Margaret Elizabeth JAY [1900-1992]

Philip Cracknell wrote these notes on the old Stanley Camp list:

I came across a rather rare book or maybe booklet would be more apt titled "Memories of a Japanese Internment Camp" written by Margaret Elizabeth Jay and printed by Tyndale Press, Lowestoft.

In December 1941 she had come to Hong Kong by air for a week's holiday from teaching in a missionary school in Kunming, Yunnan. She chose the wrong week as it was the week the Japanese invaded. She volunteered as a nurse during the first week at Kowloon Hospital. In Camp she became friendly with a Polish girl Lucille Eichenbaum and their accommodation was an open verandah on one of the bungalows. Although often flooded ou they were re-accommodated until after the Americans left. She taught children in the Stanley Camp School (no desks, no seats, sitting on the floor in groups) during the mornings 8:30am to 11:30 am.

[...]

I know there was reference to their accommodation in Gwen Dew's book "Prisoner of the Japs".

She was repatriated on Glengyle and was taken there from Camp on a minesweeper. This took her to Colombo from where she took passage to Southampton (22 Oct 1945) on SS Maloja.

She returned to teaching in Yunnan in 1947.

Read the full text of: Memories of a Japanese Internment Camp.