70 years ago: Hong Kong's wartime diaries

Last Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Yvonne and I took part in a programme of one act plays that had been somewhat hastily arranged. I produced ‘Villa for Sale’ by Sacha Guitori; a translation from the French. I tried a couple of men for the part of Gaston but could not cast it satisfactorily and in the end, for want of a more suitable person, took the part myself, though I dislike acting and producing in the same play. No doubt the play suffered accordingly. Still, it went down quite well. Yvonne took the part of Jeanne, so for the first time we appeared on the stage in a play together and, incidentally as a married couple. Day Sage, Lorraine Money and Winnifred Lewis completed the cast.

Our play came first and was followed by a comedy thriller written by Dr Newton. He and Lydia Hutchinson were the principals and there was a small part for a police sergeant. The blackmail theme was quite well worked out but the dialogue was rather poor and they took the play along too slowly so that it tended to hang fire rather a lot.

The last one, a costume play was ‘Elizabeth Refuses’ by Margaret Macnamara, taken from ‘Pride and Prejudice’. This play was produced under difficulties for, Brown, the producer, fell ill and apart from a couple of rehearsals which John Robertson took, the play just produced itself! In spite of that it was very well done. Sheila as Elizabeth was quite good, though not at her best; Yvonne as Jane was really very good and quite charming (I felt quite the proud husband!); James Norman as Mr Cillins was excellent and so also was Mrs Tinsom as the mother: G.B. as Lady de Borough was a little disappointing. It was a nice thing to finish with. Y really should be quite good with experience.

Prior to the plays we took part in a couple of ‘Quizz’ concerts which were quite fun, though it is still too hot for acting. I have booked a date, Nov 6th and am thinking of producing ‘Laburnum Grove’ by Priestly. I produced this 5 or so years ago for the Upper Holloway Fellowship (his Church in UK) and happen to have that old copy of the play in camp!

At the beginning of this month, when the new Block Committee was elected, I was asked to take over the office of Block Labour Officer – a somewhat thankless task. I have, so far, kept clear of such jobs but everyone seems to have had a try at them at one time or another so I feel it is time I did likewise! Last Saturday I raised a squad from these blocks and with men from the rest of the camp we went out, 24 strong on the weekly anti-malaria excursion. We were escorted by three Chinese supervisors in white suits and sun helmets and three Sikh guards. The work consisted of clearing out silted up field ditches. We worked from 11 a.m. till noon in the blazing sun, wearing just shorts, up to our knees in muddy water – the European Coolies while the neat white supervisors stood watching! Quite like old plantation days! Still, it was quite fun. Dr Mackie, the HK Malariologist, says that the patch below the Prep school is one of the worst malaria areas in the Colony. There is a lot of malaria in camp now: 40 cases in July and 62 in August. So far Y and I have escaped.