Christmas Island (Indian Ocean) - Historical stories, ruins, relics, and other interesting things
No Island honeymoon – P.O.W. Tom Cromwell tells
Tom Pearson Cromwell (1909-1976) joined the Colonial Administrative Service in 1932 and was appointed District Officer of Christmas Island in May 1941. The Japanese invasion of Christmas Island on the 31st March 1942 cut short his tenure.
In his memoir, Ian Urquhart, District Officer for Simanggang and Lubok Antu during 1951-52, described Cromwell.
For my first visit to Engkili and to Lubok Antu, I was accompanied by Tom Cromwell, Secretary for Chinese Affairs. He … was a very erudite Yorkshireman, who spoke fluent French and German and pre-war had joined the Malayan Civil Service. Naturally, he learnt and passed his Malay exams and was then sent to Amoy (now known as Xiamen) to learn both Hokkien and Mandarin. In this lovely seaside town with its equable climate he also learnt a great deal about imperial China, about Chinese arts and crafts and, in great detail, about the Chinese way of life and customs. Subsequently he picked up some Cantonese. He returned to Malaya and married Betty, an excellent helpmate to him. He was sent to lonely Christmas Island, a wonderful honeymoon posting for them …
The Island honeymoon was not to last. By Christmas 1941, in a postcard to his parents, Tom wrote confidently of Malaya being able to hold against the Japanese. Malaya had gradually been occupied by the Japanese from the 8th December. By the 15th February Singapore, once thought of as being an impregnable fortress, had fallen.
Christmas Day Christmas Island
My dear Dad & Mother
The Japanese have been too much for the small garrison in Hong Kong, but Malaya will be able to hold out.
I got for Christmas a book I ordered through the Morgans “Five glories pagoda” about a place in Yunnan, most interesting ; & as a present John Buchan’s “Memory hold the door” which was another book I wanted.
But there isn’t much time for reading these days – everybody is working over-time (except I get no extra pay for it – That’s part of my share to the war effort).
Best love & forgive me for not writing a letter : No holidays or Sundays off now, Your son Tom.
In March 1942 Christmas Island was bombed by the Japanese and it is here that Tom Cromwell tells the story, as experienced first hand, along with his subsequent life as a prisoner of war.
ETAT CONFIDENTIAL. ETAT.
COLONIAL SECRETARY. SINGAPORE.
Following my despatch of 1st March 1942 to Secretary of State from Christmas Island, I have to report the following:
1st March 1942 bombed by nine Jap planes.
7th March bombardment by 2 KONGO class battleships, two aircraft carriers, two cruisers and one destroyer. On the advice of Lieut. Com. Thomas Donovan U.S.N. I persuaded Capt. James Williams R.A. to surrender against his will without firing a shot. There were no casualties and the Japs did not land. The same day the officers and men of the S/S Nam Yong under Capt. Christie arrived in an open boat. The Europeans were: Capt. G. Christie, 1st Officer J. Overton, 1st Engineer F. Pawle, 2nd Engr. A. Ward, Bosun P. Clocherty, and 6 Australian seamen, G.E. Broderick, R. Price, J.K. McGough, P. Hamilton, P. Walsh, L.B. Robinson.
11th March successful mutiny by some Punjabi Muslims of the Hongkong and Singapore Artillery, Christmas Island Detachment and a few Sikhs of the Straits Settlements Police. Capt. James Williams, Sergeants Cross and Giles, and Gunners Thurgood and Tait all of the R.A. were murdered. Please inform their relatives. Ion 6755/ Vide my “Immediate” telegram to British H.Q. Sourabaya, copy of which has been sent you. All civilian Europeans were taken prisoners and well treated being confined to the District Officer’s Quarters.
On 31st March Japanese Forces under the command of Commander ANDO (later sadistic Commander at Ambon) landed on Christmas Island with five ships and 1000 men. The Europeans were lodged in good Asiatic quarters for one day were made to assist unloading barges, then after a period of inactivity became road-weeders. Later we formed a firewood gang working in the jungle and at the Jap kitchens. The three engineers, Pettigrew, Goodfellow and Footner carried on their work as such. We were not kept under lock and three men were permitted twice a week to seek fruit, wild-birds etc. wherever we wanted in the jungle.
3rd April District Officer severely beaten about the face and head with rubber shoe and tied to a tree over-night under Ando’s directions presumably on account of partial demolition of property machinery etc.
27th July Dr. Clark beaten on small of back and buttocks for horseplay.
17th Nov. NISHI MARU torpedoed alongside wharf, three Malays and two Japanese killed. All this time our food rations consisted entirely of rice, a microscopic quantity of condensed milk, a slice of bread per man-day, no meat, no vegetables and practically no cooking oil or salt, and we should have starved without gifts from Sikh police, Chinese labourers, prostitutes, drivers, woodcutters and later from the Punjabis. Mr. Orloff Burgher from Ceylon, Company’s dresser also took great risks to feed us. We were given a cigarette ration but for the first 6 months no soap. We had to abandon most of our clothes and were not permitted to have any money.
8th September [1943?] nominally strict treatment began but although our movements were restricted, the engineers ceased to work for the Japanese Phosphate Company, and our food rations were improved to be almost on the same level as that of the Chinese labourers, and by this time we had our own garden.
On 14th December [1943] the European prisoners including the originals who were left on the Island were: Company’s employees, W.B. Jackson, J.S. Clark, J.B. Footner, R. Goodfellow, M.J. Pettigrew, W.H. Rusholme and P. Westmacott, Govt. employees T.P. Cromwell, J. Hasson, and the men from the Nam Yong. These were removed with hardly a full change of clothing to Sourabaya in a veritable “Black Hole” on a mine layer the Nanyo Maru. We were given buckets of scrapings and leftovers from the Japanese sailors’ plates including banana skins and cigarette ends, for food. 800 of the island’s population were evacuated by the same boat. Up to the time of our leaving the island, the total estimated amount of phosphate exported by the Japs in 20 months was 4000 tons. The average amount imported by Japan monthly before the war was about 24,000 tons.
In Sourabaya we were placed in the Naval Barracks Jail for two months strict confinement without being allowed in the open on a very small diet and without any outside contact, occupation or relaxation. We were not mishandled and were given cigarettes.
On 17th February we were removed to Macassar on the deck of grossly overcrowded ship among native labourers without space to lie down at night and reaching Macassar 20th February and arriving Pare-Pare the next day, where we entered the Civilian Enemy Aliens Internment Camp which held all the male civilians, mostly missionaries, and officials of the Great East Division of the Netherlands Indies. Here the conditions were reasonably good, reasonable manual labour and adequate food.
23rd August we received 10,000 florins from the Pope.
On 19th and 21st October, in two raids, American bombers dropped 23 bombs in and about the camp where trenches had been dug. There were 7 deaths.
On 22nd October exodus on foot with hand carts to a burn-side 5 miles from Pare-Pare by the shore where 60% of the prisoners contracted dysentery and 4% died. We were lodged in new bamboo pig-styes. The camp was flooded twice in January and February.
5th March 1945 the discipline of the camp was taken out of the hands of the MINSEIBU [Department of civil affairs/administration] in favour of the Navy. Allied planes became frequent visitors and the camp was moved in overcrowded screened lorries, travelling the whole day without refreshment and scarcely pauses for natural relief, to the heart of the coldest, wettest and wildest part of the Celebes mountains, 1300 metres above sea-level at Bolong, Makali District, where we were crammed into pole shacks under dripping jungle without any issue of blankets, footwear or clothes and where the food for June 1945 averaged only 1300 calories per man-day and 4 grammes fat, July 1500 calories, vide separate despatch.
On 21st August orders for a fresh removal were given. The Japanese were now polite and considerate and did their best to fulfil the spirit of the agreement as far as I can judge at present.
In conclusion I must mention the great loyalty of the China-born Chinese, the courage of W/O Matthews and the persistent courage and loyalty of Mr. Orloff, all of Christmas Island. (Signed) T. P. Cromwell District Officer, Christmas Island. 30.9.45.
Christmas Island: conditions during enemy occupation and subsequent relief UK National Archives CO 273/673/8
Below is Tom Cromwell’s statement as a recovered prisoner of war with personal details and the dates he was interned at various camps.
At the time of his report to the Singaporean Colonial Secretary, Cromwell may not have been aware of the fate of some of the Christmas Island Chinese who had also been taken from the Island by the Japanese. 64 of them died after being sent to work at a Japanese shipping company in Borneo. A report from the Chinese Consul in Macassar paints the awful picture.
Re-occupation of Christmas Island Reports – National Archives of Australia NAA: MP 1774/1, 1129
Photo of Cromwell, taken by his wife Betty.
“Tom Pearson Cromwell A.D. 1944 Governor of the Christmas Isles”
