7 Feb 1942, Chronology of Events Related to Stanley Civilian Internment Camp

All bodies left around Camp after the fighting are finally buried.

A group of men, women and children living in Bowen Road are finally forced to enter Camp. One of them, Sally Refo, tells their story:

Even though it had often been unpleasant outside we did not want to give up what freedom we had. We had read of concentration camps and feared them. We also knew a good deal about the lives of Hong Kong civilians in the hotels. Most of all I feared starvation for the children and that proved to be the best founded fear I had during the whole war. On February 7th sitting on the tops of trucks piled high we trembled as we went around Hong Kong precipices, giving right of way to military cars. I shall never forget our arrival. We saw unshaven, carelessly dressed men, moving slowly because they were hungry, depressed women and pale children, crying or playing around in the camp. The one cheerful thing was to meet old friends. However, the camp never again seemed so unbearable as on the first day.

Sources:

Bodies: Geoffrey Emerson, Hong Kong Internment, 1973, 52.

Refo: Sally Refo's Letter can be read in full by members of the Yahoo Stanley Camp Discussion Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stanley_camp/messages