A puzzlement

The Survival Factor was published about a year before Colonel Anderson’s death. Almost twenty years later, Doctor Rowley Richards published a second book based on his experiences during World War II, A Doctor’s War. This is a more personal account. The book is no case-study. It is a memoir and, perhaps, represents the last chance to put the record straight.

I suppose that this is why I was so shocked to read Dr Richards’ surmise as to why Colonel Anderson acted ‘strangely’ at times. Ostensibly, instead of well considering the strain that each of them were under in a balanced appraisal, Dr Richards abruptly concluded that his commanding officer was ‘mentally ill’. You cannot libel or slander the dead. But, you can give your reader serious pause.

What am I to make of this? It would seem that Captain Richards had not gotten over the Colonel’s comments about his bedside manner. Given the fact that the Colonel had not retaliated when the Captain accused him of potentially committing murder, it seems somewhat odd to make this sort of assessment. I have often puzzled over this.

When is cooperation collaboration with the enemy?

We now know how close the men on the ‘Burma Railway’ came to being annihilated. It was not merely the working conditions and the lack of food and other supplies that threatened their lives. The Japanese were prepared to eliminate prisoners with callous disregard for their moral responsibilities. We know this from the actions undertaken by the Japanese military on Ambon and at Sandakan. At these locations, they literally drove the Australians into their graves.

Colonel Anderson knew that he must appease the Japanese or they might murder his men. Having witnessed the hard justice of the Japanese, perhaps he understood this intuitively. He was, by all accounts, a keen judge of character. However, it is also very likely they he took heed of the insights of the Dutch interpreter assigned to Brigadier Varley’s staff, Honorary Ensign Cor Punt.

Unlike Captain Dower, who was also a brave officer and an intrepid interpreter, and Colonel Williams, who was a courageous combat officer, Colonel Anderson was willing to placate the Japanese. He was willing to meet the captors on their terms. At least, he was willing to allow them to save face while he maneuvered them into a more favourable stance regarding the survival of his men.

He had done this during the Battle of Muar where his courage and leadership were both well manifested. The Japanese recognised in Colonel Anderson a man of valor. He had defeated them in battle. They gave him their respect and Colonel Anderson used this respect. He combined it with his own cunning, and with the good work of his men, to gain everything that he could for their welfare. However, this was not always enough and his tactics were not always understood.

Captain Richards was a young medical officer who had cross-trained as an artilleryman. He gave of himself unstintingly in his fight to save the lives of those entrusted to him. The Captain certainly earned the praise and regard of all those who owed him their lives and their well-being. His reputation has continued to grow over the years. He can rightly expect our respect. However, he was not always able to see, hear and move in one motion, as it were.

The Wild Angry Shot or Two

In The Survival Factor, Charles Rowland Bromley ‘Rowley’ Richards, a former Captain and Royal Australian Army Medical Corps officer, sought the answer to an important question: why did some men survive their ordeal as captives of the Japanese in World War II and others did not? Captain Richards was himself a member of ‘A Force’ on the ‘Burma Railway’. He was later transferred to Japan. As a medical officer for Anderson and Williams Force, he was charged with keeping men alive through the various means available to him.

The book is co-authored with Marcia McEwan. It takes what might be termed a case-study approach and is written in the third person. As a result, there is some distance between Richards the co-author and Richards the regimental medical officer. This lends a great deal to the sense of objectivity that comes across in the book.

When Colonel Anderson and Captain Richards find themselves at odds in The Survival Factor, there is a fine sense of balance between their positions. The former officer in the King’s African Rifles during World War I and big game hunter, Colonel Anderson, is portrayed as a wise commanding officer. His proclivities and quirks are balanced by his keen sense of what is required to deal with the Japanese. His qualities as a military tactician are approved.

In this book, Captain Richards recognises that his fight to save each and every man is complemented by Colonel Anderson’s fight to save the 'Force' which is each man’s ultimate means of survival. When there are heated differences of opinion and approach, there is still an understanding that the men share a common goal.

So, when Captain Richards virtually accuses the Colonel of wanton action that is akin to ‘murder’, the Colonel recognises the strain on the Captain and refrains from comment. In turn, the Captain acknowledges the gentlemanly demeanor of his commanding officer. Still, he cannot understand the Colonel’s logic at times. The Captain also appears to lack an appreciation for the military humor used by the Colonel to deal with what he views is Captain Richards' lack of finesse as a young doctor.

Yet, there is one incident that caused the Captain considerable distress. The Colonel upbraided the Captain for lacking the confidence of the men due to the medical officer's poor ‘bedside manner’ during sick parades. However, the Captain contested this assessment. He sought and received the support of a fellow medical officer and the Colonel backed down from his claims.

The Captain seems to have remained unsatisfied with this. Despite the favourable comments made by the Captain as to the military bearing and prowess of the Colonel, the strain between the two men never was resolved. There is another dimension to all of this. As a reader, I am not convinced that the Captain had understood fully an important truth: if the whole forest goes up in smoke, his concern for the individual trees will be moot.