15 Sep 1942, Harry Ching's wartime diary

Submitted by Admin on Wed, 03/13/2013 - 21:57

((Following text not dated:))

Garden plot yields over catty of peanuts.

Letter from Wylie. Any sort of paper welcome in camp. Meat gifts go bad ten days en route. 

Fish very dear about $9 per pound. Moon cakes 70 sen each. Sign of the times: you can buy half one. Price of gold fallen from $1,400 to $1,200. Pre-war $270. 

Chinese who can afford to leave urged to go. Horace Lo and three M.K. Lo daughters for Kwong Chow Wan. Arthur Woo advises staying here. No medicines and much risk going into interior. To Septic to ask about repatriation prospects. Sees little hope but suggests telegram to influential friends through Red Cross. 

Chinese Volunteers let out on condition don't talk about camp. 124 freed from Shamshuipo, Tom Cheung included. Malayans are medical students from University who were members Field Ambulance. Some to be employed health work.

Intensive searching in streets for many days. Shirt sleeves turned back seeking messages on cuffs. Searches of trams require alight and pass through barrier then scramble on tram again. Running discouraged. Story of man who ran to catch tram. Called back he ducked a slap and allegedly was bayoneted.

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