Margaret Elizabeth JAY [1900-1992]

Philip Cracknell wrote these notes on the Stanley Camp list:

I came across a rather rare book or maybe booklet would be more apt titled "Memories of a Japanese Internment Camp" written by Margaret Elizabeth Jay and printed by Tyndale Press, Lowestoft.

In December 1941 she had come to Hong Kong by air for a week's holiday from teaching in a missionary school in Kunming, Yunnan. She chose the wrong week as it was the week the Japanese invaded. She volunteered as a nurse during the first week at Kowloon Hospital. In Camp she became friendly with a Polish girl Lucille Eichenbaum and their accommodation was an open verandah on one of the bungalows. Although often flooded ou they were re-accommodated until after the Americans left. She taught children in the Stanley Camp School (no desks, no seats, sitting on the floor in groups) during the mornings 8:30am to 11:30 am.

[...]

I know there was reference to their accommodation in Gwen Dew's book "Prisoner of the Japs".

She was repatriated on Glengyle and was taken there from Camp on a minesweeper. This took her to Colombo from where she took passage to Southampton (22 Oct 1945) on SS Maloja.

She returned to teaching in Yunnan in 1947.