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 1944, Barbara Anslow's diary

    Submitted by Admin on Mon, 2012-04-09 15:55
    Book / Document: 
    Barbara Anslow's diary
    Date(s) of events described: 
    Sun, 16 Jul 1944

    H. C. MacNamara died.

    • Log in or register to post comments

  • 16 Jul 1944, Chronology of Events Related to Stanley Civilian Internment Camp

    Submitted by brian edgar on Sun, 2014-03-16 17:20
    Book / Document: 
    Chronology of Events Related to Stanley Civilian Internment Camp
    Date(s) of events described: 
    Sun, 16 Jul 1944

    Henry  Charles Macnamara, of Hong Kong University, dies of typhus in Tweed Bay Hospital.

    In Camp he'd given lectures on commercial law.

    Source:

    Peter Cunich, A History of the University of Hong Kong, 2012, 408, 540.

    Note: Geoffrey Emerson states he was a barrister.

  • 16 Jul 1944, R. E. Jones Wartime diary

    Submitted by Admin on Wed, 2014-06-04 12:51
    Book / Document: 
    R. E. Jones Wartime diary
    Date(s) of events described: 
    Sun, 16 Jul 1944

    Wind veered to S. much rain in squalls. Warmer.

    McNamara (KC) died.

    Ground rice & chopped wood.

    No paper today. Much optimism re position & progress of Russian front. Some fixing end of next month as time of collapse of German resistance.

    Mary sent up a lovely tiffin for me. I must never forget the good turns they have done me.

    With Steve pm.

  • 16 Jul 1944, Eric MacNider's wartime diary

    Submitted by Admin on Sun, 2016-07-03 12:39
    Book / Document: 
    Eric MacNider's wartime diary
    Date(s) of events described: 
    Sun, 16 Jul 1944

    Rose / Alton

    Death – H. C. Macnamara (55), Barrister-at-law

    Jenner / Pearson

  • 16 Jul 1944, Escape from the Japanese

    Submitted by JerkJi on Tue, 2016-07-05 17:49
    Book / Document: 
    Escape from the Japanese
    Date(s) of events described: 
    Sun, 16 Jul 1944

    Ralph Goodwin, a New Zealand naval officer had been a PoW since Dec 25, 1941.  For two and a half years he always had escape in his mind, and in Sham Shui Po camp he had prepared for it.    He realized that the location of this camp was the best he had ever had to make an escape. The proximity of the camp to the sea, meant that he could swim from the seawall, to a little habited part of the coast from where he could climb into the hills and make his way northwards to freedom.

    "Sunday the 16th of July 1944 was just another day of pouring rain, without however, the usual display of lighting. In fact, when night fell, the rains came down with never a flash to break the darkness, a most unusual condition. Never before had there been such an opportunity."

    He had to wait for midnight when the lights went out, and he prepared to pick up his pack with the escape supplies he had secreted away.

    "Suddenly the lights went out and the camp was plunged into intense gloom"

    All was ready and he prepared to leave without disturbing anyone.

    "There would be interrogations on the morrow, and it was better that nothing should be known."


Subscribe: If you'd like to receive future pages by email, just enter your email address below and click the 'subscribe' button:

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Subscribe to 70 years ago: Hong Kong's wartime diaries