I Thought They were Going to Kill Him

Heroes Remember

I Thought They were Going to Kill Him

Transcript

We were there to work in the manufacturing facility that was right close there. We were shovelling what appeared to be some sort of coal going into the smelter. That was my job I was on. But there’s some men, they went to the mine. I did go there after a while. I had to go to the mine, to a surface mine. Sham Shui Po was so dirty and disease, far worse disease ridden than the camp we were in in Japan. There it was bad too but it had the appearance of a, it was clean, it was cleaner and there was good water supply. There was no soap or anything, but the regimentation there was so many guards around there. They were very strict. I can remember one case. I don’t want to mention his name but during the night we always had to, each hut had to have a guard on duty at all time. One of our own men. We had to know just where, how many were in the camp. And if there was any missing where they were. Anyways I was on duty at one of them and here a fella comes running out of there going to the washroom. And I knew him and I knew when you get in that condition, you have to go to the washroom about four or five times a night. He was running towards the exit and going into the washroom and I tried to stop him and tell him there is a chap there and the chap went right past there into the washroom. And I knew this chap, I knew he’d hang it out and he’d let fly as soon as he got to the washroom and the chap was sitting there and he peed all over this chap. Oh boy I heard this. I thought they were going to kill him I didn’t see it but I heard it. I didn’t dare leave, leave my position. If I were to go from my position, I would have probably been beat up too. And I could here him beating this chap that was in the washroom.

Description

Mr. Peters describes the Oyama work experience, the camp and its guards, and a tragi-comic incident between an ill prisoner and a guard.

Abraham Peters

Abe Peters, one of six children, was born in Lowe Farm, Manitoba, on November 12, 1919. His father was a farmer. Mr. Peters worked on the family farm, and was entrusted with the care of the horses. He left school after completing Grade eight to become a farm labourer. His parents were very upset to learn that he had enlisted in the Royal Winnipeg Rifles in June, 1940. Mr. Peters took basic training at Shiloh, Manitoba and Debert, Nova Scotia. He was ill in hospital when the Rifles shipped overseas to Europe, and once healthy, was sent to reinforce the Winnipeg Grenadiers, with whom he was sent to Hong Kong. As with other survivors of the Hong Kong theatre, Mr. Peters experienced poor training, inferior weaponry, capitulation and a life of misery in the Japanese POW and labour camps. He agrees with many of his comrades that it was a hopeless deployment.

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