70 years ago: Hong Kong's wartime diaries

We are now on a new scale of rations and this has been giving us a headache in the working out the manner in which to deal with it. There are five different categories, 2 for children, no 3 for ordinary, no 4 for light workers and no 5 for heavy workers. In my capacity as quartermaster I come into category 4 and get extra rations which are very welcome. Also we are now getting beans, tea and curry in small quantities, never the less it is an extra which greatly helps especially the tea. Also the quantity of oil (peanut) enables us to make an individual issue, there are also rice, sugar and salt the latter two being very small, but we get an individual issue of sugar. The whole issue is for a ten day period.

It is a good sign and shows that there must have been a considerable agitation at home in connection with our lot here and it is now bearing fruit all of which we are very grateful for. It is not quite sufficient as we still require meat of some kind tho' the authorities are giving us good quantities of vegetables but small quantities of fish. 

Generally a lot of us have improved in weight and I have gained several pounds already. We have had a double inoculation typhoid and some people were laid up with it, none of us were affected.

I have been attending Dr Yasoogi Yasoski at the nutrition clinic for a chronic soreness in my nose and herpes at the side and inside of my mouth and on my tongue and he has put me on a course of yeast daily. I have to see him again next week. 

The weather is still cold and raw and we shall all be glad when the warmer weather comes as in our present condition we feel the cold due to the shortage of fats in our bodies.

However the news is good and the Russians are advancing rapidly. Lets hope it continues and that our day of release may not be so very far distant. I wrote my 25 word postcard to you on Thursday and on it I said I had received your two Red Cross messages dated 8th March 1942 and 22nd March 1942 both of which have taken over two years in delivery. I received them on 23/3/44. The first one came from Parry Sound, Ontario in which you mention you had received my Christmas mail for 1941 and in the other that two of your letters such as they are and so relieved your mind. We live in hope dear.