DIYATALAWA
Background
"Diyatalawa" is derived from the Singhalese "Diya" = water fountains and "talawa" = undulating valley. The first Wesleyan Missionary who established his mission station in the valley called it the "Happy Valley".
By April 1900 it had become apparent that accommodation for prisoners had to found elsewhere. Mauritius, the Seychelles and Ceylon were each suggested and the pros and cons considered. Objections were raised regarding Mauritius because of its population composition and the vicinity of the Isle of Bourbon, a French possession. It was thought that in the event of escaped prisoners reaching Bourbon political complications might be inevitable. The climate of the Seychelles on the other hand was thought to be suitable. The administration of the Islands was prepared to receive 2000 prisoners at a month’s notice and to find healthy accommodation for them on two easily accessible islands namely Félicité and Curieuse. On closer examination both islands were found to be unsuitable. In the case of Félicité the island was too small while in the case of Curieuse it was being used as a leper colony. Ceylon was finally selected because it had an effective administration; sufficient medical staff on the spot and enough facilities to provide the necessary food and to crown it the resources of India was close at hand.
By orders from the War Office, Sir John Ridgway, the Governor of Ceylon, started erecting a camp for a potential 2000 prisoners on the site of the former mission on 28 April 1900. All the sheet iron in the colony was bought by the authorities while more had to be imported from India for the construction of the huts by those involved in the project namely the Royal Engineers, officers of the Singhalese Public Works Department and some private contractors. The Times of London reported that Ridgway took a "warm and personal interest in the formation and establishment of the camp." By August 1900 the camp had to be extended to accommodate a further 1 500 to 2 000 prisoners. By September of the same year Ridgway reported that he could take an extra 1000 prisoners as the recent rains had partially removed the difficulties they were experiencing with the water supply to the camp.
The prisoner of war camp at Diyatalawa was situated app. 305 km east of Colombo in the Uva valley. It housed some five thousand prisoners of war under the watchful eyes of Colonel AC Vincent and Colonel Jesse-Coope, respectively.
The camp
All the buildings in the camp were newly built. The camp itself was enclosed with barbed-wire entanglements and brightly lit at night with armed Guards patrolling the perimeter. The powerful electric lights were mounted in high poles. Next came a line of sentry posts, and behind this the various guardrooms, supplied with machine guns. Then came a deep trench, completely enclosing the camp — having a perimeter of ten miles or so, according to Wyndham Childs, who as a subaltern spent two years on a posting at Diyatalawa. R.L. Brohier, a contemporary writer and the Surveyor General of the Colony, who visited the camp, describes it as a "master piece of baffling double barbed-wire fencing and trenches... The circling barrier of entanglements increased in due course of time." The barracks and guard centres were situated on five selected eminencies surrounding and overlooking the barbed-wire barrier.
The continuous guard duty soon got on the nerves of the troops guarding the camp. They were only getting two consecutive nights in bed. Two further factors contributed to their distress — one being the “continual and disconcerting hissing of the carbon points in the great arc lamps; the other was the incessant maddening croaking of the myriads of frogs” that swarmed in the locality of the barracks.
Soon the camp looked like a small town. The Boers, controlled by their own officers, managed everything for themselves, and having among them their own tradesmen and artificers of every sort, they soon established their own shops, schools and churches, all within the limits of the wire enclosure.
The camp was divided into two sections: Krugersdorp (for the Transvalers) and Steynsburg (for the Freestaters). This had to be done because of tension that existed between the two brought about by General Marthinus Prinsloo's surrender and the way it was done. . When it rained the camp streets and lanes were very muddy. According to Edwin van Aardt you could not imagine how muddy it was during the rainy season with over four thousand men walking about. F.N. Joubert on the other hand preferred the rainy weather they were experiencing in September 1901 as this settled the ever-present dust churned up by the many feet traversing the dirt streets. According to an official report the streets were provided with side drains, while the water standpipes had channels for conducting the overflow to the main drains. The camp also boasted a Wilhelmina Square named in honour of the Dutch Queen.
The huts, 109 m x 36m were of corrugated iron and housed up to sixty prisoners per hut. After the removal of some of the inhabitants to Ragama the full complement of a hut was fifty-six men. Each prisoner also received a bucket, basin, plate, mug, knife and fork and a cork hat on arrival. According to G.F. Steyn they were counted off in front of each hut as if they were cattle. Fathers and sons were thus separated. Each hut had sixty-four beds that were placed close together. According to Christian van Aardt he and a friend of his made things as comfortable as possible e.g. they made a small table that they placed between the two beds which they used as a writing table. He also planned a flower and plant stand "to make things as homely as possible for I am afraid we will have to remain here for a very long time." Every prisoner received two blankets and a pillow. Each hut had four tables that seated sixteen men. Two men at a time took responsibility to clean the hut and on Saturday they had to wash the floor of the hut.
SOURCE: ELRIA WESSELS
