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Wilkins Food Report Fuk-07B-Okinoyama |
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Source: RG 331 Box 933 (NARA
7- Fuk-07-Okinoyama) Wilkins Camp Report Transcription by: Faye Powell, daughter of Australian Robert Bede "Bob" Moore, captured at Hong Kong. Clothing Report - Food Report - Recreation Report REPORT ON FOOD CONDITIONS IN FUKUOKA CAMP NO. 7 1. From our arrival on May 20 1943 till the early days of 1944 the camp was run by the Japanese army, which did at that time not allow any control over the kitchen by the POW officers, but placed a Japanese soldier in charge of the POW crew. 2. From Jan.1944 onwards, when the mine company took over the daily running of the camp (dai 10 hakensho). Lieut Fasso was put in charge of ration drawing and kitchen affairs. No official information was given, although asked for repeatedly, as to the quantities of base food and other that we were supposed to receive. All figure (s) mentioned in this report are based on weights actually received, in so far as we were able to check these; some of them are estimate or the figures given by the Japanese. 3. The basic food, rice, was generally speaking of fair quality, but deeply polished. Most of the time however, about 30% substitutes were given, presumably of the same value. Sometimes this would be flour, of which bread was made, sometimes baked, mostly steamed without yeast or baking powder. On other occasions the substitute would be either barley or wheat or maize or kaffircorn, all of which was mixed with the rice. Lately large quantities of soybeans either as they grow or flaked were issued instead of rice (up to 70%) These beans proved to cause serious digestive troubles: the majority of the camp suffering from diarrhoea, although the beans were soaked for at least four hours and then steamed for from eight to ten hours, to soften them. Yet most men liked them because they filled! 4. As for the quantities of the base food : from Jan.44 till June 45 this has been constant in total and never changed, whether there were large numbers on light duties or not. The average fell round about 675 grams per man per day. Some of the Japanese commanders issued orders as to the quantity of raw rice to be given to the various groups of workers, but these quantities were always derived from an assumed situation of light and heavy workers and worked back from the fixed total we received. In the attached schedule two monthly averages of daily rations are given: one for March 1944, when the food supply was comparatively good and everybody got the same quantity of base food, irrespective of the kind of work performed; the other for June 1945 when sick bay patients, inside workers, officers and farm workers were to receive 500 grams, topside mineworkers 650gr. and mineworkers proper 730 to 800gr. As the total quantity based on the average of 675gr did not change, it is obvious that the last group got less, the more mineworkers there were, and that even the lowest figure was barely attainable. Although we adhered to the system of giving different rations to different groups, we never went as far as the Jap. Extremes but set our own standards in accord with the opinion of the American camp doctors. In June 45 two cuts in the rice rations of resp. 10 and 5% followed each other rapidly. Moreover on the three rest days that were given per month, the issue was cut down to two meals of 200gr. for everybody. 5. The supply of other material has been most irregular and did not appear subject to any rule or regulation. Fresh fish and the occasional bit of meat disappeared in 1945. During the lasat months there was an occasional issue of either dried or salted fish, but these isues never lasted more than a few days. Vegetables too decreased considerably and theor issue was also always been rather haphazard; sometimes enormous quatities would be brought in, issued sparingly at first then in increasing amounts because they would rot away, often faster than we could eat them. Often there were periods especially in the last months, that there would be no fredsh vegetables at all. 6. Two soybean products: "Mizo", a fermented soy bean paste and "Tefu", coagulated soy bean milk were also an irregularly issued part of the daily ration, the former often taking the place of salt which was very sparingly given, lately in quatities of often less than 3 kilos per day. 7. Fruists were given or sold through the commissary on some rarfe occasions. I think I can remember every issue as they do not amount to more than a dozen issues of one or two tangerines or an apple per man in all the 27 months of our stay in Japan. Augmenting diet by buying sweets, etc., has been out of the question ever since 1944. 8. Finally the cheating, petty thieving and maliciously obstructing the smooth running of ration drawing and kitchenwork by the mine representative in charge of food issues, a man by the name of KIHARA should not be forgotten to be mentioned. /S/ J.F. Wilkens Res. 1st Lieut. |