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Tokyo and Yokohama are Firebombed.
Mr. Gerrard describes evidence that America is closing in on Japan. He describes ships returning to Yokohama badly holed by American attacks. The firebombing of Tokyo and Yokohama which disables the shipyard and levels much of both cities is also a vivid memory.
A Shortage of Medicine at Yokohama
Mr. Gerrard indicates that medicine was in very short supply at Yokohama camp, although in extreme cases such as worms and beri beri, medications might be administered.
Stolen Thread
Mr. Gerrard describes following the lead of some Korean internees who cut out pieces of air hose and used the thread lining the hose to mend their clothing.
Work in the Yokohama Shipyard
Mr. Gerrard puts the attrition rate of his shipyard crew at eighty percent. The Canadians are eventually separated from the Japanese laborers, with whom there is constant conflict, and achieve a level of effort that is satisfactory.
Worms and Cellulitis
Mr. Gerrard discusses how some of the men would cough up worms, "As big around as your finger.” He then describes his personal battle with cellulitis and the crude, painful method of treating the skin infection. He is held down by four men while the doctor cuts open the tissue of his knee to drain it.
Yokohama Camp
Mr. Gerrard describes a threatening welcome by the commandant at Yokohama camp, and then moving into barracks which lacked heat and operational bathing facilities.
From Hong Kong to Yokohama
Mr. Gerrard describes the overcrowded and uncomfortable conditions in the hold of the hospital ship which transports him to Japan.
The Universal Consequences of an Escape
Mr. Gerrard discusses the retribution faced by all the inmates, including those on stretchers, after an escape from North Point. The POWs are forced to endure a long night outdoors in a cold rain.
The Effects of Disease were Cumulative.
Mr. Gerrard describes suffering from diphtheria and witnessing several deaths on his ward as a result of it. He also attributes the death of many of the prisoners to the cumulative effect of several diseases.
Mean Guards and the Kamloops Kid
Mr. Gerrard generalizes about rough treatment by the guards and then singles out the Kamloops Kid as a brutal disciplinarian. He expresses a frustration shared by all the prisoners who witnessed his malicious behavior; being under threat of certain death if they tried to intervene.
Working at Kai Tak Airport
Mr. Gerrard describes sabotaging the concrete used to extend the runway at Kai Tak airport, despite being under constant scrutiny by their guards.
We Never saw the Camp in Daylight
Mr. Gerrard describes leaving North Point camp at daylight to go to work and not returning until after dark. He recalls having a day off and discovering for the first time that his bedding is infested with bed bugs.
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