Tents and Malaria
The tents in which we lived and slept were sited on what been paddy fields. They were square in shape and held six. The sides could be rolled up. Coarse matting covered the bare ground. There was no electricity and we had no light after dark. We slept on our biscuits 1 on metal bed frames and under mosquito nets. We assembled the bed by placing three or four wooden slats length ways and putting the biscuits on top. This arrangement provided a home for more pesky insects, bed bugs, that lived between the biscuits and boards.
Lo Wu and all the New Territories were malarial areas and after sunset the mosquitoes became a persistent nuisance. Many other peculiar insects, flies and bugs, too many to count, plagued us. All in all it was a little rough.
Apart from our ‘boxes soldier’ – a kind of foot locker – and orange boxes which we scrounged to put at our bedsides as a makeshift, there was no furniture or other comforts in the tents. I noticed, as I had before in the early days at Oswestry, that those who had been in the Boy Scouts and done some camping adapted more readily to this life under canvas.
At first I didn’t mind it at all. It was always a pleasure to lie in bed and with the tent walls rolled up look at the stars. On hot humid nights it was pleasant enough to have a breeze through the tent. It was not so pleasant when in the middle of the night there was a tropical downpour and the walls had to be lowered. The worst part was finding a mosquito in the net and having to hunt it down for some peace before one could sleep.
Camp Routine
The routine in camp was Reveille at 6 am, then a wash and shave either at the ablutions a long walk away or if the water was off there out of a mess tin outside the tent, paludrine parade, where to combat malaria under the sergeant’s eye one was given and then had to swallow a paludrine pill, a walk to the cookhouse of about a ¼ mile for breakfast at 7 am and then parade at 8 30. If in camp we finished around 4 pm and then we made up our beds putting our mosquito nets up. Dinner was between 5 and 6, and by 6pm long trousers had to be worn and jacket sleeves rolled down to prevent the mosquitoes biting. After that if not on guard or duty, there was no where else to go, or little to do other than a visit to the Naafi, and I noted I was generally in bed by 9 pm.
- Military slang for small, hard mattresses, 2 foot 6 inches square. Each man was issued three to use as a bed. ↩
Pretty accurate description, the plane you mention was a ‘Mustang’, after the radio station in Shum Chun.
Thank you John for those remarks and your interest in my story. It’s even more interesting that after sixty five years the event is remembered. It did too at the time make an impression. It all happened so suddenly and was over so quickly. Not something that usually occurred at morning parade.
It appears you have some knowledge of the incident, can you add anything more about it?
Hi John.
I have followed you account with much interest.
You have the facts.
Perhaps you remember the typhoon that followed almost directly after we erected the tents, and demolished the lot. Incidentaly, i remember that after the rain, while a mob of naked soldiers were trying to get some order, a concert party called ‘The Four Aces. appeared and were quickly ushered the Officers Mess to avoid embarrassment ( not ours, I think).
Hey ho.
John.
John, it is apparent from your remarks you and I served time together at Lo Wu, will you say in what capacity?
I can’t say I can recall you directly but in some manner your name seems familiar. I look forward to learning a little more about you.
I think the plane incident and the typhoon were two particularly memorable events at Lo Wu, though it’s probably also true to say the whole experience of Lo Wu is unforgettable.
And I’ve certainly forgotten about that concert party but I can’t forget the hilarity that ensued in course of the torrential rains and its consequences. Something along the lines of a schoolboy lark.
One other matter I have since learned about was the strenuous effort involved in manpacking all the gear up to the OP was subsequently avoided because mules were later employed on the duty instead of of us squaddies. Some had it cushy!
So glad you got in touch, and If you have anything more to add please feel free to do so. How long ago it all was.
My regards,
John.
Hi,John.
As far as I was involved in the in the “man packing’ exercise, the practice of using mules never happened, as it was thought that the animal could carry little more than a soldier and was not as docile.
John, It was after our time. It seems remarkable that mules were employed at all. Why use a mule when you have a squaddy?
Character forming yes, and it did us no harm. It makes me smile when I hear complaints from teen agers about some aspects of their lot today. As was said “…they need to get their service in..”
Please keep up your remarks and tell us something of your NS experience. You clearly retain memories of it.
Regards,
John.
Hi,John ,
I was a regular, a fourth generation ‘gunner’,Your observations as a National Service man are very interesting.I was sorry to hear of Tim Tate-Smith, I bumped into him in Moulton(?) in ’71,while I working on the Shale belt.Bill Hale.Captain Ret.and Major Tilburn Ret,have now gone, but I was lucky enough to serve with them later and they both supported me at my wedding.I left the Army as a W.O. Surveyor 1, A.R.I. working overseas most of the time, including seven years with the S.O.A.
My infrequent visits to the U.K. persuaded me that I would not live there, We now live happily in a small town in France, where I am accepted as a welcome foreigner, not the case in the United States of Britain. So now you have it,Take care,
John.
Very interesting John, sad about Tim TS-we were good friends and he was best man at my wedding-and delighted in Sergeant Hale making Captain well deserved and at which I am not surprised and Capt Tilburn, as was, getting his majority. He was a gentleman and respected us. I thought highly of him. As I did also of Surveyor Sergeants and Warrant Officer’s, accomplished Surveyors RA and good soldiers who set a good example to us squaddies.
Can you say a little more about your service and the gentlemen in question?
I’m not surprised at your living outside of the UK, the USofA has been good to our sons and to us and we could not visualize living elsewhere. I’m glad you are happy with your new life. As we are here. There’s something to be said for starting one in later years. What is amusing about ours is that one day we were residents of staid Tunbridge Wells and immediately on my retirement, of Montana. Different in so many ways!
You did inquire about Brian’s story. I’m sorry there I can’t provide the translations you sought but I can say its purpose is a placeholder for subsequent contributions. The most likely first one is of a Surveyor RA with 15 Locating Battery as it became, and his experiences in Korea.
I now realize you don’t have the same tale as mine, but we do have shared expereinces and if you would care to let us know about them there will be any number of interested readers. And, of whom I should be one. If so please let me know and I can arrange it.
It was so very kind of you to get in touch and I do so appreciate it.
And you too, take care.
John.