Pat Ritter. Books

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Chapter 6

Harry and Ted sat on a log in the warmth beside the fire, ‘you were in the war – Ted.’ Harry asked when he lit up a roll your own cigarette made from tobacco and cigarette paper.
‘Yeah, it’s something I don’t like to talk about.’ Ted said.
‘Alright then, it’s your business – we won’t talk about it, I sorry I brought it up.’ Harry suggested.
‘It was tough – I was a prisoner-of-war in Changi.’ Ted shared with Harry.
‘Where’s Changi?’ Harry inquired with a blank look on his face.
‘It’s a prison in Malaya – near Singapore.’ Ted explained.
‘I’m not educated Ted – I didn’t go to school to learn where places are.’ Harry implied. He felt embarrassed he was not educated to share this information.
‘Its north of Australia; the Japanese invaded Singapore in 1942 – you may have heard about it.’
‘Na…ah hang on a minute I might have seen something on the newsreel at the pictures, yeah, I remember the planes bombing somewhere up there…I remember now, you were there, ah.’ Harry was astonished to think Ted was in amongst the battle with the Japanese, his vision returned to the time he was at the pictures when the newsreel came on and he saw planes letting bombs go.
‘I was there alright, it was the worst time of my life; I honestly thought I was going to die.’
‘How long were you there?’ Harry asked.
‘Just over 3 years almost 4 – we landed in February 41 and stayed until the war ended in 45.’
‘That’s a long time.’ Harry muttered.
‘Like I said, it was the worst time of my life – I didn’t know if I was going to see my family again – we lost contact when we surrendered.’ In a way Ted felt relieved to share with someone his story of imprisonment under the Japanese during the war.
It was well known the returned soldiers; particularly those who were taken prisoner by the Japanese didn’t want to talk about their experiences. They felt ashamed to be a prisoner-of-war when their mates battled the war and many were killed.
‘Pa, Pa, look what I caught.’ Voiced through the air, Rose ran up the bank with two yellow bellies in her hand, ‘I caught them myself, Pa,’ her smile showed how delighted she was to catch a fish.
‘That’s wonderful daughter – we can have fish for breakfast.’ Ted told her.
Henry joined the camp exhibiting a couple more yellow belly, ‘they’re biting Boss – you should have seen Rose; she almost piddled herself with excitement when she caught her first fish and when she caught the next one I thought she did

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piddle herself, she was so excited.’ Henry shared with the others.
‘I did not – Henry, you’re teasing me – it was great Pa, I’ve never fished like that before – I can’t wait until tomorrow night – can we Henry, do it again?’ Rose asked in excitement.
‘I don’t see why not.’ Henry rejoiced in telling her, ‘what about some grub – I’m hungry.’
Henry uncovered the lids from the camp ovens and displayed the food he’d cooked. In one oven was a leg of mutton, part of the killer he dressed in the afternoon after setting up camp. In another, potatoes; onions; and carrots boiled to the right temperature and in a third, a damper. A large billy filled with water was bought to the boil.
Henry threw a handful of bushels tea leaves into the water. He tapped the side of the billy with a stick to let the tea leaves settle to the bottom. Before he poured tea into pannikins he swung it over his right shoulder twice in a clockwise direction than swung it in the opposite direction the same.
On the side of the truck was built a camp kitchen with a drop down lid used as a table; the food was placed for carving and selection onto plates. Each person took their turn at filling their plate with sufficient food before finding a seat on a nearby log.
‘Where’s the kangaroo; goanna; porcupine, rabbit, and snake you said you were cooking?’ Rose asked with a mouthful of morsel.
‘I thought we’d have mutton tonight and have something different tomorrow night.’ Henry replied.
Rose was hungry and finished her plate before the others, ‘that was the best food I’ve ever eaten, Henry – you are a great cook.’ She told him.
‘You got enough room for pudden – I’ve cooked your mother’s bread and butter custard.’ Henry said.

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‘I think so – Mum couldn’t cook like this.’ She continued.
Henry dished up bread and butter custard and all was satisfied after a slice of damper and billy tea.
‘I’ll wash up,’ Rose said.
‘You’ve never washed up in your life.’ her father stated.
‘After this meal I’m happy to help out.’ Rose continued.
‘I’ll help.’ Henry called.
Harry and Ted moved away from the camp to have a smoke. A full moon made it as bright as daytime. After they settled and lite up a smoke Harry said, ‘I don’t want you to talk about the war if you don’t want too but I’m interested how you survived. It must have been tough.’
‘I suppose I should start at the beginning.’ Ted said.
‘Whatever you want to say will do.’ Harry wanted Ted to tell his story in his own time; he couldn’t imagine being held a prisoner-of-war for three years or more and come out of the ordeal sane.
‘At the time I joined up I thought it was too late because of my age but they took me – they must have scrapped the bottom of the barrel. We trained at Redbank in Brisbane for a few weeks and then got shipped off to Malaya. It was February 41; it took about two and a half weeks on the boat.’
‘Pa and Harry, I’m off to bed, see you both in the morning.’ Rose called out.
‘Don’t forget you’re the horse tailer – do you know what to do?’ Harry answered.
‘Get the horses in, I suppose – anything else.’ Rose replied in an inquisitive voice.
‘Let the dogs go for a run,’ Harry commanded.
‘Alright, goodnight - see you both in the morning.’
‘Goodnight.’ Both said in unison.
Harry thought more of Ted’s story and wanted to hear the rest of his tale but it was getting late and he had to have a bathe before he went to bed. Since Rose had gone to bed he

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could now have a dip in the river without embarrassment of being seen.
‘Ted, do you mind if we continue your story tomorrow – I’ve got to go for a skinny dip before I go to bed.’ Harry asked.
‘Yeah, that’ll be okay – I’m exhausted anyway and should turn in, see you in the morning bright and early.’ Ted answered.
Ted wanted to share the rest of his story with Harry but each time he thought about those days the nightmares returned to haunt his every moment, especially the atrocities handed out by his captors.
Before retiring to bed Harry went to the river stripped and entered the water. He washed himself with soap and brushed his teeth with his toothbrush. After drying on a towel he retired to his swag and in no time fell into a deep sleep, his thoughts only of Rose and images of Ted held as a prisoner-of-war.

The smell of freshly cooked fish spread through the camp as the sun broke through the early morning dawn.
Harry awoke with a startle and thought he’d slept in. He always awoke before dawn, a habit he had since starting droving. His nostrils filled with the fresh morning air and the smell of cooked fish.
‘I’ve let the sheep go and your horse is saddled and tethered,’ Rose told Harry when he joined them.
‘Thanks Rose, how is everyone this morning?’ Harry said with a smile in his voice.
‘Wonderful,’ Ted replied, ‘I’ve never felt as good in a long time.’
‘Brekkies ready – come and get it’, Henry called and the others formed a circle around the camp fire. Each secured a plate filled with fish and ate to their heart’s content, finished off with a pannikin of hot black tea and freshly cooked Johnny cakes.

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Daylight broke across the horizon; birds sang their early morning songs.
‘What are these?’ Rose asked before she mouthed a Johnny cake.
‘They’re Johnny cakes, a bit of flour, water, cream-of-tartar, soda and drippen.’ Henry told her.
‘Why are they called Johnny cakes? Did a fellow named Johnny invent them?’ She asked.
‘I dun know – Harry taught me how to cook them, do you know Harry?’ Henry asked.
‘No, my father taught me and he never told me who invented them,’ Harry answered, ‘they’re pretty good, the fish are good too’ he finished with a piece in his mouth, ‘did you let the dogs go for a run Rose?’ He mumbled with a mouth filled with food.
‘Yes Boss, they emptied out and are ready for the day – the sheep are down along the river drinking.’ She explained.
‘Alright then we’d better hit the road, Henry we’ll meet you at the 12 mile.’ Harry commanded.
All three finished breakfast, mounted their horses, whistled the dogs and commenced to ride around the sheep.
Sheep are strange creatures, there is always a leader, much like humans, and others follow the leader, just like humans.

It was mid morning and time to rest the sheep to graze, ‘we’ll put the billy on for a cuppa, what’d ya reckon?’ Harry cooed to the other two who were across the other side of the mob. Both waved and headed to where Harry stopped under the shade of a gum tree near the river.
By the time they dismounted Harry had a fire going and his quart-pot boiled. The others joined him. Henry prepared damper and jam for morning smoko and all three shared.
Leaning against his saddle Harry said, ‘I’m having a kip, the sheep will be okay.’ He laid his head against the saddle

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and pushed his hat over his face, snoring erupted from his nostrils.
‘We’d better have a rest also Pa,’ Rose shared with her father and both lay down with their heads on their saddles to rest. Under the shade of the gum tree, a slight breeze, Rose’s eyes closed.
Rose awoke with a smile – she now understood why Harry loved droving; it was his life, his destiny. She would do anything to make this trip a success. She was beginning to take a shine to him but this wasn’t the time or place to commence a romance. It was back to work.
She stood and walked to recapture the horses. With all three in hand she bought them to the shade of the tree when the others slowly awoke from their deep sleep.
‘Thanks Rose,’ Harry muttered rubbing his face to wipe away the sleep, ‘you’ll make a horse tailer yet.’
All three saddled their mounts and slowly reformed their previous positions – Harry at the tail; Rose on one wing and her father on the other. They moved the sheep off.
Harry moved toward Ted’s wing and soon both men came abreast. He swung his right leg over the pommel of the saddle, drew tobacco from his shirt pocket and rolled a cigarette, cupped his hand around the cigarette and lit it with a match. Slowly drawing on the cigarette he said, ‘Ted, we have time, do you want to tell me more of your story?’
‘Yeah, alright – where were we?’ Ted asked.
‘You arrived in Malaya – I think. What happened next?’
‘We were at Mersing when Japan entered the war and began their invasion of Malaya. They already reached Johore by January 42 and on the 21st we started the fight with Japan. We had 25 pounder field guns and this was when we were attacked by the Japanese aircraft.’
‘Woe up a bit, I have no idea what you’re talking about – where are these places? They’re all foreign to me.’ Harry spluttered.

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‘Sorry Harry, its north of Australia, past New Guinea and the bottom of China.’
‘I know where China is – alright I’ve got a bit of a picture of where it is, go on.’
‘We were there about 12 months before the fighting started. Our job was to stop the Japanese from moving south. When the fighting started we were attacked by Japanese aircraft.’
‘What’d you do – what was your job – did you shoot back at them?’ Harry wanted to know.
‘I was a signalman, my job to make certain the wires were always connected for communication. One time I was in a bomb shelter and communication went dead. The wires along the line must have been hit by a bomb and broke.’
‘What’d you do?’
‘I asked the Lieutenant for his revolver and he gave it to me. I strapped it on and left the bunker. It was raining and the line was hard to see. I felt my way along the length of wire and found a break and in the dark joined the wire together. Shells blasted the area and one time I thought I was a goner when I lay flat on my tummy. After the bombing stopped I started back to the bunker. The rain poured down in torrents, I was wet through to the skin. On the way back I saw a cave and thought it was a good thing at the time to go into the cave until the rain stopped.’ Harry was in awe of the story told by Ted, he visioned the soaked uniform and Ted moving into the cave.
‘I’m listening.’ Harry said locking eyes on Ted to encourage him to tell him more, he’s a brave fellow if ever he knew one, Harry thought.
‘It was dark and the flash light I carried was dull. Inside the cave the glow from the touch showed a pair of eyes. I didn’t know if it was a Japanese soldier or a mountain lion – we’d seen a few mountain lions since we arrived. Anyway I hightailed it out of there and returned to the bunker.’