23 Jun 1943, John Charter's wartime journal

Then on Monday another one from Betty dated 13th October was delivered and yesterday, the said gala day, a letter from Mother, one from Father, a postcard from Betty and a letter and a card from Aunt Ethelwynne!! Yvonne was not quite deserted, as her friend Pat Sennet had sent her two letters. We were very glad to get these letters, as can be imagined, and were much envied by the Bidwells. The most interesting bit of news was that Mother and Father had moved to Colombo, though I was very sorry to hear it had been occasioned by the death of Mr Radley. They certainly were rather buried alive at a little place like Matale, and in Colombo they will be much more at the centre of things. On second thoughts I remember Y and I were allowed to send a joint letter only, and this, in the end, we sent to Chère in Australia.

The other interesting piece of news was that the Crowley’s had received a letter from Yvonne, probably the letter that went in the Kamakura Maru with the Americans. I hope Mother and Father got mine; it is possible that it went first to England. The Crowley’s had sent this news to Father and Mother, but so far their letter acknowledging it has not yet arrived. Father seems to have the impression that Y and I have a room to ourselves! This letter of his was the latest of a whole batch and was dated 9th December 1942, the earliest in the batch being the cards from Betty and Aunt E dated 17th September 1942. It sounded, from one of Mother’s and Aunt E’s letters as though Betty had been away from her clinics for some time but had now returned. I wonder what the reason is; whether it was war work of any kind or whether she had been ill – I hope not the latter. Betty’s letter giving news of Howard, Graham, and David Lewis was most interesting. That is the kind of news one loves to get in a place like this. “No news of Billy,” she said.  I wish I knew how he was getting on. So Howard is treading the same ground that his father trod before him in the last war; most interesting. I’m glad Graham is India way – more chance of his having survived so far than if he had been in Tunisia which is where I feared he would be moved. Mother and Father each write alternate weeks and so do Aunt E and Betty. This means that the vast majority of their letters have not got through. It is possible that some of the earlier ones will arrive later on.

For some weeks now, the 28th of this month has been named as the embarkation date for the repatriation of the women and even at this late date, although no official announcement has been made, there are, apparently, several gentlemen who are supposed to be in the know who are prepared to bet 5 to 1 that the women are still going on the 28th. I have also heard the story that is supposed to be quite true, that the French ship Porthos of the Messagiris Maritime Line is now in Kowloon docks. Conjecture has it that this ship is to be used for repatriating the women; I am not sure of its size. Well, time will prove.  Personally I doubt all these tales – as usual.

By the way, the third thing of importance that occurred yesterday was the announcement in the HK News that a state of Martial Law had been declared in the 8 southern states of Italy. I wonder if our second front will start there. So King George has been indulging in some globetrotting too. And Field Marshall Sir Archibald Wavell is to succeed Lord Linlithgow as Viceroy of India. That is an appointment which, cut off as we are from facts here, we cannot really understand. It seems to me strange, after making Wavell a Field Marshall, to give him a civilian appointment. It seems as though the whole of India may be intended as the big base for operations against Japan (a) Wavell has been put in charge; (b) there may be the threat of serious trouble from some of the Indians (though this would hardly require the presence of a Field Marshall); or (c) Wavell may somehow have fallen foul of someone important in Britain or America and they want him out of the way. One day I may know.