W J Carrie's wartime diary: View pages

A rotten night - the guns were going all the time and poor Betsy was very perturbed.  I remember she went through the Shanghai bombing and is nervous of sharp noises. But she’ll have to stick it out.

I didn’t have continuous sleep but I had quite a good rest and I’m gradually hardening up.  No sore back tonight but we only had one real alert today.  Feeding is the real snag - my 50 bags of rice last night saved me a lot of trouble.  I have now engaged Glover Man. Director of Kelly & Walsh to be my assistant – I just can’t do it all.

News on now – news is not coming through so I write on.

I got your lovely cable today - I thought of wiring at once but thought of waiting till I could report  about my billettees. But I must do it tomorrow. No casualties here yesterday that I had to deal with -   70 on Monday - but we’re settling down.

I rang up Ben Evans at once - he was very glad to get the message - I can’t contact Farmer but I have sent a chit up to H.K.V.D.C. H.Q..  Ben told me of a horrid business - I hope it is not a tragedy.  I think it was foolish of him but I don’t criticise - he sent Heywood and Starbuck, his two assistants, out to Au Tau on Monday morning to bring in very valuable - but what is the value of anything these days - instruments from the magnetic observatory out there which is really my child.   They have never returned.  I don’t know Heywood but Starbuck is an awfully wee cheery soul who broadcasts a “[P??] Corner” and things like that.  Poor lads - I hope they are only captives but even at that they will have a miserable time.

Later.

I was going to write on and then the second news came on - and I’m just flattened - the Prince of Wales and the Repulse - how could it happen? We were so happy thinking they were there – what hope is there for us now? - how can we ever be relieved?  Well we must stick it out some way.  I know how depressed you must be - but Hope On always.  Goodnight Adored. B.

Dearest - home at last.  Before I forget - I have heard a rumour that the ship N.L. was on – I think my parcel for Christmas was bombed and sunk.  I’ll be so disappointed if that is true.

 I’ve been reading over this letter - I am tremendously glad that you too – as well as the bairns – are not here.  It is not nice to hear the whine of the shells and not know where they are going – but more later.

People will ring up when the news is on - I’ve missed most of it but I’ll get some at 9.30.  Dora rang up – Bertie’s been hit but has got off fairly lightly.   He was sent on fire by an incendiary bomb - he has lost the two small fingers of his right hand and has been burned a bit - but not seriously on his chest.  He was somewhere near the Matilda Hospital - climbed up the hillside with his clothes aflame and got first aid there.  He is now in the Military Hospital.  If I possibly can I must go and see him.

Today started badly - the drivers of the Peak Tram deserted last night - so I had to walk down the Peak with Harry, Megarry and Himsworth.  I haven’t felt it much so far, but I expect I’ll be stiff tomorrow.  When I got to office - I stripped to my waist – I was just soaking - and dried myself and put two towels  round my shoulders while  my office Attendant dried everything  in front of my electric fire.  So I’m O.K. - we really are toughening up.  I’ve got Roe back - I insisted - I told Purves I wouldn’t have it.  I let him off when we thought we’d be in Kowloon for quite a while yet and he could be near his wife and family.  He only got them away in time.  The trouble yesterday was not the Japanese - but Fifth Columnists – Chinese supporters of Wang Ching Wai and the Nanking puppet Government. But today we really have evacuated part of Kowloon but we keep cheery thinking that possibly it is time Chiangkai Shek’s troops have re-captured Canton and are advancing down to cut off the retreat of the Japs.  We can only hope so.  For we have to hold on to this island no matter how much bombing we get and shelling from the Kowloon Hills.  I don’t know if we can do it.  One of our shells hit the Bank Flats above Mt Austin Barracks and it was found that they were in the line of fire- so they have been demolished.  A bomb or shell fell just behind the Peak Garage and 2 in the open space at the back of Hill Crest. Our inner front door had nearly every pane cracked but nothing blown in yet.  I certainly don’t like the whine of shells coming over but we must get used to it! They have really been fairly decent – one can imagine that they are trying for a military objective.

Well I had to stop – and have chow. I’ve had a lovely dinner – mince cake, potatoes and a lettuce – the first from my own garden – sago without milk but with strawberry jam –a little piece of toast and butter and a ”coolie” orange –what more could anybody want? But I think we’ll have much shorter rations soon - I had my “spot” tonight and I still have 1 bottle Gin and 1 ½ bottles Whiskey but I doubt I’ll get any more and cigarettes are difficult to get. The Club boys walked out today and so I had to tiffin in Gloucester and had a splendid tiffin for [?H 1.50]. Well Honey Darling – I must close down –I am tired. It would have done me a world of good – as Glover advised me to – to have had a nice warm bath whenever I got it. But I put off – I may have one yet.

                           So Goodnight Loved One. A.L.A.W.     BB

Later   It is utterly amazing – just now it is absolutely quiet – and here in this room one could imagine that there is peace everywhere. But what it will be like an hour or so on   D.o.k..    News now on.  B.

Well Darling it is very difficult to think of this as a Sunday – for we have had our first taste of blitz.  Reports have been very slow in coming in and so I fear that it means buildings down and nobody  knows what the casualties are.

But I’ve had a very busy day.  We had a quiet night but I didn’t sleep very well because I was worrying and thinking all the time.  I felt that my organisation was breaking down.  The whole Chinese civilian population is skulking in basements and in the tunnels we built costing millions  - and refusing to do any work.  Of course my men, scavengers and so forth drawn from the lowest strata of life are just the same.  I can’t get a job done.  It’s amazing what a bolster to morale a steel helmet is  - though actually I think they are of very little use. Well eventually I had a big confab with Macleod, Pope and the Chief Inspectors – Septic wasn’t there but we fixed up everything.  I won’t go into details.  So tonight though there is no more organisation really in existence yet I feel much happier for I know the beginnings are well laid.

I’m beginning to draw rations too – I got chow today without paying for it!

And this is a good job I have done today – I have scrounged a car – a beautiful Plymouth - belonging to Dr T.Y Li.  It is now mine for the duration.  The only difficulty is that it has the new gear change with the handle on the steering wheel shaft.  I’m not into it yet but I’ll learn.  Still even motoring won’t be easy soon.  The Central Police Station was heavily bombed today and there is a big crater at the top of “Old Bailey” in Caine Road.  I got past it and then at Magazine Gap there were 3 small craters but I negotiated them and so home.

Bertie is home – 2 fingers lost but otherwise not so bad.  I am glad he has come off pretty lightly.  I don‘t quite understand how it happened yet - Dora is rather incoherent these days.

Well Honey -  I am sure when you get this scribble you won’t be in any way critical of the culprit -  so I’ll shut down now.

I am still terribly stiff and sore from my walk down the Peak – I was a mutt - why didn’t I ring for a car and wait?  But I wanted to get down quickly.

So Goodnight Loved One.     BB

6.15am.

I left my pen in office yesterday and am writing this with a new one I got.  Amah has got me up early – O.K.  I have a lot to do still - and of course the car has gone back on me – the battery is dead. Well I’ll just have to get somebody to push it.

I’ve been thinking – I don’t suppose the Jap flyer tried to hit this house or 151 – he was going for the road junction – Jardine’s Corner – the Bridge and so forth. If he had got that it would greatly dislocate traffic – though it would soon be cleared again. Water mains have been burst in several places and the great fear today is that W.C.s will have to stop. I’m having enough trouble with the dry system that is left and  the tunnels – if everybody has to use it we’ll be in a nice position.      B.

Still a nice cup of tea in the morning – electric kettle has been a boon. In the N.T.C. – there is a lovely kitchen – the Domestic Science lecture room!

Now 16/12/41 but next page gives you what I wrote last night in amazing circumstances.  I came home yesterday about 3 – I meant to go back but I kept in touch with Roe by phone and decided to stay.  I had left these pages in my desk so started a new sheet.

You have never seen such a scene of desolation as I saw in 152 yesterday.  Every window starting with Amah’s room,  [(?red)] dining room, drawing room verandahs  - verandah door  with typhoon bars up  - blown in - every pane of glass broken - right round  to our little dining room and even there with all the shutters shut or  perhaps the double window wasn’t shuttered – only one pane broken but the catches to the window wrenched right off. The communicating door was shielded by half of the ping pong table but the two bars that go up and down are bent right over. The upstairs even worse – in Ian’s room a piece of the grille on the middle window was flung against the opposite wall of the room – not just the verandah – and made a distinct impression like this. I’m keeping it to let you see it. Then something knocked a hole right through the little parapet over the semicircular part of the downstairs drawing room verandah.

The front door was even blown open – breaking off the lock but funnily enough the big hall window wasn’t affected at all – probably because it was a little open.

I am thankful all our stuff was safely away. Now of course while I have my den door and the hotroom door locked anyone could get into the house. I saw Feltham P.W.D. this morning and he has promised to board up all the downstairs windows first and perhaps later on upstairs too. I’ll try and run up tomorrow or next day.

Later at N.T.C.

Well the car didn’t fail me after all - I got Amah and all her stuff – you what that’s like! And some of mine and off I went about 8.20. I got her safely here – wrote a short report – back to CSO and then up the Peak again. The car was packed coming back with the little market coolie’s stuff and mine. We got safely down so now I’m here for the duration. I’ve not been very busy today so I got my unpacking and tidying don – we have to have dinner at 6 in the last of the daylight so we’ll be early to bed. But it’s dark until 7.30 or so so it will be a long night. But I’m quite safe here which is the only thing that really matters. I have got my office blacked out so that I can sit alone in the evening and write to you. I sent you a cable today – I wonder when it will reach you.

So Goodnight Darling    Love from Billie

What gets me down is the waiting - there seems little now that I can do.  I don't go out unless I have to -   I had to see the Controller of Food today.  I went first to the C.S.O. tunnel and for the first time went to the upper part where H.E. and the C. S. are.   They sleep and live there all the time.  The heat and atmosphere generally was awful I thought.  In the lower tunnel it's not so bad.  Then I went to the Food Controller - I had to park outside the Cheero Club - and just at the Bank I saw Harry and Tinson with H.E.   H.E. went into the Bank.  He was all alone walking about.  Not long after I got into Holland House - you remember the new building at the corner of Ice House Street and Queens Road - just opposite the bottom of Battery Path - the alert went.  They dive-bombed and scored a direct hit on the Architectural Office of the P.W.D. - one of the so-called temporary buildings erected near the C.S.O.   I was on the second floor of Holland House - we felt the blast and then a shower of stones came down.  Another one fell some way along Queens Road and the third hit the miniature rifle range at Volunteer H.Q.   When at last the all clear went I tried to get back here - up Garden Road but found it was impassable.

They got the A.P.C. installation at North Point too, and a lot of our kerosene has been lost.  The sky has been thick with smoke all day and it is floating over the Peak.  There was another fire near the Power Station - probably coal but it is out now.  But the electric power went off just after we had tiffin.  It went on again about 3 but has gone off again as another alert is on.  I am writing this by candle light as my office is pretty well blacked out - though it's only 4.30 in the afternoon.  

They are your candles.  I have also brought down all the stuff you left for me - we call it our iron rations and they are not to be used unless we are forced to do so.   We have had plenty decent chow so far but cooking is going to be difficult if the electric power stays off.  Still we have a fairly good stock of firewood and in the end will burn all the parallel bars and so forth in the Gym - there are some packing cases there too and shavings.  We'll have to use "chatties" of course.

Glover is such a decent fellow and pampers me like blazes.  Well I'll stop now and write on later if the light goes on.

I have never mentioned your affairs - things don't seem to be going too well around Kedah and Penang - but they've a long way to go yet.  I was wondering however, whether you would be able to go - or risk going - to Alice in Dacca.  I tried to fix up that you shall get your money as usual from the Bank -   I must try and find out if the wireless got through.  If not   you will have to get some from Alice.  Cheerio just now.  B.

6.30 - dinner over but no light yet.  Not quite such a good meal.  We get too much bread.  I'll try and write later.  B.

8.20pm. No light - so I'm off to bed.  It's the only place - I'm not going to sit downstairs where they have hurricane lamps with the Inspectors and Chinese clerks.  Roe and Glover go down but I don't.   So Goodnight L.O.  B.

N.T.C.
Saturday 20/12/41

Sweetheart,

This was the day on which I was going to win a "packet" at the Races and fly to see you at dawn tomorrow! 

I suppose you are still hearing London wireless - with no electric power  we can hear nothing  and in my case  whenever ZBW  went on the air  the Japs could  at once accurately  determine its site - by direction finders -  and then they shelled it.   I hear that last night London said something like this "We have no news from H.K. but Tokyo claims that 3,ooo men have landed on the Island and its capture will therefore  only take a few days."    Some men have landed but not 3,000 I think and we are I believe beating them back. I think they captured the Power Station having landed nearby and they were in Tai Hang village yesterday and near Caroline Hill today.   It will be very serious if they get to Taitam.  But we keep hoping on.  Conditions are all right here, in fact we have had a very quiet day, no bombing or shelling.  I suppose they expect now to capture us intact.  It is funny we've never heard where the Canadians are - they were on Kowloon side of course - and the Royal Scots too.  D.O.K. how many got back.  There is a story that Chinese planes dive bombed the Japanese in Kowloon this morning.  I think of you three so much and feel so sorry for you in all this worry and if we have to give in - you will worry all the more.  But we can't help it.  I do so hope you are still fairly comfortable in Singapore - how I wish now you had gone to Australia.  It is 4.30 now and I am writing by daylight - it is no use trying to write later.  Cheerio Darling - you are always in my thoughts.       Billie.

5.30pm.   Great news has come through - they are mopping up the Japs and the Chinese troops are approaching Kowloon - said to be 100,000 strong.  3 large bombers escorted by 6 fighters dive bombed the Jap positions in Kowloon this morning -   I heard this as a rumour but now it is confirmed (Later.  This was all rubbish of course)   I shouldn't be surprised if we are relieved within a week.  Oh! Darling - we could stick it out much longer but for your sake I hope it comes true.  What a relief to your worrying it would be.  That is rather the worst of this place, we are rather cut off from the centre of things.  The first few days while I was still in Statue Square we used to go into the Supreme Court and one day I had a real grandstand view of the bombing of Stonecutters!  Here we are very sheltered and can see nothing - and I go out as seldom as I can.  Dinner on so I must run.  B.

8.45am.  News not so good yet we can just carry on.  I'll write later       B.

11.15   Nothing much to do and very quiet today.  We have maintained our positions but we are not pushing them back - still it is said that the Chinese are shelling the Japs in Sham Shui Po so perhaps relief will come quickly  I've never mentioned Betsy -  I thought I'd have to have her destroyed but I brought her here.  She is not getting as good chow as she is accustomed to but she is getting a fair amount. With all the glass lying about that last night and morning and she would follow me everywhere she got a little splinter in one foot.  Coolie got it out next day and so far as we can see there is absolutely nothing wrong with her foot or leg but she will persist on going about on 3 legs - very annoying.

I have a certain amount of organisation and re organisation to do each morning and evening but for the rest of the day there is nothing to do.  I didn't go into town this morning - I'm going to try to stop that now. Cheerio again. Glover is just back with the rations   B.

12.15now!   I wonder all the time what you are hearing and thinking.  I am sure Ian will keep your spirits up.    But I suppose you are all working now - Joy at the wireless - D.O.K. what you'll be doing, or Ian.  I'm glad he got his exam over first - it may be of use later.  I have just had Puckle in seeing me - he is Iron Biscuit's [?Steele-Perkins] successor.  He says they never landed at Repulse Bay but in great strength at North Point and then captured Wongneichong Gap and so on to Repulse Bay and even to Aberdeen.  I hear Timson was trapped in his house on the Repulse Bay Road and either shot or grenaded.  France, lecturer in History has been killed.

Now 5.15p.m.  I had to stop there as some work came in.  I ran into town this afternoon just after 4 to see Macleod at Medical H.Q. - we fixed up some things.  It is so much easier than trying to do it by phone; it was absolutely quiet then and still is.   The roads have been damaged a good deal so it is not always easy to drive.

Did I tell you about my lovely car?  I think I did. It is a Plymouth - at least 30 H.P. - with gear change operated from the steering wheel handle.  I am getting in to it now and it really is a beautifully running car. But it has a much longer wheel base than my Ford V8 and turning is not so easy.  Now more news yet - I must ring up [?W.J.] later. Chow will be on soon. so I'll stop  Darling.  I think of you all day long these days - what a reunion it will be now after all these days.

Goodnight Little Lady.  All my love always    B.

Little One Darling,

No news yet this morning - a fairly quiet night - we were invaded by about 30 P.W.D men last night - I had gone over the building with Nicol and had said of course we'd do what we could for them. Purves rang up later and said 6 or 7 were coming - it was dark when they came. I was sorry for them but they were noisy! We are holding our own I think - water is the serious problem. This day last year! - what heavenly  bliss! - as I write 9.30 am I was just about getting off the ship. What excitement! Well there will be all the excitement of our next meeting and we must just look forward to that. The C.S. is coming to see us this morning.     B.

I heard from the C.S. today that the boat N.L. was on and I hope also my Christmas parcel got through safely to Singapore. I do so hope my parcel was on it - and that it has reached you - I shall think of you all tomorrow of course - I should be happier if I knew you had got it - I can only pretend that I know to hope. I think I'll try and find out. I phoned up the Post Office and after making some enquiries around the Deputy Supt. of Parcels tells me that he is sure it was on that boat. I am so glad and I shall have a much happier Christmas for I think you will like what I sent. Oh! I am cheered up. I never enquired before as we were all sure the ship was sunk!  And wondered if N.L. had survived. Cheers!   

Very little action today but a shell hit N.T.C. away up in the corner - an amazing thing - there was no explosion and only a little glass broken. We have searched and can find no fragments of shell etc. And so we are convinced that it came in and went out again. They have fired a lot of duds - one was found to have been made in Britain in 1918! I hear that 152 is still o.k. but a shell hit 151 in Ralston's flat. ((151 & 152 The Peak, part of the Homestead Flats & Houses.))

What a Christmas eve this is, however, compared with last year's - next one I am sure will be gloriously happy again. Just keep hoping Darling and do try so hard to keep well. - all of you. For I need you all so much. So we must be all fit and well and we shall have some glorious years yet.

All my love for all time.   Billie.

My Love,

12 noon now - I haven't tried to write - one's feelings are so upset. I was rung up at 4.30 this morning by [?Winnith] - that the General hoped I'd get busy clearing the dead and sweeping up the streets - I nearly replied B------ the General - but I just said Oh Yes. But I can't go out myself - they'd commandeer my car I am sure and I can't send the lorries out until safe conduct passes or something are fixed up. I could get no one on the phone in the C.S.O. and at last got D.M.S. He went himself to the Japanese H.Q. and has fixed up something. We must carry on of course or there will be a horrible epidemic - so we are all to work under the Red Cross now and I am to get passes for my lorries etc.  Tiffin coming on now so I'll stop.   B.

I got all my passes and so I went into town this afternoon -  I was stopped  several times but they soon passed me on  We have had a visit too from a posse - they told me they think this place will be suitable for a hospital  so we may have to turn out soon.  I have all sorts of schemes in my head to salvage our belongings - I may try  some day. Well  Darling  I can't write much these days  - forgive me. 

I think of you all the time and wish I knew how and when you heard the news and what you felt.  But don't worry about me - we'll be all right.   So Cheerio Darling.   B.