30 Dec 1941, Colin McEwan Diary

Ranks were re-established this morning in the best Naval tradition. It did seem a pity and wholly unnecessary that after days such as they had been through where officers walked, ate and slept with their men that, on return to a more or less normal living, there came the definite split. Requests for a separate officers’ mess – the request, it must be admitted, coming from a few only – was refused tactfully but firmly and in our position of “superior civilians” we had the opportunity and pleasure of watching all the sideplay.

After the breakfast came the official photograph and a get together ceremony in the church which again proved that the English have no flair for the theatrical. There we were packed in the church – British on one side, and Chinese on the other. Up rose the Major and in a flow of impassioned oratory informed all and sundry that ABCD was the stuff, that Japan’s days were numbered and that soon under the Generalissimo etc etc. The toast was replied to by Commander Montague who was jolly glad to be there, appreciated their hospitality and informed them they had been decent to us. The buck having again been passed to the Chinese they piled on more points by giving us an elaborate choral rendering of the first four letters of the alphabet – extolling each in turn with the responses being given by the (written in classical Greek:; OI ΠOΛΛOI – chorus?) in the rear. Having the game well in hand now they proceed to sweep us off the court by a series of well organised cheers which would have done credit to any American college. Service came back to us but we double faulted badly with feeble hurrahs for each letter in turn and lost the second set. The final game was played at speed and with fury the Chinese sweeping all before them with “Che Lai” although we were saved from total collapse by Mike’s prompting, in an unreachable falsetto, of “God Save the King”. This made us 15-40 but our slight hopes were blasted with the presentation of huge baskets of fruit, cigarettes, towels, etc. Game, set and match for our Chinese allies.

This over, we managed to see the town. It has a lovely situation with low hills around and the city itself broken up by the river and lakes one of which – with islands, pagodas, and small bridges is a living example of the holiday resort poster-maker’s art. The town itself having been occupied twice consists mainly of wooden buildings in the main street and the usual narrow cobbled back streets. Prices in the shops were high – much too high for our shallow pockets and soon we were back in the hospital. The evening proved interesting in so much as it gave us an insight into the official army mind and again it was brought home to us that in the end the staff knew exactly as much as the man in the street and about one half of what the soldier does.