70 years ago: Hong Kong's wartime diaries

Marjorie went into hospital again, about one week ago, with a temperature and suspected flu.

Yvonne was looking after Adrian and Kevin as she does for one afternoon in each week, and I was playing in my second game of ‘softball’, a game that has become quite popular here in camp. Adrian seemed rather quiet and a little off colour and during the game I noticed Yvonne had disappeared indoors with the two babies. Later she called me to say Adrian had been sick and would I help clear up the mess! Poor Y, he had been sick all over her and she had an awful time. I hastily cleared up the mess between innings. We took Adrian’s temperature and found it to be 101 degrees, so Tim, who had just returned from visiting Marjorie in hospital, went across for Talbot, their doctor, to come and have a look at Adrian! Well, Adrian was packed off to hospital for about 3 days and has since returned. He still looks a bit pale and has not quite fully recovered but there is nothing much the matter with him I think.

Marjorie still has a temperature. Talbot thinks it may be malaria, but Isa, who saw her today, thinks Marjorie may have jaundice: she is feeling rather depressed and worried about things in general.

How easy it is to be wise after the event; but how really foolish it was of Tim and Marjorie to have a baby in Hong Kong when things were so unsettled. That is so of most people who have babies here within the last two years. (The Hacketts have two now! And I must say that though it is hard luck on them to struggle with two babies in a tropical climate, with no servants and not even the ordinary domestic amenities, there seems a certain amount of poetic justice in the present situation!)  

It is not as though things were normal in HK, for many women with children and many young couples were separated against their wishes by the evacuation and it does not seem right that the women who remained behind, because they were doing an essential job, should choose this time to raise families; especially those whose husbands were not in the fighting forces. So I am afraid my sympathies for the Fortescues are not as strong as they would be in other circumstances. I might add too, that the occupants of our room suffer a good deal from the perpetual turmoil and chaos (to phrase it politely!) in which the Fortescue family lives. In fact if it were not for the fact that apart from the habits of living they are a very generous and likeable couple, our small community here would have broken up long ago. It would be ideal if they could find an amah’s room for themselves somewhere. I think they would prefer this too. Unfortunately amah’s rooms are very hard to come by.

When the Shanghai residents left here, Harold ((Bidwell)) asked a Capt. Reid (who knew Harold’s family) to go and see his mother and tell her what conditions here were like. He asked Reid to tell his mother that he and Elsie were quite prepared to stay here, but that if she was able to support them and would like them to come, would she write the necessary guarantee that the Japanese require.

Well, about a fortnight or three weeks ago, a telegram arrived from Shanghai for Harold saying, “Come home immediately, guarantee support for yourself and wife”, or words to that effect. Were they delighted! This was followed a few days later by a letter in which Mrs Bidwell had sent 150 yen ((pdv £1690)) for the passage to Shanghai. This cost her $1,500 Shanghai, the exchange there being 10:1. In pre war days it would have cost them about $150 for a first class passage; now they will have to pay $1500 for 2nd class if lucky - 3rd if not so lucky! Now they are just possessing their souls with what patience they can muster and hoping and praying a ship will shortly be leaving for Shanghai.

Apparently ships for Shanghai these days are very few and far between and when they do go the accommodation is quite inadequate for those who wish to get away. Apparently many Japanese families who came here from Canton are now getting away to the north (which is a good sign I think!) There are seven people in this camp who have been given guarantees from Shanghai and will be going with the first available ship. Lucky things!  Or they seem lucky. No one can forsee what the future holds in store for us.

It says in the paper today that 4,000 prisoners of war are to be engaged in enlarging Kai Tak aerodrome. Well, it will give them something to do and will be a change for them. Perhaps they will have it completed just in time for the British or American re-occupation! That would be a joke.

Another item is that the Japanese are erecting a shrine in HK and plan to open it on 25th December, the first anniversary of the fall of Hong Kong. Well, let’s hope their calculations will miss-carry again.

We note, with great satisfaction, that the newspaper has been silent for some time on the much written subject of anti-British feeling and demonstrations in India. I think that this Indian unrest must be dying down again, to the chagrin of the Japs.

For some days now, Chinese coolies under the surveillance of Japanese gendarmes have been moving sacks of rice from the ex British godowns in Stanley village, loading them onto trollies, pushing them to the pier or small jetty at the Prep School beach (where we first landed from our launch and where the American repatriatees embarked) and there loading them onto junks and barges which were towed off, presumably to the main harbour. These must be some of the few remaining old stocks of rice left. During these operations, all internees were forbidden to look down onto the beach from the cemetery and ‘C’ or ‘B’  bungalows - because the Japanese objected to being looked down upon!