21 Feb 1944, John Charter's wartime journal

The dates of my diary have been pretty gappy of late – not because nothing has happened but because I seem to have been fully occupied during the day and have felt disinclined to do anything after supper but read.

We had yet another raid on Feb 11th. We saw 12 big bombers and two tiny fighters – some people say they saw three fighters. Yvonne saw a small white cloud descending (as did many other people) and think it was a parachute. The Japanese claim to have shot down four of the planes, though so long as we could see them they kept in perfect formation – flying very high. Parts of one of these allegedly destroyed planes, is on view now in HK. Of course the wreckage could have been brought from anywhere, but of course one or two of these many raiding planes may have come to grief.

Taken all round, the war news is excellent for us. The Americans have occupied islands in the Marshals Group; in Burma there seem to be signs that the long awaited British offensive is beginning; the Russians have steadily pushed the Germans back to the Polish border in the Central Sector and in Italy the British and American armies are slowly advancing on Rome, although German opposition is stiffening.