Keene, Lloyd Ernest (Warrant Officer 1st Class)

Prisoner of War Japan 1942-March-15

Warrant Officer 1st Class Lloyd Ernest Keene RCAF

Birth Date: 1918-December-19

Born: Bearberry Alberta

Parents: son of Alexander Keene

Spouse:

Home: White Rock british Columbia

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

84 Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Scorpiones Pungunt Scorpions sting

Base

Rank

Warrant Officer 1st Class

Position

Service Numbers

R/58464

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KEENE Lloyd Ernest Keene December 9, 1918 - December 31 2007 In his 90th year, Lloyd passed away quietly with his family at his side shortly before midnight New Years Eve. Lloyd was born the second of seven children to Alexander and Olive Keene in Bearberry Alberta, where the family lived for a short time before moving to Merritt B.C. After a short stay in Merritt they relocated to White Rock in 1924.

Lloyd's schooling was completed almost entirely in Blaine Washington, where he graduated in 1936. Lloyd worked for the Post Office and Union Steamship Company in Sechelt prior to volunteering and being accepted into the RCAF in 1940.

After obtaining his wings and completing his training, he was sent overseas as a Pilot Officer first to England, then through the Mediterranean to Egypt and India and into south-east Asia, eventually being captured by Japanese forces in Java and imprisoned in Japan for 3-1/2 years until the war ended.

Lloyd returned home via San Francisco to Vancouver, much to the joy and relief of his family who had been unaware of his survival until only shortly before his arrival back home. After being released from the Military, Lloyd spent time in Yellowknife working with Whelan Insurance. It was here that he met his future wife Marjorie. Married in Edmonton, they moved to Victoria where their first of three sons was born. After a brief period of logging around Vancouver Island, and with Northern Construction in the Vancouver watershed, Lloyd was hired by the Government Telephone Company, moving to 150 Mile House where he worked as a repeater technician until 1960. It was while they were living here that their other two sons were born. The family then moved to Williams Lake where Lloyd continued his career with the B.C. Telephone Company, transferring to Dawson Creek in 1966 and retiring there in 1978. The same year, Lloyd and Marj left Dawson Creek to begin many happy years of retirement in their home on the South Thompson River near Kamloops, and moving to Chase in 2005.

Dad's interests ranged from his love of flying to farming and woodworking. Many examples of his handy work can be found in homes throughout the country.

Lloyd was predeceased by his parents Alex and Olive, brothers John and Norman. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Marjorie; two sisters; two brothers; sisters-in-law; three sons; and daughter-in law; nine grandchildren; six great grandchildren. Thanks Dad, for the fine example you set for us and the many valuable life lessons that you taught us over the years. We are all lucky to have you now as our Guardian Angel to watch over us. The family would like to thank the following for the wonderful care Dad has received. You are all a credit to your professions and your community; the Chase Medical Clinic, the Chase Health Center, the Chase and Kamloops Ambulance Services and the staff at Royal Inland Hospital. Friends are invited to a Memorial Service on Saturday, January 12, at 2:00 p.m. in the Schoening Funeral Chapel, Kamloops with Canon Jack Phelps officiating. Should friends desire, donations to the Royal Inland Hospital Foundation, 311 Columbia Street, Kamloops, B.C. V2C 2T1 or the Parkinson's Society of B.C., 600 890 W. Pender Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6C 1J9 would be gratefully appreciated in memory of Lloyd. On-line condolences may be expressed at www.schoenings.com Arrangements entrusted to Schoening Funeral Service, Kamloops, B.C. Telephone (250) 374-1454 Published in Vancouver Sun and/or The Province on Jan. 5, 2008

www.findagrave.com

Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

Supplemental Story

Canada Source Sworn Testamony of PoW's

IN THE MATTER OF WAR CRIMES AND IN THE MATTER OF

British National Office Charge No:
United Nations War Crimes Commission Reference:
AFFIDAVIT

I, Lloyd Ernest Keene, formerly Pilot Officer with number J53415, at 84 Squadron, Callijati, Java, and of permanent address, White Rock, B.C., make oath and say as follows:

1 . On February 15, 1942, the Japanese army attacked our station with light tanks and infantry. I escaped into the jungle with my air gunner, Sgt. E. Davies, Observer, Sgt. J . Morley and Flying Officer Keeblewhite, with a few wounded British ack ack gunners we made our way to Bandoeng. We were ordered by the British authorities to proceed to Tjillatjap. On arriving there we found the harbour bombed out and the ship that was to evacuate us did not come into the harbour but proceeded to Australia. We were then given permission to leave the island at our own discretion. We picked up two life boats and left with 31 in each. We attempted to reach Australia, but the heavy seas were too much for our load so we put into a small island . Our officer Commanding, W/C Dewdwin, left for Australia with 12 men and told us to remain there for a month, if possible, as he would contact us by air on reaching Australia. Two days later 7 others and myself set out in another boat that we had found here on the coast . After 7 days our boat was capsized off the coast of Java and we were washed ashore . We contacted the Javanese natives there who fed us and gave us clothes . We attempted to hide out in the hills but were picked up by native police who turned us over to the Japanese authorities March 15, 1942. We were placed in camp Tjackjacarta and remained there 4 months. We were only given slight interrogation here and the treatment at this camp was fair, but the rations were very low and many of the prisoners died from malnutrition and lack of medical treatment. The only incident of brutality in this camp was given to 3 Dutch prisoners. They were caught leaving the camp at night while going to see their families. They were given a mock trial then tortured for 24 hours. While this was being carried out , we were forced to dig their graves.On completion they were brought out and made to stand in front of their graves. They were then bayonetted and immediately buried half alive. We were then moved to a large PoW camp at Bandoeng and stayed there a year. The treatment in this camp was fair, except for many beatings, which was t h e penalty for minor infractions. Food and medical conditions were very bad and many more prisoners died here due to this . Myself and 50 other aircrew members, British and Australian, left for Japan in July, 1943, via Singapore. We arrived in Japan on Nov. l6th, 1943.

2. We were enroute 3 months on the ship Matsu Maru . There were 500 of us to a hold without sanitary arrangements. Only 3 men were allowed on deck at one time . All of the men were sick at one time or another and no medical attention was allowed. Only one English airman (name not known) died of dysentery on the way. He was refused medical care. On arrival in Japan we were placed in camp Wakayama and were stripped of all valuables and interrogated. We were then forced to learn Japanese drill and commands. We immediately started to work in a steel factory i n Wakayama doing ordinary labour. Many of the men became sick due to poor rations and this was never rectified; regardless of the sick men, we were not allowed to stop work. Many of our men were carried back and forth to work on stretchers and after 4 or 5 days of this, they would die. In one case an English airman, Leading Aircraftman White, had contracted pneumonia and could not possibly go to work. He was severely kicked and beaten while he lay in bed by a Jap. Sergeant named Keia. Leading Aircraftman White died from this beating the same day. At one time we had 50 men sick with beri-beri and medical treatment was refused. The Japanese claimed this could be cured in another manner. They were stripped and laid on the floors i nrows. A substance smelling of incense was placed o their stomachs and set fire to. They did not die from this treatment but they suffered much. Another treatment for beri-beri was the inserting of match sticks into the legs and set fire to . The Commander of this camp was Lieut. Naka and the medical orderly was a 2 star soldier called "The Rat ". Another guard, Sgt. Kimura, a dischargee from the Jap. army, took delight in beating the prisoners regularly for no reason at all excepting his dislike for white people, as he put it.

3 . We remained in this camp from Nov.1943, until March, 1945, and during this time we were visited once by the Haugue convention representatives, consisting of a Swiss, R.C. Priest, and a Jap. civilian. They claimed to be Red Cross Officials and were escorted through the camp by a Jap. Commander. A few hours prior to their visit much meat and other foods were brought into the camp and prominently displayed. Our own officers along with the bedridden sick cases were removed from the camp. I was in the kitchen at the time of the visit. The representatives, on seeing t h e meat, asked me how often we got meat. I answered, "Today we get meat", and I think he understood what I meant. As I answered, the Jap. officer who was standing behind him took up a meat cleaver and shook it at me then slammed it down on the table. We did not get any of the food that was brought in and it was taken away immediately after the representatives left.

4 . We left this camp in March, 1945, and were put in camp Ikino in the Osaka area . The rations were cut down at this camp but the treatment of the prisoners eased up a little. The majority of the prisoners were forced to work in a copper mine. The beatings continued at this camp are charged to Sgt. Minnimoto and a civilian named Naki (nicknamed "Squeaker"). The C.O. I did not know. During the time spent in these two camps, I received 5 Red Cross parcels that had been tampered with. Other prisoners received less. Many of the parcels were opened before us by the guards then taken away. We had our own doctors, Squadron Leader McGraff R.A.F., and Flight Lieutenant Knox, R.A.F. These doctors travelled between several camps but were given very little or no medical supplies to work with. The treatment o f the prisoners gradually became better, commencing in June, 1945, until we were liberated on 15th August, 1945, when air supplies were dropped to us two days later and we took over the camp. The Japanese immediately became very polite and treated us like long lost brothers. Both doctors and our Officer Commanding, Lieut. Frow (King's Own Hussars) kept daily diaries. We left Japan on 8 th Sept. and were taken aboard the battleship "TENNESSEE".

The camps mentioned in the above are located as follows:

  1. Camp Tjackjacarta (Java) - may be called Jochja or Jockjacarta - on the main road from Batavia to Soerabaja, and is about half way between Batavia and Bandong.
    (Exact location not known).
    at one time a Dutch Army barracks .
  2. The large PoW Camp at Bandoong referred to in the above statement was on the southern outskirts of Bandoong about 1-1/2 miles from the city centre, and was at one time a Dutch Army barracks.
  3. Camp Wakayama (Japan), was a camp on the beach near an airport of the same name - approximate position 34° 101 N, 135° 101 E.
  4. Camp Ikuno (Japan), is about 50 miles north-east of usakaona main rail line. Approximate position 35° 091 N, 134° 501 E.

SWORN BEFORE ME AT THE CITY
OF VANCOUVER, IN THE Province of British Columbia,
this 6th day of April, 1946.