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POW | Surrender - 1942 | Singapore - from Feb.1942 | Burma -Thailand Railway | "A" Force | "B" Force | "C" Force | "D" Force | "E" Force | "F" Force | "G" Force | "H" Force | "J" Force | Singapore - from March, 1945 | Surrender - 1945

Borneo

1) Ever heard of an atomic bomb?

NX12544 - McLEOD, Graham Stanley, Lt. - BHQ; D Company, A/Adjt.; 17 Platoon
NX70446 - OLLIS, Ronald Nesbitt (Ron), Lt. - D Company, O/C 17 Platoon

"Then, there was another 15th August, that was very important, but this occurred four years later.

By this time, there were only seven 2/30 personnel out of those, who'd been sent to Borneo, left alive. We'd been lucky. We'd been transferred to Kuching before the holocaust began in Sandakan. Even so, we weren't in good shape. All of us were slightly mad. I was touchy about my weight. I stopped weighing myself, when I got down to 6 stone because, apart from being bad for my morale, I was afraid I'd blow away and be lost forever.

But that particular morning was different. I overheard the senior officers talking and the drift was that the war was over. Of course this was not a new furphy. It had happened so often previously that anyone voicing such an opinion was apt to receive a push, a hefty one. You can't push majors. This was what the majors were saying. And everyone knows that you've got to be pretty damned honest to become a major. Not like lieutenants. Just about anyone can get a couple of pips.

I went to No. 2 hut, where Ron Ollis was existing. (You could hardly describe it as living.)

"Ron”, I said carefully, "I just may have some good news. On the other hand, I mightn't. Now, I don't want to raise your hopes...". "Will you get to the ruddy point?". "O.K. The majors say that the war is over..... Ever heard of an atomic bomb?". He hadn't, but that did not matter. If the majors reckoned this was the 'good guts', there must be something in it. We grinned at each other like a pair of assassins.

That night, we watched the Nip Sergeant-Major, when he called for Tenko. He didn't look happy, so we nudged each other. Very significant! And he hadn't thumped anyone, either.

Maybe it was over. Later, our Camp C.O. ordained we'd have some Nasi Goreng for supper to celebrate. But the guards vetoed that and made us put the fires out. We agreed that they were bad losers, but this was proof positive, the stoush was indeed over.

Now can you see, why I regard the 15th August as important? Much more so than the Ides of March.

(Source: Graham McLeod - Makan No. 255, Aug/Sep, 1980)

2) A Chinese doll

NX12544 - McLEOD, Graham Stanley, Lt. - BHQ; D Company, A/Adjt.; 17 Platoon
NX70446 - OLLIS, Ronald Nesbitt (Ron), Lt. - D Company, O/C 17 Platoon

"I saw plenty of sarongs but not one was filled by anyone remotely resembling Dorothy Lamour. How come? was I in the wrong P.O.W. camps? We had no one like that in Borneo, although there was one Chinese doll, working on the roads in Sandakan, to whom Ron Ollis took a fancy. He christened her "Luscious". Or was that "Lascivious? I can't remember.."

(Source: Graham McLeod - Makan No. 253, Mar/Apr, 1980)

3) So little is heard of Japan, Java, etc.

QX15766 - BROWN, Myles Peace (Maurice), Pte. - B Company, 12 Platoon
NX70446 - OLLIS, Ronald Nesbitt (Ron), Lt. - D Company, O/C 17 Platoon
NX37369 - OUTRAM, Sidney Murray (Sid), Pte. - A Company, 8 Platoon

"Was interested to read of Mr. Jack Bennett's comments at 8 Div. A.I.F. Memorial Service at Bathurst on the Sandakan March. It has always surprised me that in the early days Changi was the only place name the media associated with Ex-Ps.O.W. 8 Div. Then the Burma-Thailand railway. Whilst realising that most of our unit went on the railway, even Makan never mentions B, D, E Forces, etc., even in statistics. At least 40 of 2/30 Bn. O/R's died on B Force and the officers would have too, only they were moved to Kuching, following the execution of Capt. Lionel Mathews and the gaoling of many others. Though conditions of working parties away from Singapore would have had much in common, so little is heard of Japan, Java etc.

(Ed. note: We regret we have so little information on B, C, D & E Forces, Ron. Pages 262, 385, 386, of the History gives us very little. A typed list we have shows:

8 Officers, 2 Sjts., 2 Cpls., 1 L/Cpl., and 47 Ptes., Total left Selarang 8/7/1942 for parts unknown, which finally ended in Borneo.

The History says that Officers were moved 15/10/43, and also states that 6 N.C.Os and 44 other ranks died. Two other ranks survived, Sid Outram of A Company because he was sent to Kuching goal and who now lives at North Wagga, and M.P. Brown, B Company, sent to Outram Road Gaol in Singapore, but died in 1/4/55.

Makan No. 263 Dec. 1981 issue Page 35 stated that Mr. Peter Firkins who served with the R.A.A.F., recently researched the tragic happening of SANDAKAN and produced a book on the subject, entitled, 'HELL TO ETERNITY". Your Ed. has read this book and it is quite an eye opener to those who were not there, although it was only written from deep research and not from personal experience.

(Would you mind giving us a few of your experiences Ron? - only those who were there can fill the gap! We know little of your experiences and next of kin of our cobbers on those Forces would like to learn more. C.C.)"

(Source: Ron Ollis - Makan No. 264, Jan/March, 1982)

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Last updated 24/08/2022