14th April, 1943 The rice we are provided with is finally coming to some use. For the last year we have trying to figure out how to cook the stuff; wasting incredible amounts in the process. We finally have the technique, but the rice isn’t very filling, especially considering the amount we are given, and the work we have to do to cook it, after all of the work on the railway. Furthermore, I have heard shocking rumours about other camps; that the conditions are even worse than here. Many people have been referring to the railway as “Death Railway”, which is an understatement, to say the least.
6. 8th June, 1943 It is with great regrets that I should have to write that Frederick Arnold has passed away. He fought against the Japanese who put him through hell, much worse than the experiences he wrote about that surrounded him. Fred also fought bravely against the nasty foot infection that claimed his life after a 4-day battle. He was not just another of the 260,000 prisoners of war that worked on the railway nor just another of the 12,000 Australians, but he was a valued individual whose courage was not to be ignored. Roughly one-third of other prisoners-of-war have died recently, but none have pained me more than