Meals

Prisoner of war authorities measured the weight of each prisoner every month and reported the total calories of their meals with a focus on maintaining their physical condition. But the food served by the camp seemed to be dissatisfactory to the prisoners.

Photo: Prisoners having a meal at the camp (courtesy of Mr. Dieter Linke)

“The meals served at Aonogahara were smaller than what was previously served at Fukuoka, but this was understandable. It was difficult to obtain food everywhere in the world so an increase in the 60 grams allotted for daily meals was unthinkable.”
(From Kersten’s Diary)

“We were forced to rely on cheaper but inferior black bread because it was still available. The allocation of bread became smaller and within several months, potato starch powder was being mixed into the bread. We could not eat it as it was always wet and half-baked.”
(From Kersten’s Diary)

“Prisoners began requesting measures for tackling the smaller food allocation in 1915. The requests included permission for raising pigs, setting up a baker’s oven in the kitchen (enough space) and baking their own bread, and making soap (fats and oils were available). But these requests were turned down by the accounting manager.”
(From Kersten’s Diary)

In 1918, when a new accounting manager assumed the post, that prisoners’ requests were accepted. Prisoners were allowed to set up a baker’s oven and bake their own bread.

Photo: The baker’s oven (courtesy of Mr. Hans Joachim Schmidt)

Photo: The kitchen (courtesy of Mr. Dieter Linke)

“We made a request for larger allocations of white bread instead and our request was accepted. Our new accounting manager realized our wish to bake our own bread. A cake master and two bakers designed and set up a sufficiently large baker’s oven in the center of the kitchen and we started baking quality white bread using the best Australian-made flour. The bread allocation was almost double what it used to be. You should also not forget the merits of the two bricklayers. The bakers were also allowed to make confectionery using ingredients that they procured themselves and they sold the confectionery to rich people and prisoners with cash.”
(From Kersten’s Diary)