Barbara Anslow's diary: View pages

Retreat in morning, and choir practice.

Mum and Mabel won eggs in the Welfare.

But Japs didn't come for Blitz after all.

Police concert, I didn't go.

So busy -  passage cleaning ((we took turns at this)), choir practice, washing and packing mittens, sending them in my name; and vest and mending outfit in Mr. Kelly's name.

Margaret Lillian McDermott born today, 8 lbs.

No news about the parcels and cards we sent in yesterday for despatch to Shamshuipo.

Visited Pat Cullinan ((Police, TB patient in hospital)) He's now caught malaria.  He said how wonderful Dr Y-E had been to him, (and to M. Manning and C. Coull, both also Police in hospital with TB). That either he, or Marcus Manning or C. Coull had some complaint when Mark made his morning rounds.   He's fed up at getting malaria, as it's another bother for Dr Y-E. "I don't mind, I can take it."  So brave of him. I didn't stay long, he has loads of visitors and they were lining up. Pat had been having APT treatment every week for about a year before our war, he said there was a time when he thought he was for the next world, but Dr Y-E pulled him through.

Mabel and I went for a tramp this evening to collect a 'Yule log'!  Only managed a few twigs.  We went to see Billie Gill, Brian already in bed, so sweet.

Elsie Bidwell came in evening to have slacks fitted ((Mum and Mabel and Mrs K helped people to adapt clothes.))

A Jap doctor visited. Hospital closed to visitors, and Block 13 roped off ((in Indian Quarters where the Williams family  lived - Mr. B. (Health Inspector), Mrs. L., Patricia 4, David 2: another boy Raymond born July 1945)).

They haven't definitely put off all the festivities as yet.

Shanghailanders now been put off to Thursday.

Mr. S. Lillicrap died this morning - there was never any hope.

Mr Kopeczky had a parcel – clothes.  Loads of people had parcels ((from friends in HK)) today.

Japs have lifted ban about concerts.  Spent nearly all afternoon (after Bridge with Mr Kelly etc) in doing up the Ward Christmas trees with silver paper, and the book marks. ((The 'Christmas trees' were simply large branches we'd collected.  Silver paper was probably from cigarette packets.  We girls in hospital office made book marks for every patient - just small slips of paper with a little drawing on, which we put on the trees.))

In evening Mrs Drown's choir sang carols on the bank above the Bowling Green.

I made small calendar-cum-engagement 'book' for Mary T.

Some 30-odd folk left for Shanghai today, including Bill O'Neill of Reuters.

We had a handful of peanuts each today - from the Japs.

To Confession at Mayknoll chapel.  Father Meyer appeared dragging a huge prickly tree.

We lit a fire in room!  Tony and Mr Kelly and the K's and we 4 all sat round it.
((There was a small fireplace in our room.))

Mabel made a nice little card for Mrs Drown whose birthday is today.

Post cards from Shamshuipo - I had one from dear old Harry Chalcroft! ((one of Olive's ex-boyfriends)).  Neither Olive nor Mabel had one. Rosaleen had 4 from friends, but none from Bert, her Royal Scots husband.  ((We didn't know then that The Royal Scots had been taken to Japan 2 months earlier on the 'Lisbon Maru' which was sunk.  Bert survived, but his marriage to R didn't after the war.))

Ate a whole tin of M & V tonight, it was a mistake but I would do it; and we had salmon chow fan.

Tojo's telling speech in newspaper.

To Cyril Brown's Nativity Play at St Stephens; Betty Richards looked very sweet, the shepherds good.

Japs want to turn the doctors out of the Leprosarium to make it into an Isolation Hospital, since Japs say Benwell (V.) has diphtheria, although docs. say no.

During 1943 and 1944, my diary became very sketchy, as from late 1942 our Catholic priess were gradually organising a kind of RC parochial life for us, and encouraging us to organise it for ourselves.  There was a short daily Mass at 8.15am in the Prison Officers' Club on weekdays; this had to be finished on time as that hall was used in the mornings as a junior school.  

Study Clubs meeting weekly were started for each age group and sex.  I belonged to the one for 'young ladies'; it was here I became friends with Peggy Barton, who was 4 years younger than me.  The meetings were held wherever convenient, sometimes in the Redwood room Block 3 Room 19 if the rest of the occupants could arrange to be out at that time, sometimes out in the open air in the grotto, sitting on old Mimi Laus (breeze blocks.)

Initially Father Hessler was in charge of the groups and attended all the meetings, though later we were encouraged to run things ourselves without Father; we sometimes discussed some religious book or subject, also current affairs and problems in the camp.  We Young Ladies sometimes had social meetings with our opposite group, the Young Men, with games and eats to which we all contributed. We were also affiliated with the younger groups.  In due course I became an adviser to the Older Girls' Group and attended their meetings.  They were a charming lot between the ages of 13 and 16, of all nationalities.  British, Norwegian, Eurasians; I got a lot out of being with them.

I wrote a play for these girls to perform; called The New girl in the Fourth; every one had a part, rehearsals were  usually in the open, due to lack of other facilities.  It was produced in July 1943 in the Prison Officers' Club ie. It wasn't intended to be one of the main camp entertainments.  To my delight, it was considered such a success that Bill Colledge who was very involved with camp entertainments, and Dick Cloake, a Catholic contact, worked on it professionally, and it was then performed at St Stephens for 3 nights, the set designed by Mr. T.A.L. Concannon.

Bill enlarged the part of the Ticket Collector played by Clifton Large, the only male in the cast. As a result Mabel and I became very friendly with Clifton, and we spent most evenings with him, lounging out on the grass near the casurina tree in the grounds of the Married Quarters. Before long, though Mabel and Clifton were an item and I became superfluous.

Fathers Meyer and Hessler also set up small groups dedicated to Catholic Action, which not only involved some aspect of religion, but also practical application to camp matters.  We members were given specific assignments to contact some Catholics known to have problems, and to give practical assistance such as helping mothers with young children, and also try to persuade them to come to church. Additionally there was a group to study Apologetics.  All these church groups made life really busy if you wanted to get involved.   

My daily routine was roughly as follows:-

• 8am  Congee. (This innovation lessened the gap between the two main meals; some of our rice ration was cooked into a mush and served hot round the rooms; usually eaten without sugar if Red Cross parcel sugar was finished:  there was an occasional small issue from the Japs which only lasted for a few days; also no milk unless you had been able to save the tin of milk powder from your Red Cross parcel.)
• 8.15am  Mass.
• 9 am to 12.30pm  Worked in hospital office (or from 1.30 – 5.00pm)
• 1 pm  Lunch at hospital  (the other quarters' meal was at 11am)
• 5pm   Supper at hospital (also 5 pm in other quarters)
• 8pm   All had to be within their accommodation block area
• 9pm   All had to be in our rooms.

When off duty at the hospital, I went to church club meetings or choir practice; miscellaneous lectures (some in our room by candlelight.)   I also went to language classes, - French and German, though I didn't last long at the latter.  Lots of swimming in warm weather.

I spent a lot of time at rehearsals for the children plays which I continued to write.  We discovered that Mary Rogers, a pretty Eurasian girl of about 12 had a pure sweet singing voice.; also a small boy Philip Murray captivated us when he sang 'Over the hills to Skye.'.  Another highlight was the singing of the young Wilkinson sisters ((listed on their mother's page)) and Delia Mejia in harmony of 'Teddy Bears' Picnic. We had our own pianist -  18 year old Pauline Beck.

Mabel looked after babies and toddlers, and re-made clothes for them out of oddments.  Mum (and room-mate Mrs K) mended clothes for the men whose wives weren't in camp.

There were rumours that we British might be repatriated – mainly children and poorly women,  but nothing concrete until one day I heard a buzz of conversation in the courtyard below, so rushed down to investigate.  John Stericker a camp councillor was in the middle of a large crowd, reading out names – from the repatriation list.  A friend there congratulated me on being on the list, but I knew this was unlikely as I was in good health, and rightly guessed that the Redwoods named were Mum and Mabel, which was wonderful, though no date was given.