70 years ago: Hong Kong's wartime diaries

250 tons of firewood supposed to be brought today by lighter - but cancelled.  Even Mr Gimson (Colonial Secretary & Representative of Internees) detailed to assist.   We were to have pasties for meal to help men - but pasties had already been started to be cooked when cancellation of firewood so we will still get them.  ((The logs of wood had to be hiked up to the camp kitchens then chopped or sawn - very heavy work.))

Later: the wood came in later after all, and a number of women took hot tea down to the men, made from tea leaves collected - a teaspoon or so from each donor.

To Crutwell's German lesson at 12.30.  - Jill Beavis, Mrs Betty Drown, and J. Oram.

Then to girls' club meeting in Rosaleen's room ((the Grant family)).  Mrs Dorothy Jenner ((a wellknown Australian journalist who wrote for newspapers there under the name 'Cassandra' or something similar)) came and talked about careers.

Here is what each girl would like to be-

• Doreen Leonard  - actress.  ((Died in UK in 1946.))
• Maureen Pearson – didn't know.  ((Post-war she worked in an office in Hongkong, and in 1948 was killed – thrown off back of motor-bike.))
• Tesesa Cullen, Yvette Whitfield didn't know.
• Rose Harris – manicurist
• Joan Wilkinson – stenographer
• Nita Olivier – journalist
• Pat Thoresen – reporter
• Yvonne Blackmore – domestic science
• Wendy Barton - domestic science
• Mary Edmonston – public relations in foreign countries
• Leilah Wood – governess.   ((Post-war she studied music and became a piano teacher.  I am still in correspondence with her, she has a farm in Saskatchewan, Canada))
• Ingeborg Warild – governess.