2 Feb 1945, Chronology of Events Related to Stanley Civilian Internment Camp

George Wright-Nooth is on a firewood loading party in town. He gets a rare glimpse of the dying days of Japanese Hong Kong:

There was no traffic and we travelled at great speed.  {At} Repulse Bay there was no sign of life. The Hotel is a hospital but no-one was about. The centre of the the race course was being hoed up by several hundred men - possibly POWs...Not a cheery face to be seen, everyone was dull and lifeless. Down every side street there were signs of the recent bombing, and looking down Hennessy Road it was quite clear that Wanchai had been heavily damaged....Everybody stared at us...we got plenty of fun watching the taxi bicycles and the 'lang tsai' {young layabouts} who were still trying to keep up appearances. Our biggest laugh - suppressed - was when a European man rode solemnly past on a bicycle with wheels about a foot in diameter...At 4.30 we returned back to Stanley.

Source:

George Wright-Nooth, Prisoner of the Turnip Heads, 1994, 231-2