Birth of Robbie Hutchison to Hilda Hutchison.
Diary pages from this date
Short / J. Johnstone
Another month started - Dora and the University crowd came in yesterday, so I gave D and M a cup of tea this morning for which they were very grateful. We have settled down all right - but what an existence! I wonder all the time where you are - if you got to Dacca you will I am sure be comfortable - even with the heat - but I didn't know if you got away or not. I wish I knew.
The C.S. was down today - he had a motor accident and has a chip fracture of his ankle so now he has to have his foot in plaster. I am very sorry for him.
Love from B
Central market and four district markets reopened, but without much fresh food to offer. In our district some Dairy Farm milk available at 30 cents a half pint - bring your own bottle. Eggs 25 cents each and potatoes $1.60 a catty.
No work today. General meeting at 1.30pm & talked over things in general.
((Not sure of the date he arrived at Stanley. Likely early February, 1942))
On arriving at Stanley, after having been smuggled in, Miss Cholmeley ((sic.)) and Moss were there with open arms and had fixed up a bed space for me in their flat, so all was well. Whilst in Stanley I made myself useful repairing shoes, making drinking mugs from tins, and helping the old and feeble who could not help themselves. Was doing butcher work and cooking the meal (what there was of it). The customs staff are doing their fair share of work for instance. The Commissioner, Mr. Pritchard, is in charge of labour for his block, this is a hard job getting the men to work on the very poor rations they got. Oppen is doing this alone, Fuller, Ward and Kemp are Rice Boilers (or try to be), Mesger ((sic.)) and Ogden carting stones and bricklaying; Cutteridge, Stines and Seraphine cooks assistants (doing their best).
During my stay in Stanley I was always on the lookout for a possible way to get out. I did one time think of swimming for it to a nearby island, but as the weather was rather cold and one could not swim on the rations I dropped this idea.