70 years ago: Hong Kong's wartime diaries

An old man of the sea died today - Anton Munze.  He was tattooed almost from head to foot, and was known as 'Canaker Dick.'

Tony came to say Mr Murphy will swap his mattress for our teapot.  ((Mum had a real bed, but no mattresss so she slept on the springs.  There had originally been a mattress but it was alive with bugs so had to be dumped.))

Mabel's parcel arrived - grand: included 1 lb  bacon, 2 lbs biscuits, 5 lb tin jam, 8 oz coffee, 3 lbs raisins, 5 lbs. 7 ozs wong tong and 1 lb butter to come.

We wrote 25-word  Red Cross letters (in pencil), stamped Red Cross, Shanghai, 27487.

Mum wrote to Aunt Lilian in Gillingham, Kent:-
'Girls and myself all well and together.  Future movements uncertain.  Will write when able.  Probably see Bess and Hilda.  Don't worry.  Love Mab and Girls.' ((I still have this letter and have attached a copy though I doubt if it is legible. The reference to Mum's sisters Bess and Hilda, who lived in Rhodesia, was to imply that we might get repatriated via Lourenco Marques and could maybe get to them from there. This message reached Aunt Lil safely, her reply was on the back of Mum's and dated 25.2.43:-

'Pleased and thankful for your message. All here ery fit – weather tempting Alf to garden, me to spring-clean.  Love to you and girls, Lillian.'

Post-war we learned that Lillian had been most relieved to get Mum's message that we were all together, as the Red Cross had during war issued a list of internees in Stanley, and my sister Mabel's name was not on it, so Auntie thought Mabel had been killed, she was in the Military Hospital when that list was compiled.))