70 years ago: Hong Kong's wartime diaries | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

70 years ago: Hong Kong's wartime diaries

Shows diary entries from seventy-one years ago, using today's date in Hong Kong as the starting point. To see pages from earlier dates (they go back to 1 Dec 1941), choose the date below and click the 'Apply' button.
  • 16 Jul 1942, Barbara Anslow's diary

    Book / Document: 
    Date(s) of events described: 
    Thu, 16 Jul 1942

    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.))

  • 16 Jul 1942, Chronology of Events Related to Stanley Civilian Internment Camp

    Date(s) of events described: 
    Thu, 16 Jul 1942

    Death of Anton Munze - aka Canaker Dick - aged 58. He was a former seaman of American nationality with a wife and family in Hong Kong (presumably Chinese or third national). The Maryknoll Diary calls him Dick Munsey and says that he was buried on16 at 10. a.m.

     

    Walter Donald D'Evan Twidale (or Twiddle), a soldier, marries Mrs Beatrice Rose Cullen.

    Sources:

    Munze: Geoffrey Emerson, Hong Kong Internment, 1973, 271; http://gwulo.com/node/10376; Maryknoll Diary, July 16/17, 1942

    Marriage: Greg Leck, Captives of Empire, 2006, 622

  • 16 Jul 1942, R. E. Jones Wartime diary

    Book / Document: 
    Date(s) of events described: 
    Thu, 16 Jul 1942

    Heavy rain all day.

    $75 parcel arrived so am fixed for cigs. etc for a while.

    News good re Hawaii, Russian front & Sid. Barrami [?]

  • 16 Jul 1942, Ella Buuck's wartime diary

    Book / Document: 
    Date(s) of events described: 
    Thu, 16 Jul 1942

    Lorenz’s birthday. No presents to give so Elaine gave him her orange and Leonard a pocket comb which he had found.

    We played pinochle in the evening and Mrs. Dunnett ((Was she in Stanley?)) and I had arranged a lunch in her room at 10 o’clock. It was a pleasant surprise and a tasty one, too. The first sandwiches for ages.

  • 16 Jul 1942, Eric MacNider's wartime diary

    Date(s) of events described: 
    Thu, 16 Jul 1942

    Rain

    Collected $75 parcel

    Death of Anton Munze (58)

    Wedding – Joseph Donald Twidale and Beatrice Rose Cullen.

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