X (Alun Thomas, E. Grant ((sp.?)), S Mackinlay ((sp.?)), J??? (("Jenner"?)), ??? (("Betty Twidale"?)), D. Wilson ((spelling?)), C.J. Norman (C), Betty Tebbutt,??? ??? (("Peggie Hunter"?), J. Matthew / ((or "Mathers"?)), Scantem ((spelling?)), Harry Tyler, McDermott.)
Diary pages from this date
Quite a few saw the New Year in, bells were rung & Auld Lang Syne sung. Everyone full of optimism!
Overcast, dry. N wind.
Started bricking up Dentists window.
Drink & pkt cigs with Steve.
Oil & sugar issued.
Mrs Brown gave me a tie. ((MW Brown?))
Excellent meal pm. Soup, fried potato cakes & fried vol au vent filled with egg yolk and wong tong.
Talk with G.F. & V.P. till 7pm.
Air-raid alarm 7pm to 7.30pm.
Just before 12, some people went out in courtyard and clanged Block 5's bell. Several people knocked on our door and first-footed us and wished us Happy New Year - don't know who they all were! Clifton came along and kissed us (except for Mum who was asleep in bed). People were noisy for about half an hour after.
Mabel had a meal ! - Half a rissole etc. We each slept on a crumb of wedding cake from Vincent & Marie's reception yesterday.
This morning to Mass, big crowd there. Brought Annie (Van Der Lely - Dutch) back for hot 'pancakes' and lime juice.
Worked in afternoon.
Supposed to be an air raid in evening.
We opened our last tin of bully.
Talk in our room at night by Mr Gimson on 'Elephant Hunting in Ceylon.'
Alumni of Stanley camp will always remember 1945 as the year they began to run down, finally, like clocks that have not been wound. Most of them slept a good deal and what weak emotion they felt was of an unpleasant kind.
Source:
Emily Hahn, Miss Jill, 1947, 264
Note:
This is a novel, but I suspect this gets close to the truth, for some internees at least.