Diary pages from this date

No parcels have come in for a while. On Monday we received each 1/4lb of margarine from the International Welfare which is very welcome indeed as lard in the canteen is soaring to such a price as everything else that it is now nearly impossible to buy unless one has a good wad of Yen. Sugar is now one Yen (4 Hong Kong dollars) per lb., soya sauce one Yen per tin, bean curd 65 sei Wong Tong 240 Yen per lb. and so on. (one Hong Kong dollar = 1s.3d.)

The latest bulletin announces that we are to be no more allowances and the Japs say we are receiving ample food, plenty of rice 8oz per head per day but dear little of anything else. Beef or mutton seldom and in small quantities, tomatoes are in season but the rest of the vegetable is just puree. lep sap, water spinach and yin choi on  alternate days, might be good for rabbits but that is all. Food of course is scarce in town and in any case in the Japanese mind we are only dogs bodies.

J.F. has asked me to be one of sidemen at the church services and it was my turn on Sunday afternoon at 4 o'clock.

The weather has been very typhoony or monsoony all week with rain and strong winds and also we have ad to suffer blackouts and to  make them effective the fuses are drawn so that no lights are possible. In this weather it is uncomfortable unless one goes to bed immediately it is dark. However the blackout was lifted tonight and I'm taking the opportunity of writing this now.

D.B.B. and I were down at J.Fs' tonight and he gave me a wad of money for distribution amongst our staff, 10 Yen per head which is very nice and cheering so I'll be a welcome visitor when I go on my rounds tomorrow. I think this will be the last distribution for a while as it is very difficult to get money into the camp now. The last time we paid out was on the 19th January over four months ago.

Repatriation rumours are still very strong it being said that the camp will be cleared by the end of September. Well my dear it can't come too soon for I'm longing to see you and hope the day is now not so far distant.

No concert; bl.-out

I remember the last Passion Play in which I took a part was one called ‘The Garden’ written by Father someone and produced by Mrs Sidwell at Upper Holloway ((John’s Church in England)). I much preferred that play to Masfield’s. That must have been nearly 10 years ago. I took the part of Judas on that occasion – from Judas to Herod; I am progressing slowly.

I remember rehearsing for the Passion play in the open but covered space under St Stephens kitchen. The crowd was clamouring for the blood of Jesus and those of us who were not on stage at the time were watching a seaplane flying back and forth, towing a target, while two Japanese AA batteries along the coast banged away, and we watched the puffs of smoke in the blue sky. And the irony of it all struck me forcibly.

Some time during Feb or nearly in March, Y took part in a sketch with Nora Witsfell. Bill College had dramatised a short story about two girls at a finishing school in Brussels, one of them relating to the other her experiences de coeur during the recently ended holiday. He called it ‘That Romantic Age’. It was quite amusing and Nora and Yvonne did it very well – the first time I had seen Y act. But Bill had not dramatised it well, for it amounted almost to a monologue from Nora with a few interjected sentences from Yvonne. I had wanted to point this out to Bill, but did not like to as it was Y who was taking the smaller part. Later on Bill decided to put on ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ in the open air. He asked me to take the part of Lucentio with Richard as Petuchio. Winnie Cox as the shrew and Nora as Bianca, but Richard and Winnie and I cried off. I, because I wanted a rest, had been losing weight and the hot weather was coming. Then he cast Nora as the shrew and wanted Y as Bianca. Y would have loved to do it, but she too had lost a lot of weight and was looking a little tired, so she decided not to, too. The play is on now. We should have gone to it last night, but a black-out was suddenly ordered and the concert cancelled.

After ‘Esther’ Yvonne danced a very pretty solo (to a minuette) in a crinoline during one of the scenes of Dr I. Newton’s musical comedy ‘Mimi’, and she looked grand, everyone remarked on her dance. ‘Mimi’ was quite a brave effort for a completely camp production, but the principals let it down – their singing being particularly poor. There was a first class fashion parade during the show – all the carefully treasured costumes and dresses were paraded. It was quite pleasant to see well dressed people again. Betty Drown composed all the music.  

After the Passion play I plunged into the St George’s Day fray. Y had decided to take no part, but in a weak moment I agreed to produce the Victorian Pageant in collaboration with Sheila Mackinlay. James gave us a rough idea of what he wanted and left us to devise and cast it. His idea was two scenes, one of the young Queen and one of the old Queen watching two processions of contemporary Victorian characters. James had wanted me to take the part of the Prince Consort, but I wriggled out of that and actually, we found a much more suitable person – George Wright-Nooth ((later in life Deputy Commissioner of Police)) – to take the part. Dressed up and with side whiskers he really looked extraordinarily like Prince Albert.

Saw Steve am practice on ‘cello. Cigs for Mary.

Cold, windy & drizzly.

Rice not cooked am.

((G))

Walk with Steve pm.

((G))

raining.

No $ so M bought my cigs.

Blackout cancelled 9.30pm.

Repat. rumours. 800 in first batch, all families.