20 Dec 1941, W J Carrie's wartime diary

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.