Letter from Dad

Thank you for posting these valuable documents relating to the 1940 evacuation of your mother and sisters. This letter really catches the atmosphere of that moment. Would it be possible to have a typed text of it? Why were you entitled to "better conditions?" Had your father paid a higher fare?

This letter is particularly interesting for me as my uncle, Leslie Warren, sent his wife and children back to England in 1938, but I still haven't found out when, how or from where my Hong Kong born grandmother, Hannah Warren, sailed to Australia, where she died in 1966. As she was Eurasian, she may have been turned back at Manila in accordance with Australia's "whites only" policy. Unless she was able to conceal her Chinese descent, I believe she would not have been entitled to financial support from the HK government on arrival in Australia. I have been sent lists of ships sailing to Australian ports from Hong Kong around this time with the numbers of passengers on board but not the names. The numbers are extraordinary. Hong Kong tailors must have indeed been suddenly short of business as Mr Redwood writes.

Jill

Yes, please, for a typed-up version 

H.

Barbara Anslow has kindly agreed to let this transcription of her father's last letter to his family be posted on Gwulo. I have also copied her answers to my queries below the letter.

Usual address

20/7/40

Dear Girls,

            No more news from this end except that you will probably sail for Australia on 28^th or 30^th. I wish I had your chance to see the country. I’m sure you will like it at Sydney. Mr Penny called to see me regarding destination. We were given choice and as I know a person who has his home at Sydney and has visited all the places mentioned, I voted for Sydney. The other places are Melbourne and Brisbane. You will be travelling under normal conditions but better than P&O and don’t forget you are entitled to slightly better conditions than most and insist on it. Your trip will take about 14 days.  Mrs Hall is going to Melbourne. Mrs Warburton cabled him to say she was going to stay at Manilla, but as Government will take no responsibility if anyone leaves the scheme he spent $20 in reply and notified Gov. that he would take no responsibility if she remained. I listened to the ladies broadcast last night and I don’t mind telling you I shed a few tears. I expect you heard it. Mrs Foreman seemed to consider it a joy ride but when she gets allotment she will think differently. I hope you received my letter by air OK and also the one before you leave. I am very busy and now glad with all night job. No arrangements here yet been made for allotment for officers but I will let you have all I can but I know there will be very little to play with after exes are paid. Inspectors have to pay 10/- more than charge men, so see you get value for it. No word from Jill but there are some for the girlies which I will send on later. Hall is arriving at the end of the month and will be a treat to have someone about. Have just finished another busy day and am about to retire to bed. I do not think you will be away very long as things are going on and hope you will soon be back so that we can moan again.

            Hong Kong seems strange without white women and I hear that the shops are feeling the pinch especially tailors. I went to see Paddy this morning and is quite happy. Peter does not say much now except to Amah.

            Well I must wind up now so cheerio and keep your chins up.

                        Your loving husband,

                                    Will

Explanatory notes from Barbara Anslow by email 24^th March 2016

Dad's letter was certainly not written on 1st July, as you say he dated it 20th July, when plans were under way to send evacuees from Manila to certain cities in Australia. Mum didn't get that letter and others from my Dad until we returned to HK after his death.  ‪Sorry if this is repetition:  on 23rd he wasn't feeling well, so wrote out a cable to Mum asking her to come back, and leave us 3 girls to stay in Manila with the evacuees. He sent our amah to the general post office in a rickshaw to post the cable (which we never got). He then phoned his doctor in the Naval Dockyard who came at once, and was with Dad when he just passed away on the sofa. He had coronary infarction. Our amah told us that when she returned from the post office, our young makee-learrn shouted that Master was dead, and amah told her off for saying such a thing as she could not believe it.

‪I don't mind if you post that letter on Gwulo.  His word 'exes' means expenses. I think his reference to 'moan' at the end probably means that they would soon be arguing again! His reference to 'Hall' means I think that his work colleague Mr Hall was going to become Dad's lodger as his wife Ruby had been evacuated.  Eventually several grass-widowers shared accommodation for company and to save money as they had to send monthly allowances to their wives in Australia. ‪When we moved into a private flat in Happy Valley after we had vacated Dockyard quarters, Mr Hall came to lodge with us.

‪Dad's reference to us being entitled to better accommodation en route to Australia:  Dad's job as Superintending Electrical Engineer in the Naval Dockyard gave him officer status.

‪Paddy was our pet monkey, Peter was our mynah bird.