70 years ago: Hong Kong's wartime diaries

There are some big announcements on the front page of today's China Mail: the Military Yen, the hated Japanese occupation currency, is no longer legal tender and the Hong Kong dollar is restored. Further, the Australian Red Cross supplies brought in on the Vindex have been packaged and are ready for distribution. The food has been placed in a common pool and is going out daily at the various distribution centres, so what is about to be distributed are items like towels, cigarettes and toileteries. The first priority are the roughly 900 people still at Stanley, followed by those in town with Essential Services, and finally dependents (presumably of the first two groups) in town.

It's also announced that Bill O'Neill, a former Stanleyite transferred to Shanghai, is on his way back down to re-open the Reuters Office.

Page 2 has its own improtant news: Franklin Gimson sends a farewell message on the eve of his recall to London. One of his tasks will be to tell the British Government about 'The Military Internment Camp' (the official name for Stanley in 1944 and 1945). He promises to tell them about the high standard of morale and the ingenuity and resourcefulness shown by the internees in the face of scanty resources. He will also mention the efficient provision of resources and believes that no-one will mind if he singles out the medical workers for special praise. He urges everybody to follow him in forgetting the unpleasant incidents and holding on to the good qualities which were amply displayed.

Note: For the proposed, or at leats assumed, abolition of the MY, see tomorrow's entry.