Americans are on board the 'Asama Maru' and it's lying off the bay but no lights so far.
Notice on Dutch Q. notice board that 4 relief ships now loading at New York, and that 2 are bound for Europe and 2 for the Far East, and that all civilian foreign nationals will probably be compulsorily evacuated thereon when the ships have unloaded.
Had 3 more teeth stopped today, that makes 5 fillings done since Sunday before last.
A hot, clear day, and one of huge emotion.
The Asama Maru, the ship which will take most of the Americans on the first stage of their journey home under a US-Japanese repatriation agreement, sails up the Lamma Channel and anchors about three miles off the Lamma Island Point.
The Americans in town - mostly bankers and consular staff - are coming to Stanley by road, those in the camp have said their last goodbyes and are confined to their quarters. At 2.30 or a little after they submit to a last luggage inspection, and then they'e marched off to small launches that are to take them to the Asama Maru:
At length the ferry moves away from the dock, across the choppy water of the bay and draws up by the lofty white side of the Asama. We peer upward and see the faces of Americans looking down at us. These are men and women brought from Tokyo and Korea.
Most of the remaining internees are watching. Journalist Gwen Dew was one of those leaving:
Finally everyone was taken from the shore, and the boat turned slowly to the ship which awaited us at sea. We stood by the railing, waving goodby to those we could not see through the tears. Those high hills of camp were black wth people, for almost the entire 3,000 British and Dutch, and a few Americans who were left behind, were standing there, bravely watching, waiting and weeping.
Norman Briggs is also leaving:
The British were all lined up to bid us farewell. I never have seen, I never want to see, and I never expect to see a sadder or more depressing sight than that departure from Stanley.
Briggs is angry with those Americans not doing all they can to help the British.
I wonder how those Americans felt who were taking food and money with them? I did not have that on my conscience.
Before they board there’s one last hurdle: an inspection by a consular official, an internee representative and a Japanese officer.
Finally, they’re aboard. But any hopes of a quick escape are soon dashed. The ship’s still there at the end of the day. There is an international agreement by which exchange ships keep their lights on at night to make sure they can be identified by war planes, but the Japanese military authorities demand that the Asama Maru go dark tonight as they fear lights will be used to guide American bombers. This seems to be the only night on which the rule was breached - unnecessarily as the American bombers won't arrive until October 25.
Back in town, Thomas Edgar marries Evelina Marques d’Oliveira at about the time the Americans were getting into the ferries. Owen Evans is the best man. The couple will live on the compound of the French Hospital.
Sources:
Gwen Dew, Prisoner of the Japs, 1943, 151
Carol Briggs Waite, Taken in Hong Kong, Kindle Edition, Location 3156
Wenzell Brown, Hong Kong Aftermath, 1943, 278
Lights: David Miller, Mercy Ships, 2008, 104, 183
Edgar: https://jonmarkgreville2.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/a-wartime-romance/
Finally on June 29th we saw the Asama Maru coming over the horizon. What a thrill!! We were on the house tops to see it.
Star Ferry arr. at Stanley to take Americans.
Not allowed to W. of Prison
((The following text is not dated:))
After six months the Americans were repatriated, as the Japanese had made arrangements with them to have their own national repatriated. With my last ten dollars, I remember buying a pair of sandals from one of the American internees before they left, which I felt was a bit mean. (The men wore sandals made from old car tyres.) Our hearts sank as we saw the Americans going to the ship that was lying in the bay below, ready to take them back to their homeland.
2 mls Aberdeen Bay. “Asama Maru” arrived. (National flag & white crosses bow & stern) Americans left PM. (("New York" is written above the text here)).
When do we go? Rumour of 4 ships leaving, 2 to take us all away & 2 to go to Near East.
((Undated, but these notes should refer to 29th June, based on other diaries' entries for these days.))
I recall climbing the ladder leading to the roof and scanning the sea. I am sure my heart skipped a few beats when I saw a tiny speck on the horizon. Yes, it was our ship coming in, destination-freedom. I hurried down to spread the good news.
It did not take long for us to get our baggage into line for inspection. Only two items caused us concern. One, the silverware, we did not try to hide completely but neither did we put it out in open sight. The other, my financial reports, I had written in ink, then torn into smaller pieces and put into the pockets of our clothing. Fortunately we were given only a superficial check.
I should mention that our sole possessions were contained in one rice sack, one wicker basket, one beat-up suitcase, one cardboard box, plus the coaster wagon which again came in handy getting our things to shore. Yet we were alive, in relatively good health, and together. We had much to be thankful for.
The Asama anchored some distance from the rather shallow dock so we had to board a smaller vessel and be ferried out to the ship which we entered via a cargo door just above water level. From here we went to one of the stations to be given room assignments.
Our spirits sank considerably when we learned that we would be in steerage, with the men and older boys on one side of the ship and the women, smaller children, and girls on the other. This could have been a disastrous arrangement but there was nothing we could do about it.
That night at supper we sat at a table and ate with knives and forks for the first time since January fifth. Although the Japanese were short of food in their own country, I must say that they did not do badly when it came to feeding us. Once again we had the taste of eggs, potatoes, ersatz coffee, different kinds of vegetables, even some bacon, and some other meat with the result that we began putting on a bit of weight again.
We men sat at long tables in the steerage dining room. I had Leonard and Laurence Ziegler with me while Ella and Mrs. Ziegler had all the little ones and girls.