Sketch by Jack Chalker

Freeing the Demons

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Freeing the Demons

by

1425123

WOII R.Q.M.S.

Dad-tn

Alfred Edward Nellis

9th Coast Regiment Royal Artillery

Known as 'Pop' during his time on the Railway

When I first looked at my Dad’s Book, in 1966, I was shocked to see the pain, anguish and trials and tribulations, which he had gone through, as a Prisoner Of War on the Railway of Death.

 It helped me to understand the turmoil he must have been going through, trying to adjust to what to us, was a normal, everyday kind of life.

 Not only this but, he had returned to two children, who had not had a man to rule their lives for almost eight years. To find them turning up their noses at food, which would have meant life or death to ‘His Boys’ was enough to send any person who had been through what he and the other P.O.W.’s had been through into any kind of a rage.

 It took me fifteen years to come to understand his position at this time – and 40 years to get it this far!

 I know that he wanted the World at large to understand what they had all been through, and was foiled at the time by petty bureaucracy and what appeared to be a fear that – “This should not be made public – at least not without the removal of names and some of the events as detailed!”

Dad's method of keeping records-tn 

I promised him that I would produce HIS book, for HIM, as a permanent record so that others may understand a little of what happened in the past, for their future.

 What you read and see, are nothing to do with me, they are all his Words, Drawings and News Cuttings collected during that first traumatic two years after his return from Captivity.

All I have done is to translate, faithfully I trust, some of the Maps or Documents which may not be quite clear enough to publish by the media selected.

Left:- A page from the book

 

 

A Family is Born A Family is Born

War War

Up Country Up Country

      Map of Thailand-Burma Railway Map of Thailand-Burma Railway

Wampo Wampo

      Map of Wampo Map of Wampo

Wampo South and North Wampo South and North

      Map of Wampo South and North Map of Wampo South and North

South Tonchan South Tonchan

      Map of South Tonchan Map of South Tonchan

Tarso and Chungkai Tarso and Chungkai

      Map of Kanu No3 Map of Kanu No3

Searches and Valuables Searches and Valuables

Nakom Paton Nakom Paton

Camp Radio Camp Radio

Air Raids and Bombing Air Raids and Bombing

Mail and Correspondence Mail and Correspondence

Characters Characters

Inhuman Acts Inhuman Acts

End of the War End of the War

On Pops return in 1945, he, like so many others, felt stifled by the lack of interest and the pressure applied to them, not to discuss their time as POW’s. He was unable to sleep, or mix normally with other persons, choosing to keep himself to himself and finding the behaviour of two young children, both baffling and frustrating. Especially, the problems of not liking the food, which was sometimes placed before them. (Rationing was still very much in force and money in short supply, so the choice of foodstuffs was often limited). The refusal to eat, especially by his son, Michael, led to bitter recriminations and resulting in violent beatings, the after effects on ‘Pop’ being to send him into deep, dark, threatening silences. (In my opinion we were not abused, we just did not understand anything about him, nor he, us). He could not bear to see the news on the Cinema and often had to leave before the end of a Film. The nights were often rent with cries from nightmares and ‘Pop’ could often be found sitting in the dark, shaking with uncontrollable tears as he fought with his innermost thoughts.

Eventually A local Vicar came to see him and started off on the wrong foot by telling him, “I know all about you being a Prisoner of War, I know all about them, I know how bad it was here and how tough they had it in Germany so you can not have had it anywhere as bad as that, after all you surrendered, they had been fighting!”

‘Pop’ virtually threw him out of the house.

But this was the catalyst he needed to free himself of his Demons. Much of 1946 was spent in various Military Hospitals and during this time, ‘Pop’ got hold of a thick, Black backed Exercise book and started to write of his experiences. After his return home he would gather up the pieces of paper he kept in a Red Cross shoe bag and started to compile HIS Book. (Often, in the still of the night we would hear the cries of anguish and the sobs as his Demons grew so near again).

When he was passed fit enough for work again, he became a County Court Officer, (Bailiff), a job which allowed him the solitude he sought, but kept him gainfully employed in order to keep his family.

In 1966 he was to die of Cancer, aggravated by the beatings he received as a POW.

Michael Nellis.

 

NEWSPAPER OBITUARY

SCARBORO’ DEATH RAILWAY P.o.W. DIES AGED 63

County Court bailiff for 20 years

Alf Nellis-tnScarboroughs County Court bailiff for 20 years, Mr Alfred Frederick Nellis, of 11 Woodland Grove, died on Friday, aged 63.

Born in Scarborough, Mr Nellis was educated at the old Tuthill Nautical School and started his working life as an apprentice deck officer in the Merchant Navy.

After four years at sea he joined the Household Cavalry in 1923 and was later transferred to the Royal Artillery. He served with coastal-defence batteries at Malta and Hong Kong and finally went to Singapore as a Battery-Sergeant-Major.

There in 1942 he witnessed he witnessed the fall of Singapore and was taken prisoner by the Japanese. Altogether he was a prisoner for 43 months, during which time he witnessed many war time atrocities and worked on the Burma-Siam death railway.

Following his return to Scarborough took up his job with the county court.

 

I would like to thank Michael for allowing his fathers records to be placed on the web site for others to read. These are copyright of Michael Nellis.

 

Sharing information with others is rewarding in itself, the pieces from the jigsaw begin to fit together and a picture begins to appear. Improve your knowledge and help make the Fepow Story an everlasting memorial to their memory.

Any material  to add to the Fepow Story please send to:

Ron.Taylor@fepow-community.org.uk

and their story will live on.

 

[Freeing the Demons] [A Family is Born] [War] [Up Country] [Wampo] [Wampo South and North] [South Tonchan] [Tarsao and Chungkai] [Searches and Valuables] [Nakom Paton] [Camp Radio] [Air Raids and Bombing] [Mail and Correspondence] [Characters] [Inhuman Acts] [End of the War]

 

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