Jemadar Chint Singh of the 2/12 Frontier Force Regiment was captured at Malaya along with thousands of other Indian soldiers in February 1942. The next three years would be hellish. He was one of the lucky few who survived being in Japanese captivity. He also left behind a memoir 
'None of us had the slightest idea of the terrible time which lay ahead.' 3000 Indian POWs were landed at New Guinea in May 1943. 'The Japanese had two cargo boats and we were kept in a dreadful condition throughout the journey.'
He recounts how they were slapped, beaten, left for dead & often murdered in cold blood. The men had to steal rations because they were left to the point of starvation. Two men found with stolen rations were 'tied to a tree, severely beaten & later shot by the Japanese'.
In April 1944, the Japanese beheaded an Indian captain because he demanded transport arrangements and medical aid be given to his men.
From among 3000 Indians at New Britain, only 10 including Chint Singh survived. He would go on to be a key eye-witness in the Australian War Crimes Commission and helped in the conviction of many of his Japanese captors.
The Australian officer who received them wrote 'It was heart-wrenching. 10 of these poor fellows were lined up in two ranks, some were sitting because of the sores on their feet or their condition was such that they could not stand, but all were rigidly at attention despite this'
While Chint Singh was held back as a key witness, his men, who faced death countless times in captivity, boarded a Dakota to fly to Rabaul and to proceed from there by ship to India. Tragically the aircraft crashed and all of them were killed.
#VJDay75 #LestWeForget
#VJDay75 #LestWeForget
