4: Flee to Southern Java - Part 2.

We moved off next morning feeling a little subdued after this episode, thinking of our plans to live in the wilds and wondering what other hidden dangers lay in wait. The made up road petered out and we were then on dirt track. Before long it started to rain in torrents, a typical tropical downpour, which didn't improve matters. We pushed on until early evening when the two wheel drive truck got stuck in the mud up to its axles. We had enough for the day, so it was corned beef and biscuits whilst we sheltered from the downpour.

It was a pitch black night, we were wet and uncomfortable and I had a pretty restless night. We slept in the two four wheel drive trucks under cover of the canopies, outside was squelching mud.

We were all up and about early, the morning hot and sunny as usual. The bogged down truck was fully laden with provisions which had to be unloaded and transferred to the remaining two trucks before any attempt could be made to pull it clear. We squelched our way back and forth for most of the morning until the task was finished, we then had a quick bit to eat, pulled the bogged down truck free and moved further into the scrubland.

Soon after we came to a rocky area, on the one side there was a thirty feet drop, the sides overgrown with small trees and the opposite side just rock. The gap between was deep in mud due to the previous downpour, needless to say the two wheel drive truck became bogged down once again. It had to go. It was completely stripped, pulled out of the mud and driven to the edge of the drop. Oil and water was then drained and the engine revved up. It wouldn't seize up, probably worn out with too much clearance in the bores, so it was finally pushed over the edge.

Continuing our journey we found that the going was very slow, as the vehicles were in low gear. We had only travelled a short distance when we saw running water and decided this was to be our camp. That night we had a stew up, which after our previous meals, tasted pretty good - I slept well that night.

The trucks were unloaded the following day, the food being stacked in amongst bushes and undergrowth. We had some canvas and our groundsheets to make tents when needed, and so we set up our camp. We drove the remaining trucks back to where the first one had met its fate and pushed them over the edge of the ravine and out of sight.

All meals were to be cooked together now, as previously we'd been eating in small groups and helping ourselves and had no idea how long our food would have to last. We took it in turns to do the cooking and two men were to be the look out for the enemy aircraft at all times.

4: Flee to Southern Java - Part 1.

At headquarters we met up with another twelve airmen who had prepared three trucks loaded with food, water and petrol. Our instructions were to make for Southern Java where we might possibly find a ship to take us away. The Dutch, we were told, were ready to capitulate under threat of bombing, possibly within forty eight hours. Without further delay we set off.

We had been travelling for about five hours over flat countryside passing a few banana plantations and rice fields when at about four o'clock in the afternoon a lookout spotted a plane coming towards us. Stopping, we dived for cover. It was a two seat light bomber with a gunner in the rear. It flew up and down above us twice without firing, he had most probably used all his bombs and ammunition on other escapees. As he flew off we dashed back into the trucks hoping to find cover before he or his pals came back to look for us.

Cover was found a few miles on. There was a banana plantation nearby. We pulled in among the trees and hastily cut banana trees down placing them in and around our vehicles. About half an hour later we heard planes approaching and dived under the trucks and lay listening to bullets pattering through the leaves. This continues for three passes, fortunately nothing caught fire, then they departed. We stayed undercover, had our evening meal and moved on after dark. The darkness cut our speed down but it was more relaxing than travelling in broad daylight.

By early morning the road became more of a climb and there was now a mountain range ahead of us. We stopped for a quick bite and a cup of tea, the general opinion being, we would have to continue our journey in daylight, as the mountain road had no barrier or curb and would be hazardous in the dark.

The Japanese aircraft were attacking the North and South of the Island so we were not troubled with any visits from them that day. We cleared the mountain, made our way down and headed for the south coast. At our evening stop we heard on the radio that the ships leaving ports were under fire from Japanese warships and the Dutch were going to surrender and set up roadblocks to stop movement of allied troops, we realised then that the chance of boarding a ship was very remote. It was agreed that we would turn inland at the next junction, find as remote a spot as possible and hopefully survive on our food until liberated. We didn't go much further that day.

Moving on the next day, we left the valleys of rice behind us and found ourselves in wooded scrub country with small kampongs dotted about with banana and coconut trees about them. By late afternoon we came upon an area completely covered by large trees and wide enough to drive the trucks off the road and under cover. There was a river nearby, the ground solid and well used which suggested this was possibly a watering hole for buffalo, goats etc of the local people.

Fires were lit for our evening meal, the usual tins of corned beef and tinned vegetables accompanied by hard biscuits. The smoke of one fire angered a swarm of hornets that had been hanging from an overhead branch around thirty feet above, unnoticed. Suddenly they swooped down and landed on one man, covering his head and entire back. It was impossible to beat them off, some shouted to him to jump in the river and as he ran, more hornets followed. He submerged himself completely, but the hornets still clung to him. Some of the men tried beating them off with towels but to no avail.

It must have been at least fifteen minutes before they suddenly flew off. Obviously the man was badly stung but we had nothing with which to treat him. Two of the chaps said when we were travelling on higher ground earlier in the day they had seen a military ambulance in the distance some miles ahead of us and thought it likely the driver had pulled in somewhere for the night. So one of the trucks set off with him and did manage to find the ambulance, but we heard later that he died the following day.