Excerpt from "The Sun", 29 August, 1945:

We awoke one morning to find the camp surrounded by guards. Machine guns had been set up at the main gate and further down the road a mortar was in position.

We were paraded and waited uneasily for Lieutenant Hosijimah to address us.

He told us that he was grieved to hear that some of our men had escaped, but he assured us that they would be recaptured and severely dealt with.

He then produced a paper, and read this to us;

" 1 We abide by the rules and regulations of the Imperial Japanese Army

    2 We agree not to attempt to escape.

3 Should any of our soldiers escape we request that you shoot him to death."

He then called on our senior officer, Lt-Col Walsh, to sign the paper. The colonel re-read the message, then said in a loud voice, "I, for one, will not sign a paper such as this."

He was immediately seized and taken into the road, in full view of us all. Six guards loaded their rifles and came to the ready before him. A machine gun outside the fence was trained on us.

For a moment it looked as though the situation was out of control. The men were on the point of making a suicidal rush in an effort to save the colonel, when Major Workman, the second senior Australian officer, was called and ordered to sign.

By some swift thinking and a little tact he had the words altered to:-

1 I agree to the rules of the Imperial Japanese Army.

2 I will not attempt to escape.

3 If I attempt to escape, I know I will be shot.

When he read this, the relief from tension was so great that the men cheered wildly. We all signed the document and the colonel was set free.

John Workman