John Charter's wartime journal: View pages

The PWD was again asked to make the survey, and I again sent in the list for these blocks. This time my list was very short. By now, most of the broken windows have been filled with squares of cardboard, or wood, and I was concerned only with such things as leaking roofs, leaking drain pipes, missing windows – in fact, only essential items. It will be doubly or trebly more difficult now for the Japanese to supply materials than it would have been 18 months ago, and I am sure that if any repairs are carried out here it will be for a reason other than pure solicitude for our well being. My guess is that the Japanese anticipate intensified air attacks on this Colony in the approaching struggle and they wish to establish a safety zone here into which they can transfer Japanese women and children if need arises. If that guess is correct it might explain why there was no AA fire from the fort – they would not wish to attract enemy attention to the safety zone – and it also means that hopes of our repatriation are not yet dead.

I have a feeling that the men in this camp may be removed to Japan with the other Prisoners of War. We hear that the 9 senior officers in Argyle Street Camp (including Capt. Min.) have either left or are due to leave very soon and that the rest are to go within the next two months. This seems to be in line with the Japanese policy for this Colony, for they have been urging all who possibly can (Chinese) to leave and they admit the increasing difficulties of obtaining adequate food supplies. Maudie feels quite resigned to Capt. Mins departure. She feels he will at least be properly fed in Japan.

This camp has been notified by Mr Maejima that we are now to have one meatless and one fishless day per week. We shall have meat on four days per week and fish on the other days. On the meat days we are to get 400 catties for the camp (2,400 people) which is about 3 ½ oz per person, about 1/3 of the weight being bone. On fish days we are to get 675 catties. On the seventh day the weight of vegetables is to be increased from the usual 800 to 1000 catties. This new system was to begin on August 1st.

Well, the Japs were evidently anxious to get started, for they gave us a meatless day on 31st July. Today our 675 catties of fish has dwindled to 250 catties and tomorrow we have our next fishless and meatless day – perhaps they have 5 day weeks in Japan. Also, on the meatless days they have not increased vegetables at all. Why do they make these promises which they will not or cannot keep? I am not sure that I would not rather go to Japan myself than stay here; for the counter offensive against Japan has yet, hardly begun and I think conditions here are going to be pretty grim before this issue is settled.

There is one rather curious thing I might mention. When certain people came into camp some months ago, we heard that when HK was first bombed by American planes, nine months ago, the Japanese authorities that morning, had warning of the raid which took place in the afternoon and they recalled to the works, a European of the Gas Co. who had been given the morning off. The warning must have been supplied by the Japanese Secret Service. On Monday, 26th July, the day before the bombing began this time, a special article appeared in the HK News warning people of the possibility of air raids and enjoining the public to take every care to ensure 100% blackouts. It warned that failure in this respect might mean that electricity throughout the whole Colony might be cut off at the mains. So it seems they had warning this time: (The actual hour of the raid was mentioned last time). Which goes to show how competent is the Japanese espionage service in China.

Rather an amusing thing happened after the announcement of Mussolini’s resignation. Mr Gimson was summoned up the hill where he was met, much to his surprise, by the chief of the Stanley Gendarmerie. After some polite conversation the officer came to the purpose of his visit and asked the Colonial Secretary to tell him what Mussolini’s resignation meant! Did it mean that Italy would now become a neutral country etc. etc.  Gimson explained (no doubt with relish but, also with considerable caution) that it was not at all likely that Italy would remain just a neutral! He had to be careful for he was afraid of having the paper supply to camp stopped. But how naïve of the little man! I suppose he thought he would never get the real low down from his own forces, so he had better consult an authority. He was very polite and friendly and presented Gimson with (I believe) 6000 cigarettes and some soap for the needy in camp. At all events, all the men in camp today, were issued with 5 cigarettes each free, and that means 5 or 6 thousand. Well, let’s hope Hitler resigns next!

We have been having a full scale bug hunt today. Poor deluded creatures, when the cold weather arrived at the end of last summer we all imagined we had successfully exterminated the pests. It appears that they merely hibernated! And now whole squadrons of them have come to life. Every day you see someone or other carefully pouring boiling water over their beds – most camp beds. Our particular bed is much more cumbersome and owing to the electricity difficulty we cannot get enough hot water to make that method effective. So I spent this morning burning out all cracks and crevices and wire springs with the aid of a small piece of candle. I fear it is a forlorn hope to think they are all dead, but at any rate they have received a severe set back!

Today and yesterday have been sunny but, except for an occasional morning or day here and there, we have had nothing but rain during this first half of August and also during a good deal of July. Except for the greater heat and the occasional intensity of the rain we might have been having real English summer weather! 
It rained on Y’s birthday, but not so much as to prevent Maudie coming here for lunch or to prevent us attending the concert that evening (the theatre party!). In the morning Y and I had fried eggs on fried bread and coffee for breakfast. Then we opened a tin of corned mutton and gave the room and Maudie rice and curry for lunch, followed by coffee and scones. I had made a small banana cake which we had for tea and for supper. Y and I devoured our last IRC pudding. So her birthday celebrations (as had mine) amounted largely to extra things to eat – which, in our circumstances was by far the best birthday present to have!

There has been no more excitement in the nature of air raids, but the local paper leads us to expect increased Anglo-American-Chinese activity in the near future. There is still no further news about repatriation though the Dutch received a cable stating that there might be a few vacancies for Dutch nationals on board the repatriation ship and asking them to cable immediately to Tokyo their priority list of names - they could be women or men. Yesterday the chairman of the Australian contingent, Larry Nielson, was summoned up the hill with Mr Gimson to attend upon Mr Meijima. The result of their meeting has not yet been made known. A rumour has just come round which says the repatriation is to take place at the beginning of September; that no notice to the effect will be circulated but that it is to be passed round by word of mouth. That’s quite a good one! Another rumour has it that the Norwegians have been told they will not be repatriated till next spring! In other words, no one yet knows what is happening.

A fortnight ago ‘Full House’ was presented in camp. Sheila produced it and she made a very good job of it, especially as it was her first attempt at production and in addition she took quite a big part herself – that of Lola. We thoroughly enjoyed it. John Robertson was going to produce it at first but decided a suitable cast could not be found in camp so gave it up. Sheila, however, was more determined and carried it off creditably.
Concerts and plays have been going on every week in spite of the heat. Last night I took part in a mainly musical ‘Quizz’, though my turn amounted to reciting a couple of popular Shakespearean misquotations, which the floor, and gallery had to correct in turn and then reciting two poems, one from Browning and one from Rupert Brooke, the titles and authors of which they had to guess. There were songs, orchestral and piano-forte recitals etc., all of which had to be identified by the audience. The two sides ended up with 14 points each out of a possible 20. It seemed to go down quite well because Betty Drown, who arranged and produced it, has been asked to produce another in a fortnight’s time which is to be performed on three nights. Bill Colledge has asked Y to take the part of Dinah in ‘Mr Pim Passes By’ which he is hoping to present in the middle of October (repatriation permitting). I also have agreed to put on a one act play in a month’s time – probably ‘Villa for Sale’ – though it depends on being able to get together a cast. With deteriorating rations, people are losing weight and are not keen to indulge in theatricals (very wisely too). We have kept off them for a longish time for that reason. The blessing of acting and rehearsals is that it helps time not to drag and life to become a burden.

There is another rumour which says that of the eleven men recently arrested Mr Pennefather-Evans has been acquitted and is to be released. We also hear that Sir Vandyleur Grayburn, Streatfield, Dr Selwyn-Clarke and Dr Talbott have been convicted for attempting, illicitly, to send money into camp and have been sentenced to 6 months imprisonment, commencing last July 1st ; hardly any of the other eleven have yet been tried, apparently.

The AA fire which had been quite intense, slackened off and stopped and the raid seemed to have come to an end. Then, while we still stood watching the departing specks, we heard two or three heavy detonations. We thought they might be the explosions of delayed action or time bombs. Black-out was ordered for that night and the next night, though later we discovered that this had been ordered as a punishment because internees had stood in the open and watched the raid, pointing up to the sky. This apparently enrages the Japanese authorities, for an order has been sent around to the effect that, should an air raid take place, internees must go indoors and not remain outside looking at the raid. Failure to observe this rule will result in prison sentences for the offenders!

On the following day at about 10.30 a.m. there was another raid, about 8 bombers, and I counted 5 fighters this time. Three AA shells burst simultaneously in a line not far from the last two fighters but they seemed to be unworried by the attention from the enemy. They were the closest shots I have seen so far; most of the shooting having been quite ineffectual. It would be horrid to see one of the planes brought down. In none of these raids has any Japanese fighter plane gone up to engage the Americans, though, periodically Japanese patrol planes cruise around. Well; three raids in two days provided a lot of excitement for the camp.

On Monday 30th August at about ten or eleven o’clock in the morning we saw two very heavily laden tramps making their way out to sea, going East on their way North. They, while we watched them, were unescorted. Later, at about 2 o’clock we saw three almost empty cargo ships going slowly out, escorted by a destroyer. An hour or so later we heard (by now familiar) drone of the American bombers and about 5 of them flew over the camp, going due East. As they were passing over camp there was a short burst of machine gun fire. This caused some excitement as we thought we were about to see a dog-fight, but apart from that one short burst and the drone of engines, there was silence – no AA fire from our battery or any batteries on this side of the island at all. They had passed out of sight very high up and that was all we saw. But, great excitement! About 1½ hours later we saw a destroyer come creeping back, hugging the coast right in amongst the islands, and after it came the three almost empty tramps! The convoy had evidently been attacked and a lot of people seemed to think that one or both of the first two ships had been hit. At all events, next morning a whole fleet of little tugs and small craft put out to sea in the same direction. It is possible they were salvage vessels. Planes were out on patrol too.

But yesterday’s raid (Thursday Sept 2nd) was the most exciting yet and it seems to have brought serious repercussions on the camp already.

Yvonne and I had been rehearsing our one act play at St Stephen’s on the stage between 11 and 12 and consequently we were late for lunch and did not lie down for our nap till about 1 p.m. About half an hour later when we were dozing we suddenly heard a distant drone of engines and then, almost immediately, many heavy detonations. We all leapt up and craned over the balcony and then ran to Wilcox’s room from where we can get a good view of the proceedings. There were a couple of belated rounds let off from an AA gun somewhere, but apart from that there was practically no reply to the raid – if raid it had been – and we were at a loss to know what it was about. Someone passed below who said they had definitely seen eight bombers climbing into the clouds and flying off. We were just about to depart when someone said excitedly,  “Look, look, look, look!! And over the high knob of Stanley Mound began to appear a thick and very dense billowing cloud, white on top and grayish beneath. 

“It’s a cloud,” said someone, but it grew and grew – an immense cloud of smoke, thick smoke, rising up in spite of quite a brisk wind. Something highly inflammable had been hit! There was great jubilation about it. The Indian guards, with their rifles, came pounding along to see if anyone was outside looking at the sky! Smoke belched up all afternoon and that night, after lights out, all kinds of people were to be found creeping about, having a look at the red glow reflected on the clouds that kept flaming up and dying down and flaming up again, every few seconds.

I woke up at about 4.00 a.m. next morning and the first thing I did was to go onto the balcony to see how the fire was: it was still blazing away fiercely. Everyone guessed it must be an oil dump, but opinion differed as to which it was – APC at North Point, Standard Oil across the harbour at Lai Chi Kok or an oil tanker. By daylight the fire seemed to have died down – no more smoke was visible – perhaps it was a tanker that had finally sunk.

Later in the morning, news dribbled in. Apparently this is what happened: a flight of bombers with fighter escort came gliding down from a great height out of the sun, their engines cut off, and took the defence quite by surprise. They dived low over Stonecutters Island, which they bombed, apparently hitting an ammunition dump; they bombed and hit a merchant ship and a big oil tanker, sinking both and firing the oil; they bombed the big oil depot at Lai Chi Kok and though the tanks received no direct hits, the concussion of the heavy caliber bombs fractured many of them and a lot of oil was lost; finally the Gas works in Kowloon had a bomb aimed at it but sad to say it exploded nearby in Woosung Street, an over populated Chinese coolie quarter and killed and wounded scores of unfortunate Chinese. That alas, is what we are always afraid may happen. Anyway, if this news is correct it was certainly a bumper raid and the raiders accomplished their task and were off practically before anyone knew what had happened.

This evening a notice has come round from Mr Gimson who stated that Mr Maejima had visited him this afternoon and stated (a) there was no further news about repatriation; (b) the consumption of electricity was still too great; (c) in future no one is to be allowed to spend more than Y25 per month in the canteen and (d) owing to the breakdown of our ration lorry it is possible that no rations will come into camp for 3 or 4 days. (!!) Mr Gimson has taken this matter up very seriously with the Japanese. We are considerably underfed as it is and if they start that sort of game we might as well start selecting our sites in the cemetery! Mr Gimson is, apparently, very worried. Perhaps he fears this is the beginning of really bad times. The Japanese have also suggested that, in view of the difficulty of obtaining firewood now, we should have only one meal per day. It really is monstrous. It makes one shudder to think of the plight of the majority of Chinese in HK. This is the Grand New Order in East Asia!

Well, I am glad to say that the camp rations have come in every day since the last raid in spite of the gasoline shortage – so perhaps I got all hot under the collar about it for nothing. However, the Japanese did issue the warning. There was a story that Hatori came out to see Gimson the next day and assured him that even if it meant that food had to be brought out here (8 miles) by coolie labour he would see that it arrived. He certainly seems to do his best by this camp.

11.30 am. News! Great News!  ‘The HK News’ contained as its principal front page item the marvellous news that:

“The Badoglio Government of Italy has surrendered unconditionally to Britain and the United States and that a Fascist National Government has been formed in the North of Italy by Mussolini who is now raising an army that will continue, with the German army to resist the anti-axis invasion.” 

The British forces that invaded the Italian mainland on the 3rd have evidently made rapid progress and the German forces left in the South of Italy will be left in a similar position to that of our BEF when the Belgian and French armies collapsed.

Last Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Yvonne and I took part in a programme of one act plays that had been somewhat hastily arranged. I produced ‘Villa for Sale’ by Sacha Guitori; a translation from the French. I tried a couple of men for the part of Gaston but could not cast it satisfactorily and in the end, for want of a more suitable person, took the part myself, though I dislike acting and producing in the same play. No doubt the play suffered accordingly. Still, it went down quite well. Yvonne took the part of Jeanne, so for the first time we appeared on the stage in a play together and, incidentally as a married couple. Day Sage, Lorraine Money and Winnifred Lewis completed the cast.

Our play came first and was followed by a comedy thriller written by Dr Newton. He and Lydia Hutchinson were the principals and there was a small part for a police sergeant. The blackmail theme was quite well worked out but the dialogue was rather poor and they took the play along too slowly so that it tended to hang fire rather a lot.

The last one, a costume play was ‘Elizabeth Refuses’ by Margaret Macnamara, taken from ‘Pride and Prejudice’. This play was produced under difficulties for, Brown, the producer, fell ill and apart from a couple of rehearsals which John Robertson took, the play just produced itself! In spite of that it was very well done. Sheila as Elizabeth was quite good, though not at her best; Yvonne as Jane was really very good and quite charming (I felt quite the proud husband!); James Norman as Mr Cillins was excellent and so also was Mrs Tinsom as the mother: G.B. as Lady de Borough was a little disappointing. It was a nice thing to finish with. Y really should be quite good with experience.

Prior to the plays we took part in a couple of ‘Quizz’ concerts which were quite fun, though it is still too hot for acting. I have booked a date, Nov 6th and am thinking of producing ‘Laburnum Grove’ by Priestly. I produced this 5 or so years ago for the Upper Holloway Fellowship (his Church in UK) and happen to have that old copy of the play in camp!

At the beginning of this month, when the new Block Committee was elected, I was asked to take over the office of Block Labour Officer – a somewhat thankless task. I have, so far, kept clear of such jobs but everyone seems to have had a try at them at one time or another so I feel it is time I did likewise! Last Saturday I raised a squad from these blocks and with men from the rest of the camp we went out, 24 strong on the weekly anti-malaria excursion. We were escorted by three Chinese supervisors in white suits and sun helmets and three Sikh guards. The work consisted of clearing out silted up field ditches. We worked from 11 a.m. till noon in the blazing sun, wearing just shorts, up to our knees in muddy water – the European Coolies while the neat white supervisors stood watching! Quite like old plantation days! Still, it was quite fun. Dr Mackie, the HK Malariologist, says that the patch below the Prep school is one of the worst malaria areas in the Colony. There is a lot of malaria in camp now: 40 cases in July and 62 in August. So far Y and I have escaped.

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

The idea of these new boilers is to have three cylinders, each holding 25 gallons (they are the hot water cylinders installed in all these flats, which we propose to dismantle) set in a row. The fire will burn under the first of the series (the one furthest from the flue) and the flue gases, after passing out of the first boiler, will first circulate round the second boiler, and then around the third boiler before finally entering the flue proper. This will utilize, as far as possible, the greater percentage of the heat generated instead of wasting about half of it, as is the case with most solid fuel boilers. It will ensure a constant supply of hot water for replenishing the first boiler: it is just possible that the water in the second boiler may be brought to boiling point, especially if it is only half filled; but in any case, I think I will build a second fireplace under the second boiler, complete with fire and ash pit doors so that it can be lit for a few minutes to bring the water actually to the boil during the rush periods and then shut off completely so that all draught comes from the first boiler. It will be interesting to see if this scheme works, for the waste gases from the first fire may prevent the second one from burning. We intend to burn, in these water boilers, principally dried grass. We have a squad of grass-cutters who cut the long grass from the hillsides and spread it out to dry.

I intend to get one or two of the less fit men to twist it into small hanks and knot it so that it will be easier to handle and does not burn away too quickly. It will be necessary to use a little wood too, but we hope to keep this down to a very small amount. In the kitchen, after this job is finished, I intend to rebuild one of the stoves (the one I built myself about a year ago) inserting a cylinder and bringing the flue gases from the two other boilers around it before entering the flue so that the cooks in the galley will have a constant supply of hot water – without burning extra fuel – with which to top up rice and stew boilers instead of having to do it, as at present, with cold. This too should conserve fuel consumption.

The wood situation in the Colony is becoming increasingly difficult. It will be awful to go back and find the Colony practically denuded of trees. So long as the Japanese still believe they are going to keep the place, they will probably be careful of such amenities, but when they find they have probably got to go, I don’t suppose they will mind what happens to the place.

In addition they were able to take in what money they had – they were still able to draw on their banking accounts – and could make arrangements for the monthly dispatch of parcels to camp through third nationals. They were allowed only one parcel per month, but this could contain goods up to 20 lbs in weight! Of course, the Shanghai region is a big food producing district and food, especially fresh foods like fruit and eggs, were still fairly plentiful. They, like us, received 2 pounds sterling per month from the Home Government through the IRC and this amounted to about $640 Shanghai currency. In HK, we get about Y25 of our Y32 or Y34, Zindel keeping the balance with which to purchase camp necessities such as medical supplies, soya beans etc.  In the Shanghai camp each person hands over $300 per month to the catering committee and in return they all have breakfast each day, a cereal of some kind and an egg! Eggs cost 15 sen each as against our Y1.50,  only 1/10th of what we now pay. They have a canteen, like us, at which they can spend the balance of their monthly allowances. Their daily rations appear to be about the same as ours: they used to get the anti beri-beri red rice which we have asked for continually. Incidentally a quota of this rice has just been received in camp here.

When the Shanghai internees entered camp they had Chinese coolies to carry out the manual labour for them. The cooking was done for them by the Chinese cooks for a couple of months until they had learned the art of cooking this Chinese food in large quantities. They can send all their laundry out of camp and all shoe repairs go outside too though, of course, they have to pay for these services. Their fuel is coal in liberal supplies, so they have no wood chopping. This means a good supply of hot water.They can have as much boiling water as they want, providing they bring to the boilers their receptacles full of cold water to exchange for the hot – evidently there is no adjacent tap. Everyone can have one hot shower per day! And workers have an extra shower after their labours.

Living accommodation is about as crowded as ours here, though they have two big dining rooms in which all meals are eaten. The entrance hall of the school which they occupy has, in addition, been converted into a lounge. The Japanese officer in charge was attached to the Japanese Embassy in London before the war and is well acquainted with the European customs and habits and looks after the internees well. He himself was interned, with the rest of the Japanese Embassy, while waiting repatriation, in the Ritz Hotel in London! So he has something to try and live up to.

Well, it’s a good thing to know our Shanghai friends are so comparatively well off. Harold and Elsie now wish they had made up their minds and gone when they had the chance.

Last Monday we had quite a cheering circular. The chief item of news was about repatriation. It stated that Maejima had seen the C.S. and informed him, with regard to repatriation that, “Further details will be shortly available”. He added that,“The list of people to be repatriated will vary from the original list”.

This has set the whole camp buzzing with rumours and speculation. It really is extraordinary how the news was received by different people. For those like Y and me, who hitherto expected to be separated, it was most exciting, for now there is the first possibility that we both may go! For those like Maudie, who have nothing to make them want to remain and who were certainly going in the first scheme, the news came as rather a nasty shock, as for them there is now the possibility of some of them having to remain behind.

The rumours are legion: men of military age and technicians and women who will be useful for the British war effort are being exchanged for similar Japanese internees; all the police and mercantile men are going, plus women with children; all Government Servants are going because the Government is having to pay their salaries in any case! But most people seem to think that a large proportion of men are going. I wonder if architects would be classed as technicians? Well, I wonder when they will let us know.

The other items on the bulletin were: Zindle had procured another five days supply of soya beans, thus ensuring our daily quota to the end of this month; we were each to receive ¼ lb lard (that arrived today) – ¼ lb peanuts (these will not be issued until the beans are finished); the Japanese have made a free issue of soap (about the first on record!) and we have each received a 4” or 5” bar of washing soap. So that (for us at any rate) was a cheering bulletin.

Father’s birthday tomorrow, so I will wish him “Many happy returns”.  I hope I shall have seen him before his next. Sunday, the last day of the month. Still no further news of repatriation, though we wait for it daily.

Tonight we ate our first vegetable from the garden! We had not intended to, but the weather has turned quite chilly these last two days (two blanket weather) and after quite a concentrated rehearsal from 2.30 to 5 p.m. this afternoon, we came back feeling pretty peckish.

Today has been a meatless day and nowadays the vegetable ration too seems to have grown very small and the evening meal consisted of a scoop of rice and a vegetable rissole made of sweet potatoes and yams with a little bit of minced meat in the middle which had been saved over from yesterday. With these small rissoles (which are slightly sweet) we generally have a green vegetable served as well, but today this was lacking. We usually curry the vegetable which, with the rice and the sweetish rissoles, makes quite a nice dish, the rissoles alone being rather cloying.

As there was nothing to curry tonight we decided to see what the garden could yield and I went down with a pair of scissors and snipped off the bigger outside leaves of some of the Pak Choi Sum plants. None of them was sufficiently ready to be picked by itself. I hope they won’t go and die now! Anyway, they made an excellent curry and when we had eaten it we felt quite pleasantly replete for once – though it soon seems to disappear again.

Our tomatoes are really doing quite well. About 55% of the seedlings I planted have perished in some way or another! But 80% of the survivors are doing well, and one in particular is fairly burgeoning into leaf and flowers. It has developed two side shoots which I must cut off and transplant. The peanuts are sprouting well, though I believe this is quite the wrong time of year to plant them! And 5 out of the 24 rather ancient looking maize seeds I planted have germinated. I must put down a few more. Ants are the very devil with the seeds – they simply love seeds, and as sure as fate, a day or two after I have planted some seeds, I find innumerable little ant holes beside them, and streams of ants coming and going. They must have eaten half the carrot seeds I put down too. The Lo Paak, or Chinese turnips seem to be doing quite well. The greenery of the sweet potatoes is suffering quite considerably because the potato bed is rather near the rocky slope that goes down to the sea and when the wind is strong and comes from the East or NE, as it does at this time of the year, the plants in this bed get doses of salt spray which wither the leaves. How willingly would I leave all my garden produce to someone else if only we heard we were to be repatriated.

A few days ago it stated, in the paper, the Teia Maru arrived at Goa on Oct 15th, the Grisholm arriving on the 17th, and after the exchange of repatriates it sailed again on 22nd for Tokyo via Manila, where it was due on Nov 14th. Later a bulletin was issued stating that information had been received from the Japanese to the effect that the Teia Maru would call at HK on its next Westward voyage and not on its Eastward trip. So, alas, our hopes of getting some more IRC food during the first half of Nov have been dashed.

At present, there is considerable anxiety about our prisoners in the gaol here. On Thursday last, some people passing the gaol saw some Europeans (three of them) being put into a black maria under escort; another van was full of armed gendarmes and a squad of Chinese coolies set off too. The cortege made for the flat field below the Prep school (where I have been on anti-malarial work on several occasions and where I once counted some 40 or more recent graves). This field was out of sight of the camp. The cemetery was closed that afternoon. There is a fear, which we all sincerely hope will prove groundless, that these Europeans were taken down there for execution purposes. People who witnessed their departure said they heard them say goodbye, but to whom I do not quite know.

There has been a rumour in for some weeks now that Fraser (Colonial Defence Secretary for HK), Scott (Deputy Commissioner of Police) and Waterton (Govt Wireless) had all been found guilty on charges of activities of some kind against the Japanese – wireless communication, or receiving wireless instructions perhaps from Chungking – and had had the death sentence passed on them. It will be truly terrible if this has really happened. The poor wives and relatives of the other prisoners are nearly beside themselves with apprehension and worry. As I say, I hope it will prove untrue. Gimson has written to the Japs reminding them of their promise to inform him of the charges made against these British prisoners (promises never, so far, fulfilled) and saying that the acute anxiety felt by their relatives in camp was seriously affecting their health and state of mind and he asked for reassurance, on their behalf, of the condition of the prisoners. I doubt if he will receive a satisfactory reply.