31 Oct 1943, R. E. Jones Wartime diary
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Submitted by Admin on Sat, 2013-10-05 15:11
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Date(s) of events described:
Sun, 31 Oct 1943
Dull, drizzly, cold.
Needles for E.
Today’s crop of rumours. Germans routed on Russian front. We have advanced 150 mls inside Burma. Revolution in Germany & peace talks in progress.
With Steve pm.
Russia has given us an air-base N of Vladivostock.
Camage ? manager of Chartered Bank arrested.
Chinese being ill-treated (tortured) in gaol am.
Comments
Interestingly Camidge was
Interestingly Camidge was arrested but not until early 1944. He and two other Chartered Bank men were imprisoned for burning notes during the fighting to keep them out of Japanese hands and for keeping a secret set of accounts during the occupation. As far as I know, these three were the only internees to be arrested after this date except for black marketeers, and one of them, Andrew Leiper, gave an account which suggests the arrests had their origin in events that took place in November and December 1943. But it would be a strange coincidence if Jones had heard a completely unfounded rumour in late October that just happened to come true three or so months later.
John Stericker in Captive
John Stericker in Captive Colony notes that Camidge was arrested in October but released in November and that Cruikshank of the same bank was arrested in late November, followed by Foy (HSBC) and Leiper, with Camidge being re - arrested. (Chapter X, page five). But on page eighteen of Chapter IX he states that several bankers were arrested in early 1944, which ties in with Leiper's chronology.
Jones' diary entry seems to confirm the October arrest, although it's strange that Leiper doesnt mention it as it must have worried him at the time.
For more details see
http://gwulo.com/node/18296