70 years ago: Hong Kong's wartime diaries

They have gone! Everything went according to schedule. On the 22nd the weather turned really dirty and we had another severe gale – another typhoon somewhere about: we have had typhoon weather three times now during the last 3 weeks which is exceptional, for the typhoon season is generally over by the end of August and if, by chance, a belated typhoon does come along, it generally comes unattended by others.

By the evening of Wed 22nd the visibility was very bad because of the wind and spray. The Teia Maru was due in at 7 p.m. but by that time there was no sign of her. However, at 9 p.m., after dark, lights appeared off Stanley Bay and we guessed she must be in. Early next morning I had a look at her: she looked very peculiar – short, with a high superstructure. She was one of the Messageries Maritimes French line motor ships with diesel engines and squat square funnels. These ships were frequent visitors to Hong Kong in the pre-war days and the shipping experts here say that she was the Aramis which was taken from the French by the Japanese after the Japanese entry into the war. Presumably she must have been in the service of the Free French for this to happen, unless the Japanese Govt. bought her – which I doubt.  Any way, there she was, painted grey with a great white cross at the bow and stern and a white cross on the side on either side of the Japanese emblem amidships; also a white cross attached to and projecting above one of the squat funnels.  She was anchored much closer in than was the Asama Maru – possibly to gain the protection of this peninsula from the gale.

Some 50 Canadians left this camp. British husbands or wives married to Canadian nationals were allowed to go. In this way, Jack Robinson was able to get away with Jean, lucky devil! Other of our more intimate friends were Dr and Mrs Grave and Frances Dodds. Dr and Mrs Graves had planned to retire to Toronto in any case, so their internment here had only postponed their normal programme by some 18 months! Of course they have lost their property too. There were farewell parties galore and I think I can safely say that though the British here envied the Canadians their good fortune, everyone was glad they were able to get away from this dismal place; and the Canadians, for their part, were considerably saddened by the thought that they were leaving so many of their friends behind.

Anne Muir had tea with us on Thursday and then we walked along to the cemetery from where we could view the embarkation. Constant rain squalls came along and Y and I stood huddled over the low wall with our solitary raincoat (mine) spread over our backs. Anne kept all but her hair dry, and that just streamed with rain! The Canadians had had to report at 12.30 at the Prep school, where their hand luggage was to be finally examined. Their luggage was duly examined and then stacked on the jetty in the pouring rain without any cover whatsoever! Many of them had no proper suitcases and had put their things – what little they had – in Hong Kong baskets. These are just wickerwork baskets and their clothes must have been simply soaked. It really was too bad; and so unnecessary – brilliant Japanese organization.  

There were three stretcher cases who were brought from the hospital by car at 3 o’clock. The Canadians had been allowed to take no written matter, books or photographs (even portraits) whatsoever. They could take only their bibles, if they had not been written in, and their passports. No Wills, Power of Attorney papers etc. were allowed. This, the Japanese said was in return for similar regulations imposed by the Canadian Govt on the returning Japanese nationals. So the Canadians had to wait from 12.30 till 5.15 when they eventually went aboard the launch. But I daresay most of them would have been prepared to put up with anything to get away. I feel I would have!

We stuck it for 1½ hours, waving frantically to our friends, but in the end we gave it up and squelched back to our blocks. At night her white crosses were flood lit. She sailed at 9.20 that night and at about 10.10 we saw her round the end of our peninsula, but pretty far out to sea. There were just three big lights showing at that distance, probably the flood lit white crosses.

“There they go, lucky devils”.

((Teia Maru returned from repatriation duties to Goa and reverted to being a troop ship making several troop carrying voyages in convoy between Singapore and Japan. As part of a convoy carrying reinforcements to the Philippines, she was sunk by US submarine USS Rasher on 18th August 1944 off Cape Bolinao, Luzon, with the loss of 2,665 troops, civilians and crew. She was the second largest merchant ship sunk by American submarines during the war.))

((Letter from Agnes Charter to Gladys Crowley, c/o Lloyds Bank Ltd, Redford Street, Plymouth, England))

The Manse
Cinnamon Gardens
Colombo
Ceylon

3rd Jan 1944

Dear Mrs. Crowley,

We have just received a letter from a Frances Dodds, posted at Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on Dec 4. She is on her way home from Hong Kong, shared the flat with J and Y in Stanley. No one was allowed to take letters out, so she had to memorise addresses and chose ones short and easiest. J and Y are both well, had not been in hospital at all, all very thin as food scarce. J and Y had spent any money they had on food. She says Stanley is the worst camp in the Far East for food. Says how even tempered Y always is where everyone’s nerves are all on edge and how splendid she an J had been producing plays etc. for amusement of camp. Y had had letters from you. When she left they were expecting women and children to be evacuated soon. John very keen to get Y away, and asks us to supply money when she arrives as she won’t have a cent. She shall have all she wants if we can get her here, and then I suppose send her on to you. I will send the letter, in the meantime if you want to write to this lady her address is – Frances Dodds, c/o Miss Madeley, Vancuover Public Library, Vancouver, B.C. 

Good news isn’t it?

All good wishes for 1944

Agnes Charter