ian Duncan was one of thousands Australian POWs who were send to work at Burma-Thai Railway.

He once shared this to journalist Tim Bowden during an interview, “At the end of the war, I interviewed every Australian and English soldier in my camp. I was the only medical officer in the camp. And I though it was duty to record their disabilities. And you’d say to them, what diseases did you have as a prisoner of war? Nothing much, Doc, nothing much at all. Did you have malaria? Oh yes, I had malaria. Did you have dysentery? Oh yes, I had dysentery. Did you have beriberi? Yes, I had beriberi. Did you have pellagra? Yes, I had pellagra but nothing very much. These are lethal diseases. But that was the norm, you see, everyone had them. Therefore they accepted them as normal.”

Burma-Thai POW camp was not the only one which was suffering from this disease. Another infamous Japanese internment camp is Batu Lintang Camp in Kuching which had similar conditions.

After the camp was liberated on Aug 30, 1945, a female civilian internee who was also a nurse named Hilda Bates went to visit the sick POWs.

She recounted, “I was horrified to see the condition of some of the men. I was pretty well hardened to sickness, dirt and disease, but never had I seen anything like this in all my years of nursing. Pictures of hospital during the Crimean War showed terrible conditions, but even those could not compare with the dreadful sights I met on this visit. Shells of men lay on the floor sunken-eyed and helpless; some were swollen with hunger, oedema and beriberi, others in the last stages of dysentery, lay unconscious and dying.”

Meanwhile in Indonesia, it was reported the disease affected nearly one hundred percent of Bataan POWs. It was considered as the most ubiquitous disease among the POWs.

Experiments on POWs to cure beriberi

A Japanese doctor army named Masao Mizuno described experiments he conducted in a report he submitted in October 1943.

He wrote in the report, “In South Sea operations, such conditions as the lack of materials, the difficulty in sending war materials, the heat and moisture, increase the occurrence of beriberi patients. For this reasons, attention must be given to the use of local products. Favourable results in the prevention of beriberi have been noticed by the usage of coconut milk, coconut meat and the yeast from corn.”

Mizuno continued to describe an experimental treatment he did on 16 POWs who were suffering from beriberi in an unknown location.

He gave them hypodermic injections of 30ml of sterilized coconut milk. (Yes, you read that right – sterilized coconut milk.)

According to Mizuno, most patients felt a slight prickling pressure pain at the site of the first injection and one felt a slight headache.

Later, the condition of most patients improved with the second, third and fourth injections. They showed ‘satisfactory pulse, refreshing sensation and increased appetite.’

However, it is not known whether these experiments were continued or if the procedure was ever used as a treatment.

The death tolls caused by beriberi among Allied POWs remain unknown

Through survivors’ testimonies, we might know which perished Allied POWs had the disease but we will never if the disease was the leading cause of death.

Just like Dr Duncan had testified, these poor men had other diseases such as pellagra, malaria, dysentery on top of beriberi.

For the fortunate POWs who were freed after the war had ended, sickness including beriberi followed them into their liberation.

It was reported that some deaths due to wet beriberi did occur soon after their release but the number was small and did not continue.

One unusual case, however, did happened on a British POW who died of cardiac failure 31 years after his release.

As a POW, he suffered very severe beriberi. After autopsy, it was found that he had extensive myocardial fibrosis considered due to the effects of severe wet beriberi.

Unfortunately until today, it is difficult to know how many Allied POWs suffered or died due to beriberi during and after the war.

What you should know about the Battle of Beaufort

The Borneo campaign of 1945 was the last major Allied campaign in the South West Pacific Area during World War II (WWII) to liberate Japanese-held Borneo.

One of the combats that took place during the campaign was Battle of Beaufort in 1945.  

Located about 90 kilometers south of Kota Kinabalu, the town of Beaufort was initially developed to help the economic activity of interior of Sabah.

The town was named after former British governor Leicester Paul Beaufort.

The prelude before the Battle of Beaufort

The operation to secure North Borneo was separated into phases; preparatory bombardment, forced landing and an advance.

They wanted to turn Brunei Bay into a naval base for the British Pacific Fleet. To do that, the Allied forces need to secure Labuan to control the entrance to Brunei Bay. At the same time, Labuan would be developed as an airbase.

After several weeks of air attacks as well as a short naval bombardment, soldiers of the Australian 24th Brigade landed on Labuan on June 10.

The Japanese garrison was outnumbered and the Australians quickly captured the island’s harbour and main airfield.

The fight in Labuan continued until June 21. In the end, a total of 389 Japanese personnel were killed on Labuan and 11 were captured. Meanwhile, Australian casualties numbered 34.

After capturing Labuan, the Australian solders successfully captured the town of Weston against light opposition from the Japanese.

Since there was no road from Weston to Beaufort, the battalion advanced along the single track railway toward Beaufort.

In the meantime, another Australian battalion landed around Mempakul from Labuan also without any resistance from the Japanese.

They managed to secure the Klias Peninsula before moving along the Klias River heading to Beaufort.

Later, the two Australian battalions reunited at Kandu and made their journey towards Beaufort together.

Once the Australians captured Beaufort, they would be able to control the railway that ran toward Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu).

The Battle of Beaufort

2 43 Battalion mortar crew during the Battle of Beaufort
A 2/43rd Battalion mortar crew firing on Japanese positions near Beaufort on 28 June 1945 (Copyright expired – Public Domain).

On June 26, the two Australian battalions started to approach the town. At that time, there were about 800 to 1000 Japanese soldiers at Beaufort.

The Australian soldiers coordinately captured the town and ambushed the route where the Japanese were expected to withdraw along.

At the same time, the Japanese resistance lacked coordination as they tried to launch six counterattacks against the Australians.

During the battle, some fights even went down to hand-to-hand combat.

The six counterattacks by the Japanese all resulted in failure. By June 29, Australian soldiers had captured the town.  

With that, the Australians were able to open the Weston-Beaufort railway line to bring in the supplies.

The Allied forces then continued to secure Papar on July 6.

In the end, The Battle of Beaufort took the lives of seven Australians and 93 Japanese, leaving 40 people (including 2 Japanese) wounded.

The story of Tom Starcevich’s gallantry

2 43rd Inf Bn patrol Beaufort 1945 AWM image 114897
A patrol from the 2/43rd Battalion in the Beaufort area during August 1945 (Copyright expired- Public Domain).

On June 28, Tom Starcevich’s company encountered two Japanese machine-gun positions in the middle of a jungle track.

The Japanese opened fire first and the Australians suffered some casualties. Starcevich moved forward and assaulted both Japanese positions using his Bren gun.

He killed five Japanese soldiers and causing the rest to retreat. Later on the same day, the company again came across another two machine gun positions. Again, Starcevich single-handedly attacked both and killing another seven Japanese soldiers.

For his bravery, Starcevich was awarded the Victoria Cross after the war. It is the highest decoration for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to members of Commonwealth armed forces.

The track where Starcevich’s gallant move took place was later renamed Victoria Cross Road.

Additionally, there is a monument in Beaufort named The Starcevich Monument or Beaufort Australian Monument dedicated to Starcevich.

The aftermath of Battle of Beaufort and the discovery of comfort women

With their six counterattacks, the resistance in Beaufort was the only time that the Japanese had actually made an effort to fight against Allied forces in North Borneo.

Although there were minor combats in the following months, the Battle of Beaufort was considered the last significant action fought in North Borneo during WW2.

In August 1945, a member of the Australian Ninth Regiment was in Borneo as part of the British-Borneo Civil Affairs Unit.

He reportedly found some Javanese women who had been transported to Borneo by the Japanese as comfort women. These women were forced into sexual slavery during the war.

The Javanese women were living in the ruins of the Japanese comfort station somewhere in Beaufort.

According to the book Legacies of the Comfort Women of World War II, the Australian forces took them to a small island off in the Borneo coast for medical treatment and rehabilitation.

While the Australians wanted to send them back to Indonesia, the women were afraid of going home because of the shame associated with their experience, so much so that one of them committed suicide. However, it is not certain if the rest of the women managed to return home.

After the war ended, Beaufort was the place where the Japanese were told to gather before they were transported back to Japan.

Unfortunately for them, many of the Japanese were killed by the Muruts on their way to Beaufort.

Out of thousands of Japanese troops who marched to Beaufort after surrendering their firearms, only a few hundred ever reached Beaufort.

5 things you need to know about Operation Opossum during WWII

In 1945, the Australian Z Special Unit organised a dangerous mission to rescue the Sultan of Ternate, Muhammad Jabir Syah right under the Japanese nose. They called the mission Operation Opossum.

Also known as the Kingdom of Gapi, the Sultanate of Ternate is one of the oldest Muslim kingdoms in Indonesia.

It was established in 1257 by Momole Cico who was the first leader of Ternate.

The kingdom’s Golden Age took place in 1570-1583 during the reign of Sultan Baabullah. During this time, the sultanate encompassed most of the eastern part of Indonesia and a part of southern Philippines.

Fast forward to 1942 during World War II (WWII), the capital of the sultanate Ternate city was occupied by the Japanese.

The sultan and his family were held hostage in his own palace. While imprisoned, the Sultan sent several of his men to Australian Army headquarters on Morotai island asking to be rescued.

General Douglas MacArthur heard the Sultan’s plea and sent a team from the Z Special Unit to rescue him in a raid called Operation Opossum.

So here are five things you need to know about Operation Opossum:

1.The initial plan for Operation Opossum was not to rescue the Sultan

According to Australian War Memorial, the original plan for the Operation Opossum was to attack Ternate Island in order to extract an Australian airman.

However, the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration later informed that the man was later removed.

Since most of the intelligence on which Operation Opossum based came from the Sultan, the plan then changed to extract him as a preliminary move to recover the missing airman.

2.How Operation Opossum went down

The team consisted of eight Australians from Z Special Unit along with three Dutch officers and a Timorese corporal.

After roughly two months of planning, the mission left Morotai on Apr 8, 1945 and landed on Hiri Island, two kilometers north Ternate.

From Hiri, the message that Z Force had arrived was sent up the volcano where the royal family was hiding.

The family then safely descended to the coastal village of Kulaba after a six-hour trek. From there, two perahu took the Sultan along with his two wives, eight children and other relatives to Hiri.

3.The mission almost failed because the locals were too happy to see the Sultan.

When the royal family arrived at the village, the villagers were too happy to see their sultan and greeted him in their traditional way. They squatted down with one raised knee, with hands pressed against their faces in an attitude of prayer and remained so until dismissed by a nod from the Sultan.

Some of the village elders even lined up to kiss his feet.

The sultan was not happy with the greetings from his people. He kept telling them to be careful in case the Japanese would see them.

True enough, word got out that Sultan was escaping. Several boats carrying Japanese soldiers were sent to Hiri to stop the mission at dawn the very next day.

Operation Opossum
TERNATE ISLAND, HALMAHERA ISLANDS. 1945-11-09. ATTENDED BY AUSTRALIAN FORCES THE SULTAN OF ISKANDAR MUHAMMAD DJABIR, SYAH OF TERNATE MAKES A SPEECH AFTER HIS INAUGURATION. (NAVAL HISTORICAL COLLECTION).

4.The heroic death of Lieutenant George Bosworth

When the Japanese soldiers made contact with the Z Forces, they exchanged fire.

The current Sultan of Ternate, Sultan Mudaffah described what happened during the attack to The Sydney Morning Herald in an interview back in 2010. He was 10 when his family was rescued by the Z Forces.

Lieutenant George Bosworth, who was guarding Sultan Jabir, rushed about 500 meters to the landing site.

Speaking of Bosworth, Sultan Mudaffah said, “This man was too brave. According to my father, he was just standing there, shooting. My father said ‘you can’t just stand there’.”

Three of the Japanese soldiers fell on the beach. As Lieutenant Bosworth approached one of them, it turned out the Japanese soldier was still alive as he picked up his rifle and shot Bosworth in the head.

The fight continued between Z Force and the Japanese, forcing the remnants of Japanese tried to swim back to Ternate.

However, the Japanese were all killed by the locals before they reached shore.

From Hiri, the sultan and his family were taken to Moratai. There, Sultan Jabir debriefed General MacArthur on Japanese positions and tactics in the area.

They were then sent to settle in the Queensland town of Wacol until the end of the war.

MacArthur learned from the sultan that the Australian airman had been removed. Therefore the plan for his extraction was not carried out.

5.Operation Opossum loosely inspired a movie which starred Mel Gibson before his Hollywood fame.

Attack Force Z (alternative title The Z Men) is a 1982 Australian-Taiwanese film. Operation Opossum reportedly inspired the film, although the plot was very different from what had actually happened.

The plot circles around Captain P.G. Kelly (Mel Gibson) who leads a team of the Z Special Unit against Japanese during the WW2.

The movie was screened at the Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 1981. Years later, Gibson called the film “pretty woeful… it’s so bad, it’s funny.”

MV Krait, the Japanese fishing ship that was used against the Japanese

If you want to raid the enemy’s harbour and blow up their ships without getting caught, what better way to do it than using one of the enemy’s own vessels?

MV Krait is a wooden-hulled vessel that was used in a raid against Japanese ships anchored in Singapore Harbour during the Second World War (WWII).

Codenamed Operation Jaywick, the mission was carried out by a special task forced called Z Special Unit.

They are mainly made of British and Australian soldiers who had escaped Singapore before its surrender.

The history of MV Krait

After the Fall of Singapore in 1942, civilians made their escape from the island on all kinds of boats and ships.

In the middle of the chaotic scene, an Australian master mariner named Bill Reynolds managed to salvage a little Japanese fishing boat.

The ship’s name was Kofuku Maru. Reynolds used her to rescue civilians fleeing the island and at one point evacuating over 1,100 people from ships sunk along the east coast of Sumatra.

Kofuku Maru eventually reached Australia and was handed over to the Australian military. The Allied forces then renamed her Krait after the small but deadly snake.

MV Krait and Operation Jaywick

Major Ivan Lyon, whom Reynolds came across with during his rescue work, became very interested in the Japanese vessel.

He conceived the idea of raiding Singapore Harbour using Kofuku Maru. Both Lyon and Reynolds realised that if the vessel could get out of Singapore unnoticed then she could get in unnoticed as well.

On Sept 2, 1943, eleven Australian and four British army and navy personnel as part of the Z Special Force went on board MV Krait left Exmouth Gulf, Western Australia heading to Singapore.

Today, blackface is considered rude and offensive since it was used to mock enslaved Africans. However, these operatives dyed not only their hair black but their skins as well for their disguise. The skin dye later caused many skin problems for them causing irritation and reactions to sunlight.

The crew even flew a Japanese flag and wore sarongs to look like the local fishermen.

MV Krait finally arrived off Singapore on Sept 24. There, six of them left the boat to paddle 50km to a small island near the harbour.

Then on the night of Sept 26, the men used folboats to paddle into the harbour and placed limpet mines on several Japanese ships.

The mission was successful, sinking six of the Japanese ships. The raiders waited until the commotion to die down before returning to Krait on Oct 2.

In the meantime, MV Krait spent two weeks circling in the South China Sea to avoid suspicion and waiting to return for the pre-arranged pickup.

On their way back to Australia, MV Krait was almost approached by a Japanese auxiliary minesweeper who was on patrol. Lucky for them, nothing happened and the Japanese did not suspect a thing. On Oct 19, the Krait arrived safely back at Exmouth Gulf.

Krait crew
Crew of the MV Krait during Operation Jaywick, 1943. Credit: Public Domain

The price of Operation Jaywick

The raid had caught the Japanese with their pants down. They never thought the Allied forces would attack Singapore.

Hence, their suspicion laid on the locals. The price for the successful Operation Jaywick was unfortunately paid by the blood of civilians and civilian internees who were captured and tortured by Kenpeitai (Japanese military police).

It went down in history as the Double Tenth Incident or Double Tenth Massacre since it occurred on Oct 10, 1943.

The Kenpeitai arrested altogether 57 civilians and civilians internees suspecting them to be involved in a raid on Singapore Harbour.

However, none of them had participated in the raid or even had any knowledge of it. In the end, 15 of them died in Singapore’s Changi Prison.

MV Krait after Operation Jaywick

After the success of Operation Jaywick, MV Krait was used continuously by the Australian military throughout WWII.

When the Japanese official surrendered on Ambon, Indonesia in September 1945, she was there to witness the historical event.

After her service, she was sold to the British Borneo Company at Labuan and operated off Borneo for few years.

In 1964, MV Krait was purchased as an Australian Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol vessel. In the same year, she was dedicated as a war memorial.

Since 1988, she has been displayed to the public at the Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney.

Since the success of MV Krait on Operation Jaywick, the Australian Commando Unit traditionally used the names of venomous snakes for their vessels.

Rowan Waddy and his experience as a Semut Operative in Sarawak

Operation Semut was a series of reconnaissance operations that took place in Sarawak.

It was carried out by Australia’s Z Special Unit in 1945 during the final days of World War II (WWII).

Altogether, there were four operations were undertaken under Operation Semut.

Their main objectives? To gather intelligence and to train the indigenous people in launching guerrilla warfare against the Japanese.

Commando! The M/Z Unit’s Secret War Against Japan (1996) is a book compiled and edited by A.B. Feuer.

The book is a compilation of stories from Australian commandos who fought against the Japanese in Borneo during WW2.

In it, readers can find an interesting story of Australian Lieutenant Rowan Waddy and his experience in Sarawak. He was a part of Operation Semut IVB.

From Aug 13 to 23, 1945, Semut IVB sailed out of Labuan via HMAS Tigersnake and moored at Mukah. Together with Lieutenant Ron Hoey, Waddy paddled Hoehn folboats (collapsible canoes) journeyed along the Mukah river to engage any remaining hostile Japanese groups.

They continued to work in Sarawak until October 1945 to secure the surrender of remaining Japanese troops.

HMAS Tiger Snake
HMAS Tiger Snake. Public Domain.

Rowan Waddy on working with local guerrillas

Here, Waddy had the opportunity to work with the locals, especially the Ibans.

Commenting about them, Waddy stated, “The Ibans are a paradox. Despite their warrior reputation, they are a happy, fun-loving people- highly superstitious and tattooed – with long black hair and cut-extended earlobes. The Ibans are also loyal, brave and love to fight. Their weapon is the blowpipe (sumpit) using poisoned darts. The dart is about 20cm long and perforated near the point. After the dart enters the skin, the shaft easily breaks off, leaving the poisoned tip embedded in the flesh. It can take from 20 minutes to 24 hours of agonizing suffering to kill a person. There is no doubt that the Japanese feared the Ibans more than they did the Australians.”

Waddy also commented on how the Ibans were always in the lead while on patrol, always moving without caution and always looking for action. Waddy often was forced to hold them back.

Additionally, the Ibans had great eyesight, even working in the dark jungle. In one of the nights which Waddy described as ‘so dark that it was impossible to see one’s own foot’, an Iban man who carried spare magazines for his gun stayed closed by.

Waddy shared, “He constantly made slight physical contact, which was indeed reassuring. If the Iban wanted me to stop, he would give a gentle tug on my sleeve, slide his arm over my shoulder, and point in the direction he wanted to look, but I could not see or hear anything unusual.”

The importance of local cooperation

It was crucial for these soldiers to work closely with the locals. According to Waddy, agents inserted into enemy-occupied Europe did not have the problems of colour or stature.

There, they blended in with the local population but not in Borneo or throughout the Southwest Pacific.

“White Europeans, with large builds, attracted a lot of unwelcome attention. Therefore, to ensure success, it was essential that the local population was friendly and cooperative,” Waddy noted.

Thankfully for Waddy and most Semut operatives, the locals were being cooperative to them.

Although the Ibans in particular never heard of Australia before, and thought the Semut operatives were British.

Rowan Waddy and his Japanese head

During one of the combats under the Semut Operation, Waddy successfully killed a Japanese soldier.

He described what happened after the battle when he returned to his boat, “The Ibans followed after burying the body. I had no sooner taken my seat in the perahu than a thin, torn burlap bag was dropped at my feet. To my horror it contained the bloody head of the soldier I had killed.”

The Iban guerillas had cut off the soldier’s head, extracted the brain and brought it back with them.

From there, Waddy managed to witness Iban traditions no longer practiced to this day.

According to Iban tradition, the head officially belonged to Waddy. For the next couple of weeks, the head was always hung where he slept.

Describing the smoking process, Waddy wrote, “The head was positioned above a slow fire that was covered with thatching, allowing the smoke to continuously encircle the head. The heat caused the fat, especially from around the cheeks, to slowly drip and sizzle in the fire – not unlike sausage a barbecue grill. At all times there were Ibans squatting and gazing longingly, with admiring smiles, at the head and the sizzling.”

Waddy goes on to describe the rest of the effects of the smoking process, and how the smoking drew the skin taut across the face, and the skin split down one side, revealing the teeth, and “leaving the head with a permanent grin.”

Celebrating the head and its owner, Rowan Waddy

After the skin on the head was dried, it was now the time for the Feast and Dance of the Enemy Head.

According to Waddy, it was an amazing experience.

The event lasted two days and nights which began outside the longhouse before moving inside the long communal room in from of the fifteen doors.

As the “owner” of the head, Waddy was one of very few white men who had ever witnessed and participated in the head dance.

There were dancing and chanting as well as beating of the gongs and drums. While Waddy described the atmosphere and excitement as electric, he said that the ceremonies were sparse compared to what they normally would have been.

This was due to the food shortages forced upon the locals by the Japanese.

Rowan Waddy on the tension between the Chinese and the Iban

Speaking about the locals, Waddy could not help but notice the tension between the Iban and the Chinese during the war.

He noted, “There is no love lost between the Chinese and the Ibans. The Chinese are traders, and comparatively wealthy. On the other hand, the Ibans are simple, communal jungle people who love to hunt heads including Chinese collaborators. The Ibans look down upon the Chinese – the Chinese fear the Ibans.”

Waddy related a story on how he received an unconfirmed report that a small party of Japanese were hiding out in a nearby village when he was in Bintulu.

Since he was busy at the time, his fellow companion Penghulu Blaja from Kanowit volunteered himself to go have a look.

He agreed but he instructed them not to attack or kill any Japanese soldiers, only to observe.

The next day, a group of Chinese showed up wanting to see the Military Governor.

Apparently, there was a loud argument between the Chinese and Iban the previous night and several Chinese were killed.

Waddy immediately sent for Blaja. As it turned out, the penghulu was behind the attack.

After sending the Chinese with Malay police escort, Waddy asked the penghulu why he disobeyed his order.

To that Blaja insisted that he had not disobeyed Waddy’s order as the order was not to kill any Japanese. Blaja argued however that Waddy never told him not to kill Chinese, especially those who had collaborated with the enemy.

Waddy eventually was forced to admit that Blaja had a point.

Rowon Waddy And Blaja
Lieutenant Rowan Waddy and Penghulu Blaja in an undated photo. Credit: Australian War Memorial

Rowan Waddy’s final goodbye to Sarawak

Not long after that, the operatives received orders that all special operations in Sarawak were to cease and members of Z unit were to be out of the field by Oct 15, 1945.

On Oct 11, Waddy handed over command of his district to Major Futter of the British Borneo Civil Affairs Unit (BBCAU).

Waddy wrote, “The night before we left Bintulu, Les Royle, Max Newton and I were treated to a memorable farewell party – an unforgettable feast with ample supplies of rice wine. We played many games with Penghulu Blaja and the happy Ibans. The festivities went on until the early hours of the morning.”

The Australian commandos reportedly taught the Ibans how to play musical chairs and how to dance the Hokey Pokey.

On his final thoughts about leaving Sarawak, Waddy stated, “I had mixed feelings when our Catalina took off later in the day. I had left many friends behind. But, for the first time, I realised that the war was finally over, and I had survived. Still feeling the effects of our emotional farewell, I did not remember much at all about that flight.”

The forgotten All Saints Chapel of Sandakan POW Camp

sandakan huts 595x443 1
The ruins of huts in the prisoner of war camp, Sandakan, North Borneo, October 1945. Those who were too ill for the march were eventually murdered here. Credits: Public Domain (Copyright expired) Courtesy Australian War Memorial: 120457

Do you know there was an Anglican chapel at Sandakan prisoners of war (POW) Camp? The priest, Padre Albert Thompson who founded the church called it ‘All Saints’.

The Sandakan POW camp was infamously known as the starting point of the notorious Sandakan Death Marches.

The last prisoners of the camp was John Skinner who was beheaded on Aug 15, 1945, five hours before the Japanese Emperor announced his country’s unconditional surrender.

Life on the camp was beyond horrible, especially towards the end of the war. The prisoners were subjected to shock and water torture.

Those who committed ‘crimes’ such as stealing food from the camp kitchen were imprisoned in a small cage similar to a dog cage.

They were placed there up to 30 days with little food.

In the midst of the torture and suffering, a number of the prisoners found hope and faith through the camp’s All Saints Chapel.

The description of All Saints Chapel

Chaplain
Shand’s tribute to Padre Thompson.

The description of the chapel can be found in a letter written by Lieutenant Sergeant H.W. Shand to Gladys Minnie Thompson. She was the wife of Chaplain Thompson.

“Space was at a premium, and all quarters overcrowded in the extreme, so with a few willing helpers, he got to work and dug out an area under one of the huts, which he made into a rather beautiful little chapel.

“The furnishings, ornaments, etc., were made from odd bits of materials scrounged by working parties, and then carved by various fellows in the camp. The cross and altar of wood were very nicely made. Altar hangings consisted of some cloth he had saved and intended one day to have made into a cassock.”

According to Shand, Thompson called the chapel ‘All Saints’ and calling the Sandakan POW Camp his parish.

The servers of All Saints Chapel

Shand wrote, “Although by no means an ardent churchman myself, and of no practical assistance to him, I am proud to say that I became a friend of his. Apart from ordinary church parades and services for regular churchgoers, he began his work by conducting hymn singing sessions, with a short service each Sunday night. Even song usually followed these.”

As for the layman servers of the chapel, Shand stated “Church wardens and a vestry council were appointed, and one man on light duties acted as verger and cared for the chapel. A Church of England Men’s Society was formed, and many new members were regularly admitted.”

As time went by, All Saints Chapel came to be packed for all services, both on Sundays and midweek evening.

This was despite the fact that most of the men had been out all day doing manual labour building Sandakan airstrip.

Padre Thompson’s sacrifice for his parishioners

Writing to Mrs Thompson about her husband’s life at the camp, Shand stated, “You will understand that many of these things were done in the face of opposition by the Japanese at times, and under difficult and disheartening circumstances. His normal and important work of cheering the sick, etc., went on all the time.”

Even though there were times Thompson was not required to do manual work, he would go out with the rest in order to give someone badly needed rest.

While Shand was one of the 150 POWs chosen to Batu Lintang Camp, Kuching in October 1943, Thompson was left behind in Sandakan with the rest which included almost 2,000 prisoners.

Batu Lintang Camp FOSM
Flying over the prisoner of war camp (POW) in Batu Lintang at a low height, RAAF Beaufighter pilots reported sighting white POWs, clad in khaki shorts, who excitedly waved as the RAAF aircraft flew over to drop leaflets announcing Japan’s surrender. Credits: Public Domain (Copyright expired). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C242106

The life of Padre Albert Thompson

The Reverend Albert Henry Thompson was serving in the Australian Army Chaplains Department during World War II (WWII).

He was taken prisoner at Singapore in February 1942. At first, he was sent to Changi Prison as a POW. Then in July that year, he was sent to Sandakan in British North Borneo (Sabah) .

The chaplain was on the second phase of the marches to Ranau, a distance of approximately 260km away through mountainous terrains.

The Japanese decided to move the prisoners as they were anticipating Allied forces landing.

Historian Lynette Silver wrote that his POW column was about two kilometers east of a place called Tampias where Thompson struggling with walking due to a large suppurating ulcer on a foot.

Then, two Japanese officers removed him from the line and ordered him not to go further.

To this day, we might never know whether the Japanese killed him or he was left to die due to his condition.

Record stated that Thompson died on June 19, 1945 at the age of 42.

In his letter which was published on Advocate on Mar 27, 1946, Shand also paid tribute to the late priest.

“Of one thing I am sure – Albert Thompson died as he lived, steadfast in his faith and his church, and setting an example in fellowship and self-sacrifice to those about him.”

As for Thompson’s little chapel the All Saints, it was burned to the ground along with the rest of the camp sometime in May 1945.

Kundasang War Memorial 8
Kundasang War Memorial which was dedicated to those who died during Sandakan Death Marches including Padre Thompson.

John Skinner, the last man executed at Sandakan POW Camp

“In the Sandakan prisoners’ compound, Warrant Officer Hisao Murozumi had his sword raised. It would be the last atrocity in this camp in this backwater of war. Terrible things happen in battle. In the heat and smoke of it, morality enters a strange world. Killing is survival. What Murozumi was about to do was barbarism. A prisoner, tall, thin, wearing only a loincloth was pushed down to kneel beside a slit trench. A black cloth was tied around his eyes. His hands were free because he was too weak to struggle. Murozumi carefully took his stance. It was a matter of pride to do this properly. He stood legs apart, arms above his head, the blade in a two-hand grip pointing directly backward, eyes fixed on the bare, supremely vulnerable back of neck. The sword flashed, John Skinner was beheaded and guards shovelled earth into the trench.”

That was how Cameron Forbes described the final moment of John Skinner in his book Hellfire.

Who was John Skinner? Why was he beheaded mercilessly? And what happened to the Japanese officer who swung his sword to kill Skinner?

John Skinner and his brother Edward “Ted”

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, John Skinner and his younger brother Edward were from Mount Mackenzie near Tenterfield, Australia.

When World War II broke out, the brothers were working for a timber contractor. Their job was considered a reserved occupation or essential service.

During WWII, this kind of occupation was deemed important enough to the country that those serving in such occupations were exempted from military service.

However, the brothers believed they should do their duty, so they enlisted.

Both were then posted to 2/10 Field ambulance and sent to Malaya.

After Singapore was defeated by Japan on Feb 15, 1942, they both became prisoners of war (POWs).

In July that year, they were among 1,500 POWs who boarded a Japanese hell ship and were sent to Sandakan in North Borneo (now Sabah).

The brothers separated at Sandakan POWs Camp

At first, life at the POW Camp was bearable. The POWs were tasked to build an airstrip for the Japanese and they had food to eat.

Things reportedly worsened in August 1943. Some suggested it was due to the arrival of Formosan guards who were more cruel than the Japanese.

Another factor might have been because the Japanese moved the Allied commanders and high-ranking officers who were imprisoned in Sandakan to Batu Lintang camp at Kuching.

Since then, there were no one left to fight for the rights of the POWs and boosted their morality. The Japanese also started to cut down their food and medicine supply, causing many to suffer from starvation and sickness.

In the beginning of 1945, the Japanese started to march the POWs westward into the mountainous town of Ranau, which was about 260km away.

They were sent in three phases. That was when the two brothers were separated as Edward was chosen to march to Ranau.

However, Edward was determined to survive and the only way to do that was to escape.

Together with him were Owen Campbell, Ted Emmet, Keith Costin and Sidney Webber.

They took along 12 tins of rice, six tins of salmon and some dried fish, all stolen from the Japanese.

Unfortunately, the group had one main problem, they were sick and malnourished.

The Fate of Edward Skinner

They made their escape on June 8, 1945, taking the small window of opportunity when an Allied plane flew over causing panic and chaos.

In Never Surrender: Dramatic Escape from Japanese Prison Camps, Mark Felton wrote that the group only managed to “painfully hobble a couple of miles through the jungle towards the coast before exhaustion and sickness stopped them in their tracks.”

“The following day Campbell had an attack of malaria severe enough that he could not walk any further and the whole group rested up. On 10 June Campbell felt sufficiently recovered to try again, but this time Ted Skinner’s dysentery meant that another member of their party was immobilised and once again the group rested in the jungle.”

That was when the group separated. Emmet, Webber and Costin went on heading to the coast. Campbell stayed with Edward.

Then, Edward did the unthinkable when Campbell went out to look for food.

Believing that he would not survive as he was sick with dysentery and he did not want to delay Campbell, Edward reportedly committed suicide by slitting his own throat.

His action came as a surprise for Campbell, as Edward was known for his faith and to always be carrying a bible with him during his imprisonment.

The last group of POWs at Sandakan POW Camp

Meanwhile, the key witness who watched what had happened to the remaining POWs at Sandakan was Wong Hiong.

At that time, he was a 15-year-old Chinese boy who worked in the Japanese cookhouse.

Since the remaining POWs were not able to march to Ranau, they were left in the open on stretchers, simply to die.

Paul Ham in his book Sandakan described the dehumanising situation that the POWS had gone through.

“The only food they get is a small rice ration; they drink whatever happens to fall on their faces. Some are barely able to open their mouths. The stronger ones manage to keep a few scant belongings by their side; a dixie, a blanket, a razor. The ration disappears and a small bucket of rice is dumped in their vicinity. Most prisoners can’t reach it.”

Wong tried to help the prisoners by stealing a little course of salt from the camp kitchen. But he was caught and beaten. Another friendly local named Ali Asa brought them some tapioca and kangkung. The men nibbled them uncooked.

Ham stated, “An English officer, Lieutenant Phillip Young dies on 26 July, and the rest fade away. In the first week of August, five survivors remain: the Australians John Davis, 34, Walter Hancock, 42, Ivan Sinclair, 36, and John Skinner, 31; and one British soldier Harold Rooker, 31. They beg for more food, but Ali Asa refuses: the Japanese threaten to shoot anyone caught helping the prisoners.”

On the morning of Aug 15, only one still alive among the group and that was John Skinner.

The witness of John Skinner’s death

sandakan huts 595x443 1
The ruins of huts in the prisoner of war camp, Sandakan, North Borneo, October 1945. Those who were too ill for the march were eventually murdered here. Courtesy Australian War Memorial: 120457

When Sergeant Hisao Murozumi executed Skinner, he did not expect to have any witnesses.

After the war ended, Murozumi testified at the Labuan War Crimes Tribunal in January 1946 that remaining POWs were not massacred.

He claimed that they all died one after another of illness starvation between July 13 and Aug 15.

Moreover, he commented that they did not shoot the remaining prisoners because they knew they would die in any case.

“We did not cook for the POWs at this stage; those who were able to crawl about were caring for the others. These POWs eventually died from lack of care and starvation, being too weak to eat. The last POW died about 15 August 1945. From 13 July to 13 August, 30 odd POWs died from malnutrition and lack of medical attention. As they died, their bodies were thrown into slit trenches by Javanese coolies and buried.”

Wong Hiong’s testimony

Sandakan Death Marches
The Australian Imperial Forces section of a cemetery at Sandakan camp. Credits: Australian War Memorial

Murozumi’s testimony clashed with Wong’s. Wong testified, “The one surviving POW came from No 3 Camp (Australia). His legs were covered in ulcers. He was a tall dark man with a long face and was naked except for a loin cloth.

One morning at 7am, I saw him taken to a place where there was a trench like a drain. I climbed up a rubber tree and saw what happened. Mirojumi (Murozumi) was with the man and fifteen Japs with spades were already at the spot. Mirojumi made the man kneel down and tied a black cloth over his eyes. He did not say anything or make any protest. He was so weak that his hands were not tied. Mirojumi cut his head off with one sword stroke. Mirojumi pushed the body into the drain with his feet. The head dropped into the drain. The other Japs threw in some dirt, covered the remains, and returned to the camp. The Japs went away the next day and that was the finish of my job.”

Was Murozumi charged for John Skinner’s death?

Unfortunately, John’s death was not one of the cases prosecuted during the war crime trials.

One main reason was Wong’s statement only came to light in April 1947, long after the Labuan trials were completed.

Besides, Yuki Tanaka in his book Hidden Horrors: Japanese War Crimes in World War II wrote that at that time Murozumi was already serving a life sentence for his other crimes at the Sandakan camp.

“With only one witness and relatively little forensic evidence, the cases might well have been considered too weak to make successful prosecution a likely outcome,” Tanaka wrote.

Five hours after John was executed, Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s unconditional surrender marking the end of WWII.

After the war, John was buried in an unmarked grave at Labuan War Cemetery until author and military historian Lynette Silver identified him. Now his grave bears his name while his brother’s body has never been found.

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