Diary pages from this date

REPATRIATION DAY.

(Diary was packed last night (21st) so couldn't write anything then.  Went shopping.)

Had a cable from Aunt Lily, she had received ours, thank God she is still alive.

Assembled at Queen's Pier at 9.30am, launch to 'Smiter' which is out in mid-stream.  Assembled on hangar deck.

Olive and I have the Paymaster's cabin (one bunk and one camp bed), everything pale green.  Most of the Nursing Sisters (all from Tweed Bay Hosp) are in layers of 4 on the Mess Deck.  Olive has given her bunk to Miss E. Riley ((aged 52, we thought of her as elderly!)), Olive will sleep on camp bed, and I've taken Miss Riley's stretcher (the topmost of the 4) on the Mess Deck, very near the ceiling.  

So far we are supposed to be going to Trincomalee (Ceylon), about 6-7 days, then transhipping.

The Stanley folk came round in a minesweeper.

We have to climb over enormous steps over every section of below decks; the bathroom queue is reminiscent of Stanley - no time for baths. We had a lovely meal of mutton chop served by white stewards.

As we sailed about 7pm I really thought 'This is the last of Hong Kong.'

As we passed the 'Duke of York' she bugle-called us, the men on board stood to attention, and then everybody cheered everybody else.

The hospital ship Oxfordshire reaches Sydney. The Melbourne Argus quotes unnamed Hong Kong passengers as saying 'it seemed that they had not had nearly as bad a time of it as prisoners in other areas'. The reporter goes on to remark 'Yet some are very sick indeed':

Every single person taken on the ship was suffering from malnutrition, many of them from deficiency diseases such as beri-beri, and some had war wounds still unhealed since the Japanese capture of Hong Kong in December, 1941.

The South China Morning Post (Morning edition, p. 1) claims that bread is still at the prohibitive price of HK$6 a pound. 

Source:

The Argus, September 24, 1945, page 3

((Following text undated:))

Some Australian mine-sweepers were sent to pick us up and take us back into Hong Kong harbour.  There was a slight swell as we boarded and I am a bad sailor so I lay on the deck.  Presently a big, burly, Australian sailor came along with a pillow and a blanket, and put my head on the pillow and covered me with the blanket; it touched my heart.

Once in the harbour we were transferred onto a British Aircraft Carrier, where all the officers had given up their cabins to the women, and the petty officers to the men.  We set sail for Colombo; the first part of our voyage to London.

Drizzle SW wind. Same course all day. Cooler.

Wrote to M & G, much thought as usual.

Only 600 left at Stanley according to News Broadcast.

To movies, “Major & Minor”, Ginger Rogers.

Full Moon.

REPATRIATION NOTICE No. 3

1.    Shipping space is likely to be available in the near future. Persons who registered for repatriation “by subsequent ship” and who are now ready to depart should report forthwith in person or in writing to this office, or, in the case of Stanley residents to Mr H. H. H. Priestley at Stanley.

2.    Members of staffs of Government Departments and Essential Services should first obtain a letter from their Head of Department saying that they can be spared.

3.    This notice does NOT apply to members of the Volunteer Forces, their wives, families and dependants.

Repatriation Officer,

Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank Building, 1st Floor.

(Tel. No. 39642)
22nd September, 1945.

Published on p.2 of SCMP for 23 Sep 1945.

REPATRIATION NOTICE No. 4

The following persons are requested to “Stand by” for embarkation for Australia on or about Tuesday, 25th Sept., 1945.

AT STANLEY

Mr J. Lawson, Mr and Mrs Grant-Smith, Mr V. V. Macdonnell, Mr A. Kidd, Miss E. Thomson, Miss M. Gooey, Miss L. Gooey, Mrs. M. Adam, Mrs A. H. Hansen, Mr and Mrs Rozeskwy and child, Mr and Mrs A. E. P. Guest and family, Mr and Mrs Nobbins, Mrs J. Mackie, Mr and Mrs J. Anderson and family, Mr J. R. Carr, Mr C. J. E. Scott, Mr H. V. Thorne, Mr and Mrs Culver and child, Miss M. Matheson, Mrs E. J. Beck and children, Mr E. N. Gimmell, Mr and Mrs F. Hogg, Mrs K. E. Clarke and children, Mr and Mrs Bidwell, Miss W. M. Sutton, Mrs M. Angus, Mrs W. Shewan, Mr P. E. Nettle, Mrs G. Castle, Miss C. Hobbs.

HONG KONG

Mr W. A. Johnson, Mr F.L. Ball, Mr S.V. Boxer, Mr M.M. Watson, Mr H. A. Angus, Mr F.    Angus, Mr W. Shewan, Mr C. R. Lawrence, Mr R. W. Maynard, Mr G. Castle. Mr. A. F. Tocher, Mr F. J. Anslow, Mr J. Revie, Mr A. W. Salter, Bro. B. M. Kelleher, Mr E. Dubois, Mr W. R. Hillyer, Mr and Mrs. D. L. Edwards and child, Mr E. F. Brown, Mr R. H. Brooks, Mr J. C. Fitzhenry, Mr. C. W. Brand, Miss V. M. Witchell, Mr and Mrs V. Walker, Mr A. C. Taylor, Mr W. W. Owens, Mr T. Collins (H.K. Police), Mr H. T. Matches (H.K. Police), Mr H. B. Dewar (H.K. Police), Mr F. T. Portallion (H.K. Police), Mr D. L. Davies (H.K. Police), Mr F. Mawer (H.K. Police), Mr R. Grainger (H.K. Police), Mr T. K. Whelan (H.K. Police), Mr W. R. Chesterwoods (H.K. Police), Mr J. G. Whitcroft (H.K. Police), Mr L. H. Borisoff (H.K. Police), Mr W. P. Delahunty (H.K. Police), Mr H. V. J. Brown (H.K. Police) , Mr J. Orem (HK. Police), Mr W. Morris (H.K. Police), Mr G. C. Rousakoff (H.K. Police), Mr F. L. Zadorin (H.K. Police), Mr D. I. Glazoonoff (H.K. Police), Dr G. I. Shaw, Mr A. Kurrik, Mr E. L. Strange, Mr C. Milne, Mr R. C. Keen, Mr H. Kew, Mr C. B. Robertson, Mr J. G. Campbell, Mr W. Mezger, Mr C. H. Fuller, Mr C. Strange, Mr N. M. Krasnoperoff, Mr P. J. O’Neil, Mrs and Miss E. J. Lee, Miss M. Lee Fong, Mr N. I. Kouznetzoff, Mr F. S. Elliott, Mr G. T. Padgett.

REPATRIATION OFFICER,

H.K. & S. Bank Bldg., 1st floor
(Telephone No. 39642).
22nd September, 1945.

Published on p.2 of SCMP for 23 Sep 1945.