Diary pages from this date

Grand concert on Bowling Green.   Good new song - 'We're going to sail away, sail away etc 

((

'We know internment here will end one day; we want to go; we've got to go, for we're longing to see the land that we love so....
There'll be happy hearts and free, when we're going out to sea, Afloat on a boat on the way to Lourenco Marques.'

 - rumoured to be our destination for exchange if ever we were repatriated))

I had a row with a man over my programme (I one of the lucky ones who had one.)

Mrs Drown (piano) in white pierrot dress with black bobbles, white collar coiffe and frills round her wrists.  Ian Heath played piano too.   June Winkelman and another child did a good acrobatic turn.  Eve Gray (a teacher I think) was good, even when forgetting her lines.

Olive met Paddy Gill's wife Billie, she has asked us to go to tea next Friday.  ((Paddy Gill was an Army friend of our family up to early 1940 when he was sent to UK.  We knew he married her before his departure, but we had never met her; she  had  a baby boy later that year.))  

Launches came for the Shanghailanders, but departure postponed again.

In morning we went to cemetery, saw launches come for the Shanghailanders, but they were postponed again.

Stanley Herbert Marvin, a prison officer, marries Clementie Maria Fernandes, a nurse with the Volunteers.

The Optimists present Stalling Stanley at the Stanley Empire - the bowling green outside the former American club.

It's described as A Non Stop Revue in Sixteen Shocks & Spasms. Entry is free, it starts at 7 p.m., and the Maryknoll Diary considers it a 'good show'.

Sources:

Marriage: Greg Leck, Captives of Empire, 625

Show: Jim Shepherd, Silks, Satins, Gold Braid and Monkey Jackets, 1996, 81;

Maryknoll Diary, July 25, 1942

This morning I was busy getting settled in our new cabin.

After dinner and rest Leonard and I went downtown. I bought a birthday cake for Elaine. Then I also went to the place where they gave out clothing for the Hong Kong folks which had been collected by Mrs. Preston of the local U.S. Consul. The children received some things and I a nice dress.

Wedding – Mr. S.H. Marvin & Miss C. Fernandez

Excellent concert = Stalling Stanley “The Optimist” (produced and presented by Carol Bateman), Gimson spoke (Cast. Reed, Gomerall, Leslie, Duncan, Sir A. + Lady Blackburn, Mrs. Boyd, Miss Palmer, Hewitt, Hill, Hayes)

Planes allegedly over Hongkong in a.m. causing much rumouring. Australian radio says Hongkong bombed four times. Hadn't noticed it.

My birthday has come and gone and I have now joined the ranks of the S.O.B.’s (Silly Old Buffers). A most enjoyable day it was too. The weather cleared up and we had quite a fine day for a change. Y told me I was not to get up until she told me to. When she had prepared breakfast she called me and I popped up, on the table I found sliced banana on cornflakes, which we ate with milk and sugar! Bread and marmalade and coffee. It was really luscious! My usual peacetime weekday breakfast, except that Y could not conjur butter out of air nor fresh milk out of a packet of powder!

On the table too I found a packet from Marjorie, Tim and Adrian and on opening it I found three packets of cigarettes! We smoked one after breakfast as it was a special occasion. At lunch time, the 11 a.m. meal, a community tin of corned beef was opened in honour of the occasion and I found Y had made two lovely bowls of chocolate cornflower mould which we had for second course - quite an unheard of luxury.

We had invited, for my tea party, the members of our room, including Mr Lammert who always has his meals with us now, Maudie Min, Buckie and Winnie. We had some tomato juice spread on bread and Y’s greatest culinary triumph, a birthday cake complete with ‘Happy Birthday John’ and a candle. The candle was somewhat short and stumpy, but it had the virtue of not burning down too quickly! The cake really was delicious: made of twice sifted flour (to get the weavils and worms out of it!) currants, margarine, sugar and milk powder (all of which had been obtained from the canteen) and some baking powder that Minnie had provided. So the day was a great success. Y had given an awful lot of thought to it. Minnie gave me $10 for a present which was most kind of her: the Armstrongs sent me a banana! And dear old Buckie gave me ten packets of cigarettes. She must have been saving her cigarette ration for ages to collect them all.

Everyone has been entitled to buy a cigarette ration of 4 packets (40 cigarettes) about every three weeks. This has happened fairly regularly for about four times now, though no statement has been made that these issues will become regular. The tobacco is pretty inferior stuff, but the cigarettes are very welcome. It is not difficult to dispose of them on the following day to the heavy smokers at twice the price i.e. 60 cents (cost being 30 cents per packet). Minnie’s present of $10 to us has enabled us to buy our ration and we each enjoy a cigarette after lunch and supper. We often go out in the evening between 6.30 and 8.00 p.m. and sit on the rocks, smoke our cigarettes and read or talk. It is very pleasant to get away by ourselves sometimes. We generally visit Maudie Min at this time of day as it is pleasant and cool (or cooler).

We sat on the rocks on my birthday evening looking across Tytam Bay, the prettiest of the Stanley views and the one I hope to paint for Y’s 21st birthday. I am getting a bit worried about this picture as, for two or three weeks the weather has been so wet that it has quite prohibited any landscape painting. I have now only about 10 days left. Yesterday was pretty fine but the clouds were down on the hills I want to paint and so I could not get a true idea of the composition. I hope I shall be lucky enough to get one fine day at least. Christine Corra has kindly given me a piece of somewhat flimsey cartridge paper and has offered me her paints which, though old, are Windsor and Newton and should be quite good. Vera Armstrong has unearthed a picture frame measuring 9” x 7” which I have gladly borrowed. I shall have to cut the picture down to that size and have no mount, hoping that one day, if the picture ever survives, to have it mounted and framed in a larger frame.

I have also been enquiring about the possibilities for Y’s 21st birthday cake. Mrs Greenwood, I think, will come to the rescue and make and cook that for me. She says she can get hold of some flour for me too which is a load off my mind. Y used the last of our flour for my cake and Y’s cake will have to be considerably larger than mine as she will have to invite at least 22 guests. I am trying to think of a method of making 21 small candles for the cake. I propose to ice the cake with a coating of chocolate icing made of corn starch, cocoa and sugar! And decorate the cake and make the lettering with silver paper. I must also cut out ‘The key of the door’ for her!

I expect our families have been and will be thinking of us especially on these birthday occasions. We saw in the paper that the American repatriates had reached Lorenzo Marques on or about July 20th or 21st. I do hope Col Doughty managed to send off the cables we asked him to on that date. In that event it is just possible that Mother and Father and Chère will have received the news of our safety on my birthday. I do hope it reached them by now at anyrate. Chère will cable to Pop.

Shanghailanders warned of for 8AM, 10AM & then delayed until tomorrow.

Concert on Bowling green.

Cloudy, cool & a little rain.

(Beef)

Marvin married.