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

Space: After the small recreation room attached to the barracks was transformed into officers quarters in Jan. 1945, the camp had no inside recreation space at all. Only the dining hall could be used as such. Being unheated this could only be done in between or after mealtimes, so that on workdays there was no room at all. For outside recreation existed the square inside the main building, until this was transformed into a garden in early 1945 and the yard in front of the buildings, which, being flanked by the Japanese offices, guardhouse and quarters was unpopular among the men.

Time: Under the various camp commanders various rules existed with regards to recreation time, but in general it may be stated that only on official restdays was there any time at all. On work days the men came home too late to do anything besides bathe and have their meals and perhaps attend to their clothing as the time between homecoming, 6 p.m. and the preparation for evening roll-call was hardly more than an hour and a half.

Under Lieut. Omaru there were no rules for recreation and it hardly existed even on restdays. Occasionally this commander ordered music to be made, even at the expense of church services which were ones broken up because this tyrant wanted to have the band play for him. During this period nobody was in a mood to relax at all and it may be said that recreation did not exist.

The next commandant allowed music to be made on special permission on free days after noon and announced that everybody could relax from that time until rollcall. The mornings of free days were always devoted to inspections of some kind or other.

Only during the last commandant, Lieut, now captain Sakai, the restdays were given to recreation, as this commandant ordered that on free days everybody could do as he liked, make music etc from ten o’clock onward.

Material: A few footballs were received early in our stay, but as no proper space was available, were of no use. Own chessgames and YMCA supplied cards could only be used freely on restdays after capt. Sakai’s arrival. A library consisting of a few owned Dutch books and a YMCA English set which was changed at irregular intervals, was the only enjoyable part of material throughout our stay, although the lack of Dutch books was severely felt. Musical instruments provided by the YMCA (guitar, mandoline, violin, drum) and an accordion given by the mine company were a great help but were only used regularly in the last half year, when they could be used every day after five o’clock.

To recapitulate: Except during the last six months, one can hardly speak about recreation in this camp, mainly because the working hours did not allow for it, but also, except in the case of capt. Sakai, because regulations hardly allowed it.

J.F.Wilkens,
Res 1st Lieut. D.A.F.