Enjoyed bread ((on hospital meals now)) again. We ate half a tin of our sausages tonight - fried in the tin on wood fire in our room.
Diary pages from this date
Escape of French national Mr. Petro, who is to report to the Red Cross on the conditions of the American Consular officials:
United States diplomatic officers are housed in two consular homes. Personnel allowed occasional visits to the city under guard but are not allowed to communicate with the outside. No food is furnished, but purchases allowed through certain channels. Outside of restrictions, they are "all right". A proposal seems to be afoot to transfer diplomats to Stanley Prison but keep them segregated from the rest of the civilian internees.
Governor Mark Young, who's been held incommunicado at the Peninsula Hotel, is flown to Woosung, where he'll stay until September.
Sources:
Petro 'Report of Recent Developments in the Situation of Americans in the Orient', May 14, 1942
(viewable at http://www.weihsien-paintings.org/NormanCliff/history/DOCUMENTS/Letters/1942-May14.htm)
Young: Tony Banham, We Shall Suffer There, 2009, entry for February 12
Yes; we can use the electric light tonight! What joy! Today we have had a good day – in spite of the cold! For our evening meal we had rice, a little piece of stewed steak, any amount of stewed cabbage with a little tomato and to crown all a small pasty each of minced meat fried in pastry. It is the first time I have felt really comfortably full since I have been here. Let’s hope this is the beginning of better things.
It is really awful how one’s life seems to revolve round food these days. It makes one more mindful of the poor wretches who live perpetually at starvation’s door. I wonder if, when things return to normal we shall remember these lessons or whether we shall forget all in the general scramble for recovery.
I was nearly frozen today, bricklaying in the open in a chilling north wind. This is exceptionally cold for Hong Kong.
The first death in camp occurred today. A Mr Shepherd died of dysentery. ((J O M Shephard died on 10 Feb 1942.)) I fear that with our low vitality and terribly crowded living conditions, diseases will spread rapidly in the hot weather. Flies are a menace even now when the sun shines for a little while. The hospital which holds 85 patients already has 65! Not too good.
I forgot to mention Marjorie Fortescue’s birthday. As a birthday treat, Tim arose early and fried the one tin of tinned bacon that he had brought. The nine of us had breakfast this morning! – a spoonful of bacon, a slice of bread and a cup of coffee! So today has been pretty good.
Started the day off with some thin porridge 2ozs for $1. Cold.
Jap paper reports fighting in Singapore City but we are all inclined not to believe it.
Electrician.
Civil Adm. took over HK but the Gendarmerie (Military Police) refuse to recognize their authority. So, what now?