70 years ago: Hong Kong's wartime diaries

Death of Thomas Donaldson, aged 72.

Rudolf Zindel makes his monthly visit to Stanley, interviewing 49 internees. In an optimistic (and ultimately pointless) move, Franklin Gimson has got permission to entrust the Red Cross with such personal documents as cannot be taken out of Hong Kong by those selected for repatriation.

Zindel also notes that in October he'd not paid the British their usual monthly allowance but instead focused on providing Stanley with nutritious foods: soya beans, wheat, bran, peanuts, lard and so on. The 13 remaining Americans, however, were given the usual M. Y, 25 'pocket money'.

Canadian repatriate Eileen Medley writes  to the brother of Australian Phyllis Joan Findlay, still in Stanley:

Motorship Gripsholm

October 22nd 1943

Dear Mr. Findlay,

Just a note to tell you Joan is in good spirits and as well as internment conditions permit. Like most of us she has lost a great deal of weight. The Australians in camp have been trying very hard to get a message out to their Government for food or repatriation - without much success - So if you have any influence use it to the utmost.

I sincerely hope by the time we reach home we'll hear something definite concerning the release of the civilians in Hong Kong, but if I can give you any information at all, please do not hesitate to write....

Note:

H. W. Findlay, a resident of Newcastle, NSW, sent a copy of the letter to D. Watkins, his M.P. On January 25, 1944, a copy was sent to the Australian P. M. J. Curtin with a request for 'information'. An acknowldegement was sent to Mr. Watkins on January 27 and forwarded to H. W. Findlay.

This wasn't the first time Mr. Findlay had been active on his sister's behalf. An interdepartmental memo of January 21, 1944 suggests a reply to him pointing out that the Australian Government has done all it can to improve the conditions of its POWs and civilian internees, that negotiations for an exchange were in progress, and that his sister's name had been cabled to London for inclusion in any such arrangement. Such a reply was sent on January 24. A memo of February 2 states he'd also written directly to the Prime Minister.

The negotiations for repatriation fell through probably because most of the Japanese nationals in Australian custody had knowledge that would have been useful in the event of an attempted Japanese invasion - some sources say they were deep sea divers who knew the coastal areas well.

Note:

The name seems to be written 'Joan' and 'Jean' at different points in the correspondence.

Sources:

Donaldson: Geoffrey Emerson, Hong Kong Internment, Appendix 111

Zindel: General Letter No. 98/43, 16 November 1943 in Archives of the International Red Cross, BG017 07-066

Findlay: Digitalised Papers of P. M. Curtis in Australian National Archive