8 Dec 1942, Barbara Anslow's diary

To Mass - ((In Prison Officers' Club - aka 'American Club')) - Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Japs have asked us what we want for Christmas!   And we are to have 1 lb flour per head.

At 5pm to Immaculate Conception Sisters' room ((in Married Q.)) to wait on their feast. Eileen Grant had set table, Christine Corra directing serving.  First the Sisters had tomato soup made by Miss S. Cullinan (Govt. nurse) from real tomatoes; then salad dressed by Mrs K. Grant, it looked like potato and boiled egg and sausagey stuff from tins.  And sweet potatoes baked to a nicety  -  but they had actually been baked in sugar.  Then the Sisters each had a good plateful of  M & V stew,  then pear tart, - there was a piece left over for each of us helpers; Sisters then had chocolate cake, tea with sugar and bottle milk, then fudge brought by Miss Cullinan. 

Sisters then went to Benediction and we washed up and had some cake, and some left over baked potatoes which we ate with our fingers, thin strings of toffee were sticking to them, and leftover pear tart.

Mabel and I went for a walk in evening, the lights went off everywhere; we went to bed early, later the lights came on again.  We were notified that we have to have a blackout again.   A few planes came over but we couldn't hear any bombing.