Diary pages from this date

(Rose) / Alton

Another new month. I didn't write last week as I was disappointed - the blood count was no better despite my injection. I had another then and this time it was sore - very sore and ached all Saturday night and Sunday. This week the blood count is up to 3,340,000 with Haemoglobin a good 7%+. I'm to stay on the Diet Kitchen for another week. I didn't have another injection as Smalley thinks they haven't had their full effect yet.

The offensive has started at last - last Sunday night the planes came for the first time. I saw nothing but lots of people saw the fireworks - "flaming onions" etc. But we all saw them on Monday - we hear they have completely knocked out Taikoo Docks and slipways which were captured intact. So now we are hopeful that the end is in sight.

We have 2 other items of good cheer - we each got H$26 from the British Residents Assoc. of Shanghai the other day (I had to pay out to all our lot being Treasurer for the "Indian Quarters" and I had to handle H$12,500.) Then Comfort Parcels are on their way and we may get them tomorrow - we hear they are full of good "eats".

Well I have to go to attend to my washing so goodnight.

AIAW. Billie

OBJECTIVE: Secret interception mission in vicinity of Hong Kong and Canton

TIME OVER TARGET: ~11:20 a.m.

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT:  Three P-40E1 from 16^th Fighter Squadron (23^rd Fighter Group, China Air Task Force, 10^th Air Force)

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: 1^st Lt. Dallas A. Clinger; 2^nd Lt. Walter E. Lacy

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: None

RESULTS: Anticipated enemy aircraft did not appear

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: None

AIRCRAFT LOSSES: None

SOURCES: Original mission reports in the Air Force Historical Research Agency archives at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama

Information compiled by Steven K. Bailey, author of Bold Venture: The American Bombing of Japanese-Occupied Hong Kong, 1942-1945 (Potomac Books/University of Nebraska Press, 2019).

Rumours of more bombing, and of parcels coming in on Tuesday - let's hope so!

Betty Drown ((in room next to ours)) wasn't going to play tonight (she has a temperature) but when Mum told her Mabel was going out of hospital to hear her, she did play.  

Choir sounded nice at church.  

Mabel felt dizzy again yesterday, and today before she went to hear music.  

Meat cake today.

The Maryknoll Fathers have been released from Stanley and are living in Bethany:

(Today) the Japanese government issued orders that all shortwave radio sets must be turned in to be sealed, after which they would be returned to their owners. At that time there was no radio at Bethany, but we listened to a neighbouring one, the owner of which kindly opening his door wide and turning up the radio strong. After the first we still heard the radio news but from other sources.

These 'other sources' might have been short-wave radios kept hidden, or radios that had been 'castrated' (the popular name for being 'sealed' to prevent reception of the BBC or American stations) but whose owners possessed a device for restoring full capacity. Almost everybody in occupied Hong Kong was desperate for accurate news of the war, and the operation of short-wave radios doesn't seem to have been a major issue for the authorities until June, 1944 when some people suffered dreadfully for forbidden listening.

Source:

The Maryknoll Diary, 'November' (1942)

All quiet, no raids or news.

All short wave radios prohibited by Japs.