Themes

Article Highlights

• Introduction

• Conditions at North Point

• The move to Argyle Street

• Prisoner of war clothing

• Food in the camp

• Diseases in the camp

• Evacuation of the prisoners

Food in the camp

Japanese prisoners of war received very little food compared to those interned in European camps. By 1945 Mervyn Scott-Lindslay’s weight had dropped from 10 stone 9lbs to 8 stone 2lbs. He describes the food within the Argyle Street camp as consisting of rice for breakfast, bread for lunch and watery meat or fish stew for supper. Occasionally Mervyn received food parcels from the Red Cross containing provisions such as Bully Beef, sugar and dried fruit. The preparation and cooking of food supplied by the captors was carried out by prisoners of war under the supervision of guards over coal fires in the camp’s main cookhouse. The Japanese did not draw up an official scale for prison camp rations until October 1942, many months into captivity.

Small cup used by Frank Clements whilst a Japanese prisoner of war to measure his sugar ration (RNM)

Find out more about Frank Clements surviving as a Japanese prisoner of war

To supplement their food rations a few Japanese prisoners of war grew their own vegetables. From the 1 September 1943 Mervyn spent a week in the Bakery learning how to grind flour and make his own bread. In a number of camps the Japanese introduced chickens and the prisoners were given the task of building the hen-house and then looking after them.

Admiral Sir Frank Twiss describes the creation of a chicken farm whilst imprisoned as a Japanese prisoner of war (RNM)

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To find out about diseases in the camp, select Next