70 years ago: Hong Kong's wartime diaries

Last night at 12.15 a.m. we were all awakened by some shattering explosions. It awoke me with a most peculiar feeling - not exactly alarm, but with a feeling of considerable tension. In peacetime one would have wondered, for a few moments, what it was, but these days one’s mind automatically says “bombs”. My mind registered four bangs, but those who were already awake said there were five. Apparently the sound followed very close on the heels of the flashes and people who both saw and heard, estimate that the bombs must have been less than a mile away. One or two people actually witnessed the raid. Pengelly, in the American Block, said he had heard a plane and was walking to his window (which looks north towards the middle of Tytam Bay) when he saw the vivid flashes. He said the blast of the explosions was so strong that it made him duck instinctively. They came in quick succession, like the explosions of a stick of bombs. Pengelly said he also saw splashes in the sea (the moon is just past the full) which he took for falling debris.

There have been several theories about this raid; one of the Formosan guards is said to have told one of the gardeners that the objective of the raid was an oil dump near Tytam Bay, but that the dump escaped all damage. Another theory is that a new A.A. battery has been established near Tytam there, and that they let fly at the plane. The explosions were certainly like the sharp cracks of a gun; on the other hand smallish bombs might have made the same noise. It is all very interesting. There have been quite a number of single raiders over here recently.

During the last 36 hours there has been about a 20’ drop in the temperature. On Thursday the temperature was in the eighties and by last night it was right down and I was cold in bed with three blankets on me. This cold weather is undoubtably good for us, but it is merciless on our appetites: we seem to be perpetually hungry.