Diary kept by Private C. E. Hay as a prisoner of war in Java and Thailand. He and his fellow prisoners were held in camps in Western Java until early 1943, and then transported to Siam (now Thailand) and put to work on the notorious "Burma-Siam railway". Hay died there of dysentery on May 20, 1943 and is buried at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery in Thailand. Hay recorded events and experiences as well as details of his health and prisoner rations. The last entry was made on December 28, 1942. Hay took the diary with him to Siam. An army identification tag is also included.
Background
Prisoner of war. Private in A.I.F. Hay enlisted on June 5, 1940 and subsequently served in Java with the 2/2 Pioneer Battalion where, together with other Battalion members, he was taken prisoner by the Japanese in March 1942.