01 Oct 1944, Diary of George Gerrard in Stanley Internment Camp Hong Kong

On Thursday 21st we were notified that we could release another parcel making 3 in all. I had to get a few parcels from other blocks to make up my aggregate which was even then slightly different from the last regime in as much that the children under 4 years didn't get another parcel or they benefit from supplies of klin milk, Pallum, Homogenous Vegetables and orange juice. This issue we easily made and all are more or less pleased, tho' in a camp like this it is impossible to please everyone, some of course are perpetual and impossible grumblers. To give them the Kingdom of Heaven wouldn't be more than some expect.

Today we received the first of our new vitamin tablets which taste like burnt rubber, we are all to receive one every other day for the next few months and the Medical Authorities hope that they will greatly benefit the camp greatly.

The rations are getting very much poorer in quality and quantity and it would be very unbelievable to anyone outside to realise the inadequacies of what is handed out. Poor help rotten vegetables, salted dried sprouts and whitebait and rice, continual rice, congee and brew at 8 in the morning. Rice and hash made from vegetables, such as teroci while melon, turnip sweet potatoes etc at 11.15 am and a similar diet at 5pm with bay tea occasionally a little fried sprats or pressure cooked sprats and whitebait the poorest quality of fish well cats would rarely look at it or they would turn up their noses at the very idea.

However the war in Europe at least seems to be making real progress and the Germans are being driven back to their own borders where they are going to get it good and hard in the neck.

I've had an attack of diarrhoea for several days and with an awful lot of bleeding and plenty of pain, my haemorrhoids are becoming active again. I'll have to do something about them really. See Prof Digby during next week.