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.

  • 18 Feb 1942, R. E. Jones Wartime diary

    Submitted by Admin on Sat, 2011-12-31 21:45
    Book / Document: 
    R. E. Jones Wartime diary
    Date(s) of events described: 
    Wed, 18 Feb 1942

    HK celebrated fall of Singapore now known as Bhosan Port.

    Prof. Gordon King supposed to have escaped & told the world of our ill-treatment. If true I hope it does some good.

    Now that Jap has Singapore & everything seems favourable for an AXIS victory I don’t suppose anything anyone does will help us any. Food not so good today. Our only hope now is that Germany gets a beating, & very soon.

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  • 18 Feb 1942, Chronology of Events Related to Stanley Civilian Internment Camp

    Submitted by brian edgar on Wed, 2012-01-11 22:41
    Book / Document: 
    Chronology of Events Related to Stanley Civilian Internment Camp
    Date(s) of events described: 
    Wed, 18 Feb 1942

    Elections for a British Communal Council (to replace the Temporary Committee) are held. The elections are organised according to a division of the Camp into eight districts or 'blocks'. This time more government officials are elected.

    A week later six people are elected to represent the Camp as a whole, including L. R. Nielsen and B. Wylie.

    Note: see also entry for March 2, 1942

    Sources:

    Geoffrey Emerson, Hong Kong Internment, 2008, 10

    Philip Snow, The Fall of Hong Kong, 2003, 136

    G. B. Endacott and Alan Birch, Hong Kong Eclipse, 1978, 208, 352

    Note: Snow wrongly dates these elections to February 8.

  • 18 Feb 1942, Barbara Anslow's diary

    Submitted by Admin on Thu, 2012-01-12 13:33
    Book / Document: 
    Barbara Anslow's diary
    Date(s) of events described: 
    Wed, 18 Feb 1942

    Ash Wednesday, but we were too late waking up to go to the church service.

    Lovely pork.

    Walk in evening with Mum who gave me verbal cooking lessons - we both enjoyed these meals in our imagination.

    ((An explanation of the canteen in Stanley:-  Limited supplies of prized food were sent into camp, and sold usually twice weekly - if you had money, which was very limited as people hadn't been paid since fighting ended. Each person was only allowed to buy so much of a particular item. 

    Huge queues at the first canteens - Olive and I took turns keeping a place for hours; when our turn came at last there was little choice, we just got a tin of Instant Postum which turned out to be a delicious drink.

    In due course canteen days were well organised so that every person had a shopping turn once in so many sessions, so that the wealthiest couldn't buy up all that was available every time.))


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