FO371-23518 — Page 383

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wire from the broken ladder.

3.

The night in question was very

dark and the failure of the lights on the

northern and eastern perimeter made it

impossible to see more than a few yards

ahead. The nearest sentry was at a post

some forty or fifty yards away, and the

constable on patrol inside the camp was

on the opposite side from the eastern

perimeter. The ladders used in the escape

had been roughly constructed from material

obtained from the work-matshed. They were

of a type which could have been made by

Chinese in a few minutes, but it is believed

that they were, in fact, prepared some time

previous to the night of the escape and were

concealed under the earth near one of the huts.

It now appears evident that the

escape had been carefully pre-arranged, but

that it was carried out without the general

knowledge of the rest of the internees who

continued with their normal routine without

disturbance when the lights failed. It is

obvious that it was planned to take place

just before additional sentries were posted

at 7 p.m.

4.

5.

Every effort has been made to

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