79 years ago: Hong Kong's wartime diaries

Requiem Mass for Mr Owens.

Mr J. Graf (Dutch) was beaten up for going up hill to Japs to complain of being 'done' by a guard/dealer (black market).  As a result the new boy in charge stopped guards' weekend leave - they're usually well loaded with rings etc. to sell at weekends, and 28 furious guards sought vengeance on Graf.  3 chased him up towards the CSO whither he was bound for refuge, and they hit him with rifles etc., but Kathleen Grant (who saw this) said Graf was very brave and didn't squeal, though it might have been death if Mrs. V. Armstrong (she spoke Japanese) hadn't intervened.

Bridge in afternoon, with Tom Cashman, George Davitt (policemen) and Gladys Johnson.

June Cheape's 25th birthday, gave her a typescript of The Hound of Heaven. After,  Mabel, Clifton and I went to June's landing (her billet). There were Tony Sanh, June, her husband (who was in a separate billet, they appeared to be 'not together'; Fleur Cheape (4) and her friend Maggie Seraphina (4); George Saunders, Alec Summers, Freddy Morley.   Had a kind of brandy snaps, tea, lovely iced cake (with marzipan made of peanut butter and wong tong, I was so full up). Went to Rosary.

Then on to Clifton's verandah with someone's gramophone, dancing.

Cloudy, windy NE fine.

Water on & having cleared meter trap ensured full pressure on Block.

Truck.

21 districts in Berlin under Russian control. Our Ps of W & workers who had been forced to work in German factories now guardless in Berlin.

Fully equipped Japs go by, maybe to man a couple of their foxholes.

Lorry with veg. 6.45pm.

Some to-do during the day re Black-market. Graf [?] & Co. involved.

G X 9PM.