Eaten by the Japanese: The Memoir of an Unknown Indian Prisoner of War

By John Baptist Crasta

"Eaten by the Japanese" is the inspiring story of John Baptist Crasta, an Indian soldier in the British Indian Army, who miraculously survives 3 1/2 years of inhuman imprisonment and bombardment during World War II. Rescued by Australians, he returns home to India and writes this memoir in 1946. He then waits another 51 years before it is read and published by his son, who by then is an author living in the United States. In the process of reading and publishing the book, the son rediscovers his father.

To begin with one of the rave reviews: “What emerges in Crasta’s survivor’s tale is not a mere story of self but an epic of collective agony. This is the story, then, of a nation’s agony as well as a man’s, a man’s survival as well as that of a nation’s, in both cases to await the next chapter in a complex narrative.”

The story begins in Singapore, where John Baptist Crasta was posted, and the British commander surrenders unconditionally to the invading Japanese. Rather than switch sides simply to save his own life, he chooses to suffer through 3.5 years of horrific imprisonment, including a journey in the Torture Ship to Torture Island.

This shocking and poignant story of World War II and its forgotten Indian Prisoners of War has never been told before from the viewpoint of an ordinary Indian soldier who was there, as one of its actor-victims.

“A classic in military history, telling the story of men trapped in a world of torture, starvation, and death"—Roger Mansell, War historian, in Tameme Magazine

“You see the horror of war, without a trace of artifice, through the eyes of one who was there, the writing a simple act of catharsis. A war memoir that ranks with the best.”—Professor Mark Ledbetter, Nisei University

This 32,000-word book made Professor Barry Fruchter write: “Striking and raw, an antidote to myth. Something to be treasured. This is the kind of record that this generation is losing fast, and we need to hold on to this. It made me think of what had happened to my own father's memoirs, which were lost.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Richard Crasta
• Release date: Mar 29, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458122995

John Baptist Crasta

John Baptist Crasta, 1910-1999, was the father of Richard Crasta, the author of eight books and minor co-author and editor of EATEN BY THE JAPANESE. He was born in the village of Kinnigoli in India, and walked barefoot for 20 miles through tiger-infested jungles to Mangalore to enroll in the high school there. Miraculously escaping an earthquake at Quetta (now in Pakistan), he joined the British Indian Army and was captured by the Japanese during their blitzkrieg invasion of Singapore. His memoir of being a Prisoner-of-War of the Japanese during World War II was published by his son, who edited the book and added an introduction and three essays to it. The book was originally launched on December 27, 1997, and later in 1999 (second edition). It is now published in a new e-book edition on Smashwords and on other e-book platforms. At the time that it happened, John Baptist Crasta was the oldest Indian to have his first book published: he was 87 years old when it happened, and the manuscript had lain in his steel trunk for 51 years after he wrote it.

Book preview

Eaten by the Japanese

The Memoir of an Unknown Indian Prisoner of War

by John Baptist Crasta

Edited with a biographical introduction and three essays

by Richard Crasta

Copyright 2013 by Richard Crasta

Smashwords Edition

Brief Praise for Eaten by the Japanese

A classic in military history, telling the story of men trapped in a world of torture, starvation, and death — Roger Mansell, War historian, in Tameme Magazine

A tale of unmitigated horror. A handsome tribute to a man of courage and rectitude. –Khushwant Singh, Author, Editor, and Columnist.

Striking and raw, an antidote to myth. Something to be treasured. This is the kind of record that this generation is losing fast, and we need to hold on to this. It made me think of what had happened to my own father's memoirs, which were lost. — Barry Fruchter, Ph.D., Professor of Literature, New York.

"In Eaten as a memoir, you see the horror of war, without a trace of artifice, through the eyes of one who was there, the writing a simple act of catharsis with no reasonable expectation that anything would come of it. Too bad this memoir was discovered so many years after the event. It deserves to be ranked with the best." Mark Ledbetter, Professor of Linguistics, Amazon 5-star review

The theater of the absurd . . . war as seen from the smoking trenches. Written without rancour or hatred, of archival value to historians. Crasta’s memoir should find a cherished place in all major libraries. — Dr. Arunachalam Kumar, Author, in Morning News.

Publishing History

First published in India in 1998 in a limited edition by Invisible Man Books, this book was then published in a fully revised and annotated edition with new epilogues by Invisible Man Press, Inc, New York in 1999.

This 2012 e-book edition is published by The Invisible Man Press, New York, and includes a new essay by Richard Crasta in addition to the original three essays, and additional biographical material. Richard Crasta is also the son of the late John Baptist Crasta (who died in 1999), and an author of 12 other books, including books that touch upon the theme of fatherhood.

All Rights Reserved by the Invisible Man Press. This book may not be reproduced or duplicated (except for short quotes in literary reviews).

The co-author/publisher may be reached at [e-mail] .

For more information on this and forthcoming Invisible Man Books, please visit http://www.richardcrasta.com

Disclaimer and Co-author’s Request

This book was published by Richard Crasta (editor and minor co-author) on the basis of an untitled handwritten manuscript of John Baptist Crasta. All other subjective interpretations, footnotes, and essays that follow the main memoir are those of the son, who requests that his father and this book be judged solely on the basis of the actual memoir.

Important: Please note that the Footnotes and the Notes (two separate chapters) contain some very significant additional clarifying information that may help place a few of the events in context.

Table of Contents

Comparative Table of Ranks

In Singapore, Life Was Gay

The Japanese Invasion Begins

The Quick March to Surrender

Surrender and Seduction

Shipped Out of Malaya

The Torture Ship

The Second Voyage of the Torture Ship

Torture Island

The Bombs of Santa Claus

Fish and Fowl

Koga the Devil

Peace, Rioting, and the Good Australians

War Crimes and the Return Home

Commentary: Essays and Biographical Notes and Annotations by Richard Crasta

Invisible Beginnings: A Short Early History of John Baptist Crasta

Fathers and Sons — A Tale of Literature, Reinvention, and Redemption

Killing to Eat

The Defence Minister and the Politically Incorrect Soldier

Footnotes

Notes

Additional Biographical Note

Acknowledgments

About the Author and the Minor Co-Author

Other Books by the Co-Author

Author’s Dedication

For my mother, Nathalia

Comparative Table of Ranks

(British, Indian, and U.S. equivalents starting from the lowest rank upwards)

Private (Br.) = Sepoy (I) = Private (US)

Lance Corporal (Br.) = Lance Naik (I) = Lance Corporal (US)

Corporal (Br.) = Naik (I) = Corporal (US)

Sergeant (Br.) = Havildar (I) = Sergeant (US)

Company Quarter Master-Sergeant (CQMS) (Br.) = Company Quarter Master-Havildar (CQMH) (I)

Company Sergeant-Major (CSM) (Br.) = Company Havildar-Major (CHM) (I)

Regimental Sergeant-Major (Br.) = Regimental Havildar-Major (RSM) (I) =Regimental Sergeant Major (US)

[The Regimental Sergeant-Major is a warrant-officer, and a Non-Commissioned Officer, assisting the Adjutant of a Regiment or Battalion)]

Viceroy’s Commissioned Officers (World War II) (VCOs)

and Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) (Present Indian Army)

Regimental Sergeant-Major (Warrant Officer) (Br.) = Jemadar (WWII) or Naib Subedar (present) (I) = Sergeant-Major (warrant-officer) (U.S.)

In the Indian Army, Junior Commissioned Officers are of three ranks, starting from the lowest: Naib Subedar; Subedar; and Subedar-Major (SM), who is the highest-ranking Indian junior commissioned officer.

Note: VCOs/JCOs are also OR (Other Ranks), the definition of Other Ranks being "soldiers other than commissioned officers. Also, O.C. is short for Officer Commanding." ICOs are Indian Commissioned Officers.

Eaten by the Japanese

The Memoir of an Unknown Indian Prisoner of War

by

John Baptist Crasta

In Singapore, Life Was Gay

When Britain, fighting the Second World War, began to mobilize its Indian resources of whatever kind — vegetable, mineral, or animal — my unit, 12 FB, was mobilized at Ambala [Northern India] early in 1941. In early March 1941, orders were received to proceed overseas. Although the destination was a secret, on the day of the move, 13 March 1941, I came to know that it would be Singapore. At that time, any man who got a posting to Singapore was considered the luckiest; and naturally, I was overjoyed. We left by a special troop-carrying train and arrived in Bombay on 16 March 1941. On the same day, we embarked on the H.T. Neurihor — a fine trooper of maybe twelve to fourteen thousand tons. With us were several other units of draftees, making a total of roughly 15,000 men. In the same convoy was another transport carrying the 9th Indian Division.

I was allotted a second class cabin. The accommodation, food, and recreational arrangements were excellent. After a few hours of zigzag sailing, our convoy headed southwards, thus confirming my previous information regarding our destination. Along with me was a fellow-passenger who had lived in Singapore before. He started his cock and bull stories about the fascinations of Malaya and the amusements in store for us. As we sailed, we could see in the Indian Ocean huge fish — dolphins and other forms of sea life — cutting somersaults in the blue waters, diving and coming up again. Sometimes, one of these monsters would race over the surface of the water, and others would follow. We also saw huge whales, as big as mountains, moving easily. It was a grand sight.

We reached Singapore on 26 March 1941 and disembarked. We were taken to No.7, M.R.C., Bidadure, about 8 miles from the harbor.

Our first impression of Singapore was that of a dreamland — picturesque scenery, beautiful tiled buildings against a green background, wide cemented roads, trams, buses, and cars....

Arrangements in the M.R.C. were not satisfactory. We were provided with tents to be pitched on uneven ground covered with grass. We had to level the ground ourselves. Also, the full scale of rations was not issued. For instance meat, which is authorized for service personnel in the field, was not issued for several days until after our arrival. The reason was that the camp staff was quite irresponsible and was only trying to make a fortune. The camp Subedar Major, Head Clerk, Quarter Master Jemadar, and Jemadar Adjutant were all in cahoots.

A month passed and no orders of posting were received. On approaching our Administrative Headquarters (HQ 125PC), we were told to wait for a few days more. Orders were subsequently received for the despatch of a subsection (roughly 13 men) to Kuala Krai. The rest of 12 FB was moved to Buller Camp, a place seven to eight miles away.

Buller Camp was on the tip of a small hill — a quiet place amidst trees. We were attached to 35 LMC for discipline and were given rental accommodation near this unit. Our bakers were to work in the RASC (Royal Army Service Corps) Bakery at Alexandria a mile away.

This bakery was machine-fitted and electrically run. It turned out thirty to forty thousand loaves daily, kneading and baking automatically. The loaves turned out were not as tasty and fine as those hand-kneaded and baked in field ovens. Our bakers worked two shifts — one day and one night.

I had little work to do. I was in the lines for the whole day, and when the Jemadar was ill or out, I was supervising the men in the bakery. This idle life did not please me as I wanted a responsible job in a big office. I applied for a transfer to the 2nd Echelon HQ 125 PS. However, they did not agree, and transferred me to 202 SPS on 10 September 1941.

Life in Singapore was very gay. Money was easily earned and spent. A Singapore dollar (worth one rupee eight annas in Indian currency) was worth nothing. The nightlife of Singapore presented several attractions. One could see Chinese rickshawwallahs moving to and fro with their passengers, and neatly dressed men and women making towards cabarets and cinema houses. Crowds waiting in front of soda water fountains in Chinese shops decorated with colored lights, and men having tea in hotels — all were out to spend a