23 May 1943
Passing through - A most terrible Camp - huts without roofs. This was a rough base depot where you remained for a day or more and were then sent to your destination. tiers, one had to not to work and build a roof of banana leaves. In the rain next morning we had to shift our gear to another roofless hut. This necessitated again going through the misery of climbing uphill deep into the Jungle for fresh banana leaves. (Wild bananas - no good to eat, full of big seeds - not cultivated.) We needed loads of armfuls of these, so more trips into the wet Jungle until I had a roof of leaves.
24th May
There were already 200 men in this Camp Hospital and some Australians had died, even during my short stay of 36 hours here. I was therefore glad to be off.
25th May
We passed through Shimo Songkrai, Thai for Lower River. After a time, we crossed a big river where hundreds of English were camped and big constructlon was under way for a railway viaduct. Two or three Engishmen were taken past us to some small Hospital. Oh, they did look like Death... I don't know what the disease, but it looked like the last stages of malaria, they wore so jaundiced and wasted almost to dolls.
Private GBW (Glen) Skewes
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