11 Sep 1945, Chronology of Events Related to Stanley Civilian Internment Camp

The Empress of Australia finally leaves Junk Bay after delays caused by boarding problems. It carries former POWs from Shamshuipo and 550 former internees – mainly women and children.

Spome of the thousand or so internees left behind spend the day moving into new accomodation - 'overcrowding is a thing of the past' - as Chinese workers under military supervision clear up the camp. These workesr are well reawrded: the repatriates were strictly limited in what they were could take on board, and the cleaners are allowed to take any serviceable articles and food they can find.

The internees are also asked to choose from four options: 1) evacuation on the first ship out; 2) evacuation on the second ship out; 3) evacuation on a subsequent ship; 4) remaining permanently in Hong Kong.

Those who choose to remain are warned that any negative consequences from foregoing the chance to recuperate are on their own heads.

In Britain the Daily Mirror (page 5)  publishes the well-known photograph of a man ((now identified as R. E. Jones)) raising the Unon Jack at Stanley on August 30. The paper undertstandably but wrongly claims it was the first time the flag has flown in Hong Kong since 'Black Christmas' in 1941: in fact the British flag has been raised at least three times since the Japanese surrender, in Ma Tau-wai, on the Peak and in Shamshuipo (probably in that order) - 

Sources:

Empress: A report dated September 11 in the Weekly China Mail: http://gwulo.com/node/11446

Events at Stanley: South China Morning Post and the Hongkong Telegraph, 'Cleaning Up Stanley', September 12, 1945, p. 1 (Morning Edition)

Note:

The Empress was originally due to sail on September 9. The report mentioned above predicts it will get away on September 11, and I think it likely that it did. However, one good source gives September 12:

 http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWD-BPF4512OccupationofChinaCoast1945.htm

Barbara Anslow noted that her mother and sister boarded on September 10:

http://gwulo.com/node/17094