Japanese POW Camp, Kanchanaburi, Thailand 1944(?)
Extract from the Box Hill RSL’s magazine ‘Scuttlebut’ Issue 107, February 2007
From the Rice Eaters corner
Some few issues back there appeared a story about a particularly nasty Jap Guard, by the name Scumador. To hand from three of the unit’s departed members come more tales about this offensive member of the Imperial Japanese Army. Bob Baker has this to recount: “It happened at the POW and Coolie camp at Kanburi (or more correctly Kanchanaburi). The occasion was the evening Tenko (roll call). If one of we smokers was smoking at the time of the Tenko we would take the cigarette (cupped in one hand) with us onto the parade ground.
In this case an offender took a puff on his cigarette before he was clear of the parade ground and was spotted by the Shoko. We were called back on parade with many Kurra’s and made to fall in again. I was first in the front row with Peter Mackinlay the last. A Jap called Scumador – we called him Ted which was an abbreviation of what he really was – he, Ted told us we were to slap each other’s face and thatI was to begin. So I started off to pat each of those in the front line onthe cheek. This was not good enough for Ted and he demonstrated on me the way he wanted it to be done by slapping both my ears. Ted didn’t use his palms, he used his wrists and I can tell you wrists hurt more than palms.
So I proceeded to do as I was told by using my palms and not my wrists. It wasn’t an easy thing to do but I balked when I got to Peter who was our only NCO – and a good one. Peter said “Go on, hit me”. It was then Peter’s turn to go down the line, but he stood his ground until Ted screamed, Gunso suma suma. If looks could kill, the look Peter gave would have killed him on the spot. So Peter went down the line gently patting each man on both cheeks and got away with it. After this I don’t think anyone took a lighted cigarette on parade”.
Bill Flowers, 2/9th Field Ambulance Unit Association.
Extract from the Box Hill RSL’s magazine ‘Scuttlebut’ Issue 107, February 2007
From the Rice Eaters corner
Some few issues back there appeared a story about a particularly nasty Jap Guard, by the name Scumador. To hand from three of the unit’s departed members come more tales about this offensive member of the Imperial Japanese Army. Bob Baker has this to recount: “It happened at the POW and Coolie camp at Kanburi (or more correctly Kanchanaburi). The occasion was the evening Tenko (roll call). If one of we smokers was smoking at the time of the Tenko we would take the cigarette (cupped in one hand) with us onto the parade ground.
In this case an offender took a puff on his cigarette before he was clear of the parade ground and was spotted by the Shoko. We were called back on parade with many Kurra’s and made to fall in again. I was first in the front row with Peter Mackinlay the last. A Jap called Scumador – we called him Ted which was an abbreviation of what he really was – he, Ted told us we were to slap each other’s face and thatI was to begin. So I started off to pat each of those in the front line onthe cheek. This was not good enough for Ted and he demonstrated on me the way he wanted it to be done by slapping both my ears. Ted didn’t use his palms, he used his wrists and I can tell you wrists hurt more than palms.
So I proceeded to do as I was told by using my palms and not my wrists. It wasn’t an easy thing to do but I balked when I got to Peter who was our only NCO – and a good one. Peter said “Go on, hit me”. It was then Peter’s turn to go down the line, but he stood his ground until Ted screamed, Gunso suma suma. If looks could kill, the look Peter gave would have killed him on the spot. So Peter went down the line gently patting each man on both cheeks and got away with it. After this I don’t think anyone took a lighted cigarette on parade”.
Bill Flowers, 2/9th Field Ambulance Unit Association.
