03 Dec 1944, Diary of George Gerrard in Stanley Internment Camp Hong Kong

I came out of hospital on Thursday 30th November (St. Andrews' Day). I persuaded Prof Digby to give me my discharge as there seemed to be little chance of him having the time or opportunity to snip the tag off my bottom. I shall go back to the hospital at the beginning of the New Year and get it done then.

The trouble of course is that the longer one stays there one is apt to get hospitalised and then with the water being off two days out of three the Professor is limited to operations the day the water is on and besides he has a large number of serious operations to perform like hernias, gall bladders and what have you. I was in hospital 8 weeks much longer than I expected.

I was glad to get back to the room and to my own job of quartermaster for the block for which work I get a little extra food and today that is all important, as in hospital when I was convalescent I was always starving. I am feeling fit and well, but the trouble of the jag in my bottom, which is a haemorrhoid rolled out, is that I'll ulcer until it is removed, be able to clean my bottom as it should be and so I always have a piece of cotton wool in the crutch.

The weather is very cold now especially at night-time and the cold makes us hungrier and we all feel that we have had enough of Stanley and this confinement. However we can stick it until the Union Jack flies in Hong Kong again. 

The news in Europe and out East continues to be good. Raids over Hong Kong nearly every night which shows we are not forgotten and cheery to us.