Warm, showery NW wind.
Carried bricks 988lbs. Chopped wood.
No lorry or news.
Steve came up tonight and we listened to Heasman play some Beethoven.
Cigs can be forgotten it seems. Some very inferior ones are coming in illegally still via Formosan guards and the camp traders are smacking up the price.
Warm, light N wind, veered to E and strengthened pm.
Cleared some rubble away am.
No lorry.
Poor meals.
With Steve pm. Mary had managed to get some tobacco so we had a couple of smokes, very pleasant.
Large convoy arrived am.
Guards more open in their trading. 1 catty tob. = Y200.
Warm, cloudy. E wind, gusty.
Carried bricks 1568lbs.
Ramp with cigs getting worse. 1 Pkt cigs = 1 tin Kam (Renny)[?] Perhaps I’ll be in a position to repay the “good turn” one day. (Page 190. Z. Grey’s “Call of the Canyon”)
Lorry in with wood, fish & some canteen stuff.
3 papers.
Russians in Belgrade 5th.
Oil 64 Yen in town.
With Steve pm.
M lent me Y30.
Tresise passed me a packet of cigs.
Warm, cloudy, E wind.
Putting up wall in new combined cookhse with Joyce. Drew full labour oil and sugar.
2 lorries in with firewood.
With Steve pm. Mary gave me pkt. cigs.
Paper has good news. Americans denting the Siegfried & the British 25 mls from Cologne 7th. Finns in action against the Germans, Russians push ahead in Lithuania.
and 5 yrs married today. Wrote my card to Marj.
Cookhouse construction & wood chopping.
Lorry in 4.20 pm with veg. No paper.
With Steve pm.
Formosan guard tells of US invasion of the Phillipines.
Fine & warm E wind.
I hope that I can look back to this entry next year 11th Oct in the presence of my wife & little daughter.
Rained early am. Fine, cloudy, E wind, much cooler am & pm.
On cookhouse construction.
Oil, curry powder & sugar issued.
Posted card to Marj.
With Steve pm.
Had my foot dressed. Much sepsis about lately causing swollen glands.
Cooler, overcast, E wind.
Cookhouse construction & chopped wood.
Much movement of shipping by Japs.
With Steve pm.
Lorry arrived with wood, matches & salt fish.
Cool am & pm. NE wind.
Canteen buyer 58 easy day on Cookhouse.
Got some lime & made a trowel.
Lorry in at 5.30pm with Canteen gear, tobacco arrived too.
Air-raid alarm 3.20 to 4.30pm.
Good new [sic] from all fronts & Pacific. Soviets 5 mls from Memel 10th. Heavy raid by 1,100 planes on Formosa 12th & 13th.
Planes around early am.
Fine, cool NE wind.
Woodchopping & ground lime for crack in Steve’s room.
1oz Chinese tobacco & 2 pkts cig papers issued Y6.
Air-raid alarm 5.15-6.15pm
1 US fighter flew over. Some face-slapping. 1 internee who took cover in hall down below played the piano during the alarm period, so he got slapped.
With Steve little while pm.
Rice party on pier.
Fine, warm. NE wind.
Cookhouse construction & woodchopping.
Heavy raid on HK by about 30 or 40 big bombers - & fighter escort – at 4pm. A.A. fire useless & no apparent air opposition. All clear at 5.15pm.
Didn’t see Steve because everything was late.
No papers.
Rice being shifted to godowns all day. 2000 bags in by midn’t.
Fine, warm. NE wind.
Cookhouse & wood chopping.
Air raid alarm 4pm. All-clear 4.45pm nothing doing but Jap patrols.
Excellent news re Battle of Pacific which has been going on since Mon 9th. Germans evacuated Athens. Big battle around and in Aachen. Civil war in Spain. Rommel dead.
With Steve pm.
Plane over 9.35pm W. to E. & heavy explosion occurred 7 mls E. Plane flew W. to E. two or three times between then & 2am 18th but no more bombs were dropped.
Fine, NE wind, cloudy.
Cookhouse work & woodchopping.
More cackling going on re food serving etc.
Japs claim great successes up & down the Pacific especially against the US forces attacking Formosa. Their news is obviously cooked when one compares reported losses.
With Steve pm.
Fine, warm, NE wind.
Cookhouse construction & woodchopping.
Jap plane activity all day.
Lorry arrived with veg 3.45pm.
Their paper cracks up their Taiwan “victory”. Canton & Swatow raided 17th. Manila & Taiwan heavily raided, both at same time from same task force 17th. 6 planes supposed to have been brought down from our raiders on Monday. Aberdeen 200 junks sunk & damaged. HK 7000 killed.
Formosan guard reckon on leaving HK next month. Japs shipping arms & ammo back to Japan.
With Steve pm.
Mary lent me Y20 & gave me 7 cigs.
New Moon.
Fine, warm, NE wind.
Outside roll-call 8.30am.
Had to have my hands attended to. Slight abrasions & cuts turn septic almost at once due to unbalanced diet, lack of protein. No bandages available so old bits of rag have to suffice.
According to Chinese papers (19th) Aachen evacuated, Tilsit captured, Adml Horthy Hungarian Regent & his Govt. resigned. Adml. Horthy reports that his 5 task forces are all in operation & that Jap news is all tripe.
Lorry arrived 2.30pm with firewood & fish. Fish condemned & immediately buried. Japs admit firewood very difficult to obtain.
Cookhouse & wood chopping, shifting concrete blocks for Vic S.
With Steve pm.
(Wilson has it that Nimitz will be here within 10 days.)
Workers oil & sugar issued.
Lorry arrived with Canteen gear.
Rained early am. Fine, E wind.
Cookhouse & woodchopping.
Lorry with veg & paper.
US forces landed on Leyte Island 17th. Battle of Taiwan Japs claim to have sunk 11 A/C. 2 Bttleshps 4 cruisers 1 destroyer 13 other vessels & 112 planes, their losses 312 planes. Russians occupied Eydtkau 17th. Germans evacuated Thebes NW of Athens. Street fighting in Aachen.
Yesterday’s paper burnt by H.Qs.
With Steve pm.
He sent me up 4 cigs.
Fine, warm, light airs.
Suk yin & 2 matches issued.
Rigged sawing horse & chopped wood. Bandaged hands are a damned nuisance.
With Steve pm.
No news today.
Fine, cloudy. SE wind.
Cookhouse construction.
Aft. tea with Mrs Brown & repaired thermos flask. ((Not sure which Mrs Brown, possibly MW Brown.))
Sugar & oil issued.
With Steve pm.
Lorry arrived 6.30 with fish.
Cooler, fine. NE wind.
Cookhouse & woodchopping.
Aachen finished 20th. Landing on Leyte Island. Advances made on all fronts.
With Steve pm.
Mary gave me 5 cigs.
3 day workers’ cigs issued so I had 3 cigs to share between 5 of us, cut the cards for them.
11 Euro. soldiers killed & 21 wounded on 16ths raid.
Cool, cloudy. NE wind.
Cook house & woodchopping.
Russians capture Goldap 21st. Germans evac. Nis area. Breskens captured 19th. Allied forces pushing E of Aachen on to Durens. Cervia 19mls North of Rimini captured 21st.
Lorry arrived 2.30pm with fish & veg.
Some talk of free issue of cigs. Vic gave me a packet for shifting bricks & iron plate.
With Steve pm.
Gave Mary blue sweater.
Cool, cloudy, showery.
Cookhouse & woodchopping.
Provincial Gov’t. set up in Leyte. All Pacific commanders congratulated on recent performances.
Lorry arrived with wood & canteen gear.
4 pkts cigs issued 65sen each.
With Steve pm.
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