Keith - >Janet, Hello Folks,and in particular for this message, Janet Jacobs.
I recently purchased a book titled "Moon over Malaya", and had the pleasure of meeting one of the authors, Jonathan Moffatt at the National Memorial Arboretum in August.
Reading through the book, which is a very good read, and well researched, I came across the story of the two brothers, one with cholera, the other not. The uninfected one insisted in visiting his sick brother, the sick one lived the other died.
Do you remember that story your father related to you. If I am reading this right, and if Ron has the book he may be able to confirm, the camp is noted as Kuima (page 201, last paragraph)but I cannot trace the camp from this name, suspect it was near the Thai - Burma border, but cannot be sure.
I hope you are keeping well, if you need a little light relief, this book has a couple of great "elephant" tales, plus one about a Jap Colonel's dog! Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "a dogs dinner"
Janet - >Keith,
Thank you so much, yes I remember the story, I am actually very humled that Dad remembered so much, in such infinate detail and the fact that at times I doubted his ability to recelect these so accurately.
He always told me he was up there in the Tavoy area of Burma, and in a letter he wrote while waiting to get home he relays the story of his time up there to my Mum in much detail.
Re the Elephant stories, Dad always told this story of the " Bad tempered " elephant.
They were working cutting teak trees and the elephants were being used to pull the huge tree trunks up to the site of the railway. One day they had finished work and the mahoot (spelling-? ) was taking this particular elephant to the river to bathe him, he said the animal seemed to be " on a mission " and the mahoot was jesturing that they should quickly clear out of his CHOOSEN pathway. One bloke said words to the effect " Oh yeah right - you think I'm gonna get out of the way for a ****ing elephant ", the mahoot was shouting but the guy defied the elephant and his handler and stood where he was. The elephant did no more but picked the guy up and slammed him against a tree trunk at emormous speed, the guy was unconsious and died . My Dad always had an exceptionally healthy respect for elephants after that, but knowing a little bit about young bull elephants I suspect that he was in musk and being more than stroppy, however the poor bloke lost his life, my Dad always said " yes it's sad, but the elephant didn't ask to be a Japnese POW either, he should have given the animal and his "driver " ( his word for the handlers ) more respect.
Keith to this day I wonder if there wasn't more than an ounce of mickey taking on his part against me !
Isn't it brilliant when a story one has heard and then relayed oneself, is confirmed at a later date.
Ron - >Keith
I haven't got the book Moon over Malaya but the library has.
I will get it and have a read.
For anyone in Norfolk try using the online Norfolk Library Site at:
http://norlink.norfolk.gov.uk/cgi-bin/norfolk-cat.sh
You can see which books they have in their libraries.
