Dunlop Force – Java Party No. 6 – O and P Battalions

DUNLOP FORCE – JAVA PARTY NO. 6

‘D’ Force, O and P Battalions

Dunlop Force was the fourth group to leave Java – its Commanding Officer the one and only Lt. Col E.E. ‘Weary’ Dunlop from 2/2nd Casualty Clearing Station.
The party left Makasura Camp on 4th January 1943 for Tanjong Priok Port, embarking on ‘Usu Maru’ and disembarking three days later at Singapore.
Here the men were accommodated at Changi Cantonment in the British area north of  Selarang Barracks.
On 19th January the men began to leave Singapore by train  arriving at Non Pladuk on 24th January. The POWs were trucked to Tarsau via Tardan then north to Kanu III where they arrived on 25 January 1943. Dunlop Force was to be the first Australian force to work on the southern end of the railway in Thailand. It was incorporated into ‘D’ Force Thailand Administration Group 4.
Although now part of ‘D’ Force, Dunlop Force managed to retain its identity over the years and is rarely referred to as being part of ‘D’ Force. They were made up of 3 Australian and one Dutch Battalions.
The first two battalions were O Battalion under Major H. Greiner of 2/3rd Machine Gun Battalion.
P Battalion was under the command of Major F. Woods who was the Australian Liaison Officer during the Battle of Java.
The third was Q Battalion under the command of Capt. J. Hands also from 2/3rd Machine Gun Battalion.
The fourth was the Dutch R Battalion under command of Capt. Smits.
Whilst O and P Battalions retained close ties with  2/4th Machine Gunners of S and T Battalions, Q and R Battalions tended to always remain one step ahead of the other two battalions of ‘D’ Force.
The numbers allocated by the Japanese to these Australian Battalions from Java were:

O Battalion No. 25 Company

P Battalion No. 26 Company

Q Battalion No. 20 Company

These Japanese designated Company numbers are often the key that unlocks the secret as to which particular group each POW belonged.
There were 19 men from 2/4th split between O Battalion No. 25 Coy and P Battalion No. 26 Coy.
Kanu I River Camp, 25 January to 12 March 1943
Arriving at the allocated area for their camp all that had been in this jungle patch was the clearing of trees. Firstly they were required to build the Japanese accommodation, headquarters and store huts before concentrating on their own huts.
By 1 February a kitchen had been erected, one hut about 55 yards long by 7 yards wide, work had started on a second hut with most of the roof thatched with atap and a third hut was being worked on from the ground upwards.
By 14 February the framework for another 5 huts, the hospital and officers quarters were completed but were held up by the lack of material to thatch the roofs. On l7th March all the sleeping platforms or chungs were constructed so at least the men were off the ground and but still sleeping under the stars.
It was at this point the Japanese decided the camp location was not right!
The camp was too far away from the projected route of the railway.
All the hours of labouring was for nothing and the camp abandoned. O and P Battalions moved back up the mountain on 17 March 1943.
In time, the hours of labour was not lost because cholera patients from Malay Hamlet, Kanu II and Kanu III camps would be brought down the mountain to this camp, ensuring isolation before being barged down river to one of the established Base Hospital Camps. ie. if patients survived the treacherous trek on foot or by stretcher down the mountainside and then their isolation period.

Hintok Road Camp, 22 March To 1 July 1943
There are several different names for this camp and can be sometimes read as Hintok Road, Hintok Mountain or Hintok Jungle Camp. In Murray Ewen’s “Colour Patch” this camp is known as Hintok Road Camp and was located approximately 156 kilometres from Non Pladuk in the higher mountainous country.
Rod Beatty on the other hand, from all his 20 years of researching the Burma-Thai Railway,  says Hintok Road Camps were located at about 154 km and Hintok River camps at 156 km (this was where H Force and ‘D’ Force were located).
If this information appears conflicting, please feel as puzzled as we are! 
One thing is certain, there is always a degree of mystery and uncertainty.  POWs did not know the locations of their camps – there were no welcoming signs with the name of the area!  Once the groups left the southern towns of Thailand – they only sometimes passed by a small village – they moved across and worked in the jungle and mountains.
On 12 March the first batch of 100 men from O and P Battalion moved out on foot from Kanu I Camp to their next camp at Hintok Road. The route they used was the same as that they used to come into this camp a month earlier.
The track went up the side of the mountain to the plateau and then north along the road past the yet to be established Kanyu II Camp. With 7 days the remainder of O and P Battalions had moved up from Kanu I River Camp to join the advance party. There were a few established huts that had been erected by Dutch POWs but the camp was so filthy it was decided to burn the existing huts. Dunlop described the camp at Hintok Road as ‘like a Chinatown with many crazy looking huts”. O and P Battalions pitched their tents and began constructing bamboo sleeping platforms and floors within.
The men’s sleeping quarters immediately took a lower priority over the railway – and the POWs immediately began working on the line.
One of the greatest difficulties with this camp and was the same at Konyu II and III camps, was the distance of 7 kilometres trek to the River Kwae Noi barge landings. All their food supplies had to be manhandled over some very steep and slippery terrain to deliver it to the camp.
Hintok River Camp 1 July – 17 September 1943
Kinsaiyok Camp 17 September – 6 December 1943
DEATHS – D Force Thailand Java Party No. 6, O & P Battalions
WX5200 ROBINSON, William Joseph (Buller) Acting Sergeant

Enlisted AIF 26 Jul 1940 later joined 2/4th’s ‘B’ Coy 8 Platoon.
Died 17 July 1943 dysentery Hintok Road Camp, Thailand aged 25 years. Java Party No. 6, O Battalion

 

 

 

 

 

WX7493 RENNIE, Robert George Staunton
Java Party No. 6, P Battalion.
Rennie was born in India. He was also left behind at Fremantle when ‘Aquitania’ sailed 15 Jan 1942.  Please read Jim Scales.
Rennie had his right leg amputated at the thigh due to a tropical ulcer. This operation took place at Tamarkan Camp, having been evacuated from Hintok,  tragically he died aged 37 years of post operative complications on 4 Oct 1943.  His general health as a POW would have been poor prior to his amputation.
Rennie’s amputation was done by Dr. Moon, a doctor very highly regarded by Dunlop and British Officer Toosey, in Charge at Tamakan and his patients.
 Rennie was married with 5 children.

 

WX8843 SCALES, James
Java Party No. 6, O Battalion
Irish born, Jim Scales died 11 September 1943 of  polyavitaminosis and dysentery Chungkai aged 35 years. He had been evacuated to Tarsau on 20.8.1943 suffering from malaria. It seems he was evacuated to Chungkai Hospital.
Scales was one of the nearly 100 2/4th men who were left behind at Fremantle and were taken to Java, where they were taken POW in March 1942. Please read further about those AWOL Fremantle .

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O Battalion – Survivors

WX8245 ADAMS, Edwin Thomas – Bandeong, Bicycle Camp, Makasura Java.  Rashin Maru Party – Japan, Yamane, Nihama.  Recovered from Japan.
WX13977 AIREY, George Frederick  (Fred

escaped from Singapore to Java.  Imprisoned Bandeong, Bicyle Camp, Makasura to Hintok, Tarsau, Tamuang, Nacompaton in Thailand From where he was recovered at the end of the war.  From Bangkok flew to Rangoon to Singapore sailed to Fremantle.
WX7064 ALLPIKE, Bert Winfield James Bandeong, Bicycle Camp.  Railway Camps: Hintok, Kinsaiyok, Tarsau, Tamuang (March 1944 to April 1945).Thailand to Singapore
WX7587 BARBOUR Thomas. Tarsau, Non Pladuk, Nacompaton (evacuated to Tarsau 20 August 1943 with malaria & tropical ulcer. Leg amputated 9 October possible at No. 2 Hospital Camp Non Pladuk).  Thailand to Singapore to Singapore Highland Chieftain train to Perth.
WX8240 CARTER, Douglas Newington Hunter -Soekaboemi Camp, Java from 2 April to June  1942. Evacuated sick Tarsau from malaria & enteritis 5 Sept 1943.  Selected Rashin Maru Party to Japan – Ohama Camp No, 9B.  Recovered from Japan at end of war.
WX9130 HUNTER, Malcolm Ashton.  Hintok Rd Camp (evacuated 2/9/43 cholera). Recovered from Thailand. Thailand-Singapore-Fremantle Moreton Bay
WX15744 LEE, Leslie Wallace – Bicycle Camp, Java. Tarsau- evacuated sick on 1/9/1943,  Recovered Thailand.Thailand-Singapore-Fremantle Highland Brigade
WX13562 MOATE, Peter Joseph – Garoet, Bandeong, Bicycle Camp, Makasura camps, Java.  Hintok Rd Camp, Tarsau (evacuated tropical ulcer), Recovered from Nacompaton, Thailand.  Thailand-Singapore-Australia
WX7466 WALSH, Bernard James – Bandeong, Bicycle Camp, Makasura, Java.  Hintok Rd, Hintok River, Tarsau, Tamuang.  ‘Rashin’ Maru Party to Japan – Fukuoka sub-Camp No. 17 Omuta, Recovered from Japan.Manila-Sydney ‘Speaker’.

P BATTALION

WX10791 BEATTIE, Alan Robert. Bicycle Camp Java. Tamarkan, Tamuang, Thailand. ‘ ‘Rashin Maru Party to Japan.  Fukuoka sub-Camp No. 13, Saganoseki.  Fukuoka sub-Camp No. 17, Omuta.  Recovered from Japan. Nagasaki-Okinawa-Manila-‘Speaker’ to Sydney Train Sydney to Perth.
WX9266 DUNWOODIE, William.  Bicycle Camp, Java.Kachu Mountain Camp – returned Singapore by air.He remained at large after surrender with Lt. Colin Blakeaway’s Group. Surrendered 15 March 1942.
WX9070 FIELDER, Charles.  Bandeong 9/3/42 to9 13/4/1942, Bicycle Camp Batavia (13/4/1942 to 3/1/1943).  Nakom Nayok, Bangkok Recovered from Thailand.  Thailand to Singapore to Qld by air to Brisbane to Perth by troop train.
WX7642 HENDERSON, Clarence Gordon.  Bicycle Camp, Java. Rashin Maru Party to Japan. Fukuoka sub-Camp No. 13 Saganoseki Omine Divisional Camp No. 6, Recovered from Japan.  Nagasaki to Hong Kong Aircraft carrier, H-Kong to Manila, Manila-Morotai-Darwin-Perth Catalina.
WX8725 PRYCE, John Henry Lloyd -‘Blackforce’ Java. Petchaburi, Kachu Mountain Camp.  Recovered Thailand.Thailand-Rangoon-Singapore-Fremantle ‘Highland Brigade’.
WX7576 SIMMONDS, Norman Edward. ‘Blackforce’ Java.Recovered from Nakom Nayok Camp, Thailand.Thailand-Singapore-Fremantle- Circassia
WX7502 WAYMAN, Thomas Sylvester.  Bicycle Camp Apr 1942 – Jan 1943.  Hintok Rd, Hintok River, Kinsaiyok, Konkoita, Tamuang, Nacompaton.  ‘Rashin’ Maru Party to Japan. Yamane, Niihama.  Recovered from Japan.  Darwin-Perth B29 Superfortress ‘Watzing Matilda’