Diary of George Gerrard in Stanley Internment Camp Hong Kong: View pages

The weather has now improved and is very warm and sunny. J.L. Anderson had a letter from his wife and he was very bucked with it. Mrs A. mentions you in her letter and says you are all right and well and at the time of writing which was a year ago you were all now reconciled to the state of affairs and not nearly so worried as you had been previously.

I am still hoping that one of your letters to me will turn up and so I'll get all your news. However dear it is very cheering to me to know that at that time you were well and cheery and keeping your pecker up. Stout fella. Also she had said that you were all busy sending us parcels which is ever so kind of you, but it is such a shame that we haven't received them, because I know that mine would have been a beezer.

The high light news this week is repatriation which is now about to become a reality for the 'gallant'. Women who stayed behind, all women and  children under 18 years of age together with a number of men who are sick and aged, some of whom should never have been in here in the first place. The women include the Chi Chi ones as well who because of their dual nationality had the option of remaining but they have decided to go.

All men had to go before the Medical Officers for examination, but Dr Pringle who examined me but said nought, didn't even ask if I was all right. Just mentioned my name which he knew and asked for my room number and that was all. Others of course who have some complaint had to go before a Medical Board comprising of Prof Digby, Drs Dean Smith, Valentine, Uttley and Newton and examined by them very thoroughly. It is not yet known who will get away until Myina comes back from Japan on 1st June.

J.F. who has a thyroid gland swelling in his throat was before the board and might get away. We of course want some of our staff away, someone of substance who could tell London the full story and J.F. would of course fill the bill in that respect, leaving D.B.B. and I to carry on. Chalmers is also likely to get away as he has had a lot of sickness, in and out of hospital.

The B.C.C. Bulletin says that the Jap Authorities will sympathetically consider requests for enquiries for close relatives in Canada and the Phiippinoes to be made through' the I.R.C. so I hope to be able to find out about you dear through' this source. We grasp at every opportunity to hear about our loved ones. Always hoping dearest.

On Tuesday afternoon the Trojans played the Hi attached A at bowls and we beat them on all rinks. My rink was the same as before and we won 10-8 which was pretty close. We received five points in all, we should have played the Police 'White' this evening but the rain came down in buckets.

D.B.B. and I during a dry spell went down to J.Fs' and had our usual cup and yarn. I made the distribution to the staff last Sunday forenoon and all were mighty pleased. This payment of 10 Yen each was made possible because we had been able to get in some dollar notes of high denomination and owing to the end of this month being the finishing date for using dollars in payment of goods bought in Hong Kong only military Yen being the legal and only currency now, the Authorities changed these notes into Yen at the exchange rate of four dollars equals one Yen.

When George Rodger and I were having a game of darts in the room today I spotted a large centipede crawling along the floor at the rate of knots, it was about 9 inches long, a nasty brute, we got fixed and G.S.R. despatched him with his wooden clog. Then outside our room another one was crawling, it must have been its mate and as it was high up I brought it down with a pole and G.S.R. again put the monster to its account. So we have some excitement with our live stock, bed bugs are of course the worst and the bane of our existence.

Churchill has now concluded his talks with Roosevelt in Washington and we sincerely  hope to hear of the big things happening soon both in Europe and out East.

J.F. and I were at church together last Sunday afternoon. This week we have had mutton twice and beef (buffalo) once the rest of the days fish.

This is a day I have been looking forward to since the first letters commenced coming into the camp for when I was down at the ration place this forenoon and whilst working on the ration figures Andy (W.J.Anderson) handed me a letter from you. Oh Boy what a thrill I got.

It was very decent of Andy for he happened to be in C.S. office when the letters arrived and he saw mine, got hold of it and rushed down to give it to me. I was dated 4th May 1942 and it was glorious to see the handwriting of my own Twinkletoes. Tho' the letter is over a year old actually taking 13 months in all to arrive here. I have the feeling that my lass is still well and getting along all right.

It was cheering to know that Swiss were in touch with you and sending you remittances. I'm glad that you like the change of house and from information I have got as to its location you are still near to English Beach.

Yes I could have made good use of the five year diary and the Parker pen, but like everything else, except what I had on me, these would have been lost to the looters. I loved your description of Vancouver as it was when you wrote and your expression but 'Robin Adair' however my dear happy days will come our way again. I am now hoping that more of your letters will come my way now that I have got the taste of one.

Repatriation or evacuation is still the top liner but how it will affect your hubbie will be unknown until Miyina comes back from Tokyo, tho' all the wisecracks know all the answers already. We'll see later.

J.F and I were a Mrs Bonnars wedding to Captain W.R.Worrall this afternoon. She is the wife of one of our European Watchmen who was killed in the fighting. The ceremony took place in the B.C.C. room conducted by the Rev. A.P.Rose and later a small reception took place in her room, coffee and sandwiches and cake.

It is really wonderful how people manage to get together the necessary eats for an occasion of this kind, everyone helps. J.F. proposed the health of the Bride and Bridegroom. Mrs Bonnar (or rather Worrall) has two young girls so Worrall has a ready made family.

Yesterday I received a parcel from Ah Lin containing 1 tin jam, 1 tin sardines and 6 sweet corn cobs, mixed cocoa, corn starch. Brown sugar and tea had been removed for some reason or other. Too bad.

The Banns of marriage between Hugh Smith in our room and Margaret Black were called for the first time last Sunday. They hope to get married before the evacuation of the women takes place whenever that may be.

The weather has been awful lately real solid rain practically all the time. Lights out from the 1st of June is 10 o'clock now, so they are gradually doing everything to save electricity in other words they are short of coal in Hong Kong and can't get any more or in very small quantities. It originally was 11 o'clock, the half past ten and now 10 o'clock lights out. Well we are internees and shouldn't grumble too much our day will come, as sure as day follows night.

Blackouts are now the order of the day and with a big improvement in the weather, it is now bright and sunny again with just odd showers, one can put up with blackout discomfort. It is said that there is a lot of shipping in the harbour which is making them extra cautious.

Some more people have received Canadian letters since I received yours and it is that you my hope that some more of yours will come my way soon. Hugh S and Margaret B banns were called for the second time last Sunday.

I received a parcel on Friday from Lo Fung (typist) containing 4 catties of English potatoes and they were grand, a fine change and a real treat, also 1 tin sardines and 1 tin of condensed fruit, all very acceptable to our mess.

There's nothing of much importance in our lives to report this week.

Blackout are the order of the day still and it is rather boring and tiring however D.B.B. and I after our wee bit supper sit out and yarn on all subjects. We get to bed about 10 o'clock and I get up early just after six or so. Sometimes I get a wee cup of tea by getting hot water from the water boiler. To make it tasty I add a leaf of mint which gives it a nice flavour.

I played bowls On Friday evening for the Trojans, got four leads played when the rain came down in buckets. We left off all square against the Police Whites. On Saturday afternoon Jack Hayward and I played Raymond and Ferguson in the pairs and beat them 26-13.

At the service on Sunday forenoon I was on duty as sideman with John Scott and at 4 o'clock J.F. and I went to church. On Saturday night D.B.B. and I were at J.Fs' for tea and a biscuit and our usual yarn.

The rations are very poor just now and most people are losing weight, fortunately I am keeping fairly steady at about 165lbs.

Repatriation news is still floating around, but nothing official has been given out, tho' we still have our hopes. The news is excellent, even the Japs paper giving heaps away. I hope dearest that peace will come our way, that is of course after all our enemies have been brought to hell.

The weather generally is very poor and broken with heavy thunder squalls. J.F. had a letter from Bertie Bell from Amoy and there they were all busy packing up their goods and chattels preparatory to being transferred to Shanghai and their final hope of course is repatriation. They might be better off in Shanghai but will of course still be interned, the change of course in Shanghai is that Wang Ching Wei's government is in control there and repatriation on that score might not be easy, however like everyone else we wish them well and good luck. I still keep busy and always have plenty to occupy my time with rations, cooking and washing or rather drying up dishes, washing clothes and so on. Soap is becoming a problem.

The big news this week is that we have each received 20 Yen from the International Red Cross. It was paid out to us on Tuesday and very welcome it is too. There are many things that are absolutely necessary and unfortunately with prices rising so high most are out of our reach but soap, shoelaces (string often has to do), sugar or wong tong, bananas (eggs are now 70sen each an impossible price) bean curd, soy sauce and so on.

The past week has been terrible with continuous heavy rain making washing if not impossible, at any rate the drying of the clothes a knotty problem with the consequence that washing has just not been done and clothes are smelly and damp, also the bedding is damp and clammy. However we hope that the sun will shine soon in more ways than one.

J.F. had a letter from his sister in Dundee (Kerr) saying that Mrs F. had received his letter which he had written in May last year before the Americans went away and which presumably went with them when they sailed on 1st July.

D.B.B. and I were at J.Fs' on Saturday evening for our usual. There is no further news of repatriation tho' it is fully expected that it won't be long before the women and children go.

Hugh Smith and Margaret Black are getting married on Saturday by Ken Dow and the ceremony is to be at the Tweed Bay Hospital and the reception is to be held in the Sisters Quarters on the top floor.

My dearest on Thursday 24th I received your loving and lovely letter of 9th October 1942 and from Glasgow too, what a thrill I received. You are simply marvellous Nell. This news that you have travelled both ways across the Atlantic during the war time which is pretty good doing. I am very happy and pleased that you took the chance and arrived home safely. So glad that the folk at 440 Anniesland Road were glad to see you and being kind to you which is very cheery.

It was fine to know that you called at the Lands Office and saw Mr Warren Swire. I transmitted all your news of this kind to J.F. and C.C.R. and the others.

We have now received word that all the rest of the staff in Amoy have now been transferred to Shanghai. We hope that they will be all right there and trust their chances of repatriation will be good, tho' with Shai in Wang Ching Wei's hands we hae oor doots.

Then today I received your loving and glorious letter of 26th October 1942 and it was just fine and I'm so glad to know that you were well and happy. This is therefore the third letter I have received from you dearest. I hope I will be lucky and get some more.

No dear I haven't yet received any of yours or Red Cross (other than the IRC last year) parcels. Nor of course has anyone else but we are always hoping. I'm so glad that you have managed to secure a post with the Red Cross and I hope you will be very happy in your job. I always wonder whether you received the six month allotment I sent you on 10th December 1941 amounting to 600 US Dollars.

It is fine for me to know that you have heard from me I think that would be the letter I wrote when the Americans went away. We have been allowed to write a 75 word postcard which I wrote on Thursday and handed it in to the C.S. Office. This postcard is dated 31st May and we have been told we will be able to write a 200 word letter next month for June.

The Japs are funny in their ways and it would seem to us that they are in a tight corner with their shipping. 

J.F., D.B.B., G.S.R. and I went to Hugh Smiths' wedding this afternoon (Saturday) down at the hospital and it went off very well. J.F. in a racey speech proposed the health (in tea) of the Bride and Bridegroom. As a camp wedding present I gave them a tin of tomatoes and a tin of condensed milk being the remaining tins left from my I.R.C. parcel last year.

Yesterday (Tuesday) evening I received your glorious and loving letter of 18th October 1942 so I think this one completes all the letters written by you in Glasgow during October '42 and for these dearest I can assure you I am very grateful. It is fine to know at the time of writing you were settling down in Glasgow and enjoying being there and keeping well and fit.

It is said that there are many more letters in town, but as the Japanese censor the letters again and judging by the rate the letters have been coming into the camp, they are very slow and I also think the Civil and Foreign Affairs Dept. are always in conflict with the Gendarmerie and the Military so that things are not easily dealt with.

Of course the other alternative is open to the Japs and that is either commit all the letters to the waste paper basket or burn them which they seem to have done with the previous lot namely the May, June and July letters of last year. However my dear we continually live in hope of letter days to come and the news we receive is still good and makes us hopeful.

The sensation of the season is the arrest of six internees by the Gendarmerie on Monday evening. W.J. Anderson (Andy), W.R.Scott and Lou Black (Police) ((I don't see a "Lou Black" on the lists of internees, but other reports mention Inspector Louis Whant, so I think that is who is meant here.)), Bradley (Similarily), Rees (Wireless) and Freddie Hall (Lew Crawfords). There are all sorts or rumours of wireless sets and money and what not, but there is at the moment nothing definite as to the reason. It appears very strange and I don't envy the lads.

I am busy these days typing out certificates for our staff just in case they get repatriated but my time is very restricted with being on rations all forenoon and now with Andy away I have more figures to work out. I have also typed out the new list of church sidemen for July and August.

The weather has been very wet lately but is now improving. D.B.B. and I were at J.Fs' on Saturday as usual.

Another sensation has been caused by the further arrest today of more internees vis Waterton and J.L.Anderson (wireless), J.A.Fraser (Defence Secy) and F.Roberts (Police). Waterton was forced to dig a hole down at block 18 and from this a wireless set was recovered. The lads previously arrested are still away and it doesn't look well for them. We do hope they are not having too rough a time of it.

Alan Taylor has been appointed camp Q'master. ((I see a "Harry Alan Taylor" on the list of internees, and guess it is him.)) With all this bother there has been a great scarcity of news, no bamboo wireless coming in at all and the newspaper giving very little away, altho' we did get part of Churchill’s' speech referring to the Autumn leaves beginning to fall and so from that we infer that big things will happen in Europe soon if they haven't begun already. Then there is activity in the South Seas and we are occupying islands there.

14 more people have come into the camp mostly bankers and are occupying 'E' bungalow and we have been to gleam a little news from them of home and local conditions.

The weather has improved a bit and we were able to play off one of our bowls games last night against MacCleod 'B' and we beat them on two rinks and got four points. My rink won 15-11 against Pengully.

H. Smith is still on his honeymoon but returns back to the room again on Saturday. Restrictions are much higher now with regards to being in our blocks with lights out at 10 o'clock.

I was on duty at the church last Sunday afternoon. I of course go to the morning service, but owing to the rations I have to leave before the sermon. D.B.B. and I go for our usual walk and on Saturday we had a seat on the hillside and J.F. brought a flask of coffee and a biscuit each. We also received a drink out of 6oz of lemonade each from the welfare and for these little luxuries we are always grateful, small tho' they may be they help to make life easier, tho' we would like more.

Another sensation was caused by the arrest of the Commissioner of Police Pennefather-Evans on Sunday when he was called out of the 9 o'clock communion service and taken away. Why he has been taken away beats us, but there it is and how he is doing about a change of clothing is unknown to us as his things have not been taken away altho' in the case of the others theirs were taken.

About 30 people are coming into the camp on Friday again mostly bankers and their families, 18 British, 10 Dutch and 2 Norwegians, so that the numbers are rising again, at the moment the figure is 2536, of which about 110 are Dutch, Norwegian and American.

Last Thursday we the Trojans played the Police Whites and tho' we lost on two rinks still my last wood got the winning shot and we got three points to their two. My rink was down 15-9 and it was a very exciting finish, for when I was to play my last bowl of the match we were lying one shot which made the match a draw, but with a good try I drew the winning shot and we won by one and the rain had just come on. Since then it rained incessantly and it has been very miserable especially being unable to get sweaty clothes washed and dried.

J.F., D.B.B. and I nevertheless try to have our usual evening walk and last Sunday we had our cup of coffee on the hillside. In our sojourns round the camp we are known as the three Musketeers.

Well the news of the invasion of Sicily has cheered us greatly and tho' the news in the paper is a wee bit old and not very informative yet we know that our invasion is cast iron and of great movement and importance.

Hugh Smith arrived back to the room after his fortnights honeymoon and his wife has gone back to duty at the Tweed Bay Hospital. They had the loan of the Shields’ room in the married block, Mrs Shields being in hospital and Sunny lived in the dental room.

The rations are very low and very poor in quality and tho' the B.C.R. are pressing for better food and more food, Our prospects of this are very small unless of course a food ship arrives or some of the parcels come. I am losing weight but keeping well.

My weight last Sunday was 159lbs which is the lowest I've been for over a year. Of course rations are low in everything that is rice, flour, beef, fish and very poor quality of vegetables such as water spinach which is only lepsop ((Chinese for "rubbish")), grass, fit for chickens and rabbits etc. and now that private parcels coming in have been stopped that reduces any extras. Fortunately we are able to buy bananas at 15sen each which help our --- and bread. A food ship at the present juncture is desirable and would be joyfully welcomed.

However we live in hope and trust that repatriation is not far away. The Canadians were called up yesterday and asked if they would definitely go should the opportunity for them to be repatriated arose. That is pukka, Canadians along with the few remaining Americans totally 64 in all. Rumours are flying about the place regarding repatriation and if all that is said is true well the ship is just round the corner. Lets hope it is.

We are to be allowed to write a 200 word letter with the closing date on Monday. Actually it is difficult to say very much as we are tied down so with restrictions of all kinds, must not write about repatriation, conditions in the camp, food, no double meanings, no mention of loss in weight and so on. However a letter is something in these times and I hope you receive them all right.

I always go to the lecture on Commercial Law given by H.C.Macnamara on Wednesday afternoons. We still go for our usual walk round the camp with half an hours talk seated on a rock somewhere. As usual we go to J.Fs' on Saturday evening. 

There isn't very much news coming into the camp these days, so our source of bamboo wireless has dried up. No coolies are allowed into the camp on the ration lorry and so no news from their quarter and nothing comes through' the wires, but we get a little from the newspaper and the Sicilian news is very good.

I completed and typed your letter and dated it Sat 24th July and posted it same day at the C.S. Office and I trust Nell that it arrives at you safely sometime. I am well and tho' down in weight, still I'm in fair condition.

On Friday we received 70Yen each which was very welcome as funds were low and even the banana comfort looked as if it would have to go west. However I'll now get something from the canteen on Tuesday.

Well Tuesday the 27th was a big day here when the paper gave us a late news extra to the effect that Mussolini had resigned and the virtual fact that Italy was out of the war. The newspaper comes in with the rations lorry and everyone went really crazy and all were talking at once like an Irish Parliament, bedlam let loose.

Yamaclita the superintendent took photographs and after two days of stinking fish we got mutton so everyone was happy and it would appear that the photo will be used for propaganda purposes saying how happy the internees are. Yes but it was because of Italy being out. This is the best news we have had yet. Attaboy.

Then at 5pm over came 6 bombers and 12 fighters belonging to us and oh boy did we get a thrill, the antiaircraft fire was pretty hot but our bombers never broke formation. They passed practically over the camp and then released their bombs over the harbour somewhere. It was jolly thrilling to us and with the Italian news has bucked us up tremendously.

We had the inevitable blackout at night. Then this morning about 9.30 more bombers went over doing their stuff. Is this the prelude to something of great importance. We hope so. I trust and think that the net is closing and the rope is getting tighter for the Japs and they and the Germans are going to have nasty time very soon, the sooner the better says all of us. We are now gluttons not only for chow but for more and letter news with a few more bombing raids by our lads conditions for us will be a bit more cheerful.

Another bombing raid last Thursday afternoon with at least 12 bombers that I saw, others say there were 15 or more. The news is trickling in of the damage caused. None of our planes were brought down otherwise we would have heard of it through the paper. Bombs were dropped amongst other places on Taikoo Dock, Fort Street, Supreme Court, March Yard, Blake or Doyle’s Pier, Central Police Station, Belchers Street and places in Kowloon.

We are rather mystified by the European news as there is no indication of Italy being actually out of the war altho' there are indicators. Oh for a decent homeside paper to read with up to date news.

We had our first meatless day last Saturday and our kitchen experts made a complete hash of it even to the extent of calling out the morning congee. However on Tuesday I had a lot to say and spoke very firmly and plainly and tho' I had most of the committee against me I felt I had the support of the community with me in my protest.

Well tomorrow is another meatless day, but from what I hear as a committee man, the last effort is not to be repeated and we shall surely get something better. Nevertheless the rations are so poor that it is all very difficult to do much. A common days ration is fish, water spinach (grass) and pumpkin and small quantities at that, its hopeless, but fortunately we have received a supply of soya beans from welfare which help greatly.

My lowest weight since coming into the camp was last Friday when I weighed 157 1/4lbs. Just imagine me being slightly more than 11stone. A food ship at this juncture would be welcome.

J.F. and I went to the show in St Stephens last Thursday evening. It was a full play called 'Full House' but as the actors were in winter clothing and the temperature nearly 90^o it couldn't have been very comfortable for them.

My thoughts are always for you dear and I hope you keep fit and well. The Trojans played against the Equine Sports Club and had them on all rinks. I won 18-12.

Today we received an issue from the canteen of 1/4lb of brown sugar free gratis and for nothing, it was to cost 85sen, but very few people have money and so the profits from the canteen fund the cost. The sugar was jolly well received and welcome too.

The weather has been awful, it having rained practically continuous from last Wednesday and indirectly too the air has been much cooler which of course whets the appetite and makes us hungrier still as if that isn't enough as it is. George I couldn't sleep last night I was so hungry and would have loved to be able to the meat safe for a biscuit and something. However we are still hoping for better days.

J.F. gave a lecture in our hall on the Worker and his leisure and tho' I've listened to his reading of it whilst composing it, nevertheless I thoroughly enjoyed. This afternoon I was at McNamara’s lecture on Commercial Law.

Repatriation talk is still going on, the Dutch and Belgians have received telegrams from the Swedish Minister in Tokyo on the subject and tonight it transpired that several of the C.P.R. people, Drummonds etc. have been turned down from the Canadian list. Repatriation or evacuation call it what you like is very necessary from this camp as conditions are deteriorating. I now weigh 154lbs (11stone). I ask you. Sylph like not 'arf.

The block committee go out of office next week and I'm in a quandary whether to allow my name to go forward again. We'll see.

Further repatriation news has been issued to the effect that in September the 'Teia Meru' will call here and take away any Americans and Canadians for exchange at Goa and it is expected that the ship will bring back Red Cross foodstuff to us and shall hope the women and children will be repatriated.

I do think and cannot see much hope of the men being repatriated so I am afraid we will have to resign ourselves to a longer stay of internment unless things in Europe and out here move quickly which as far as we can ascertain is evidently what is happening.

We have had another meatless day last week and generally speaking with poor chow it is not a day to look forward to.

I decided to allow my name to go forward for nomination to the committee again and the voting took place today and the results announced this evening which were as follows ((I'm not sure who the un-linked names refer to)) Bennet 180, Cooper 176, G.G. 170, Hillowes 161, Kean 156, Giffen 116 so I am in for another term which I hope will be a very short one. The weather is very broken at the moment but fortunately it is cool.

Today I received your glorious and loving letter of 5th January this year and jolly nice and welcome it was too. I'm greedy so hope I get some more. I'm so glad that you are fit and well at the time of mailing and getting along all right. Thanks dearest for all your good wishes and for your news.

Our great hope is in repatriation and the news is hopeful so that it may come our time soon. The Canadians and the remainder of the Americans are to go by a ship called the 'Teia Maru' sometime about the middle of next month.

Well yesterday we had two great air raids on Hong Kong one at about 10.30am and the other about 5pm. In the forenoon 8 bombers and 6 fighters, in the evening quite a large number and again yesterday afternoon 14 bombers and 6 fighters and oh boy it was great to see the grand sight of our boys doing his stuff and dropping their eggs and the noise of the 'crunch' was very reassuring. Let's hope they come again and again. 

Today we received 25Yen and this will be most useful for buying the extras so necessary. The weather is very hot.

My birthday and I received your lovely loving letter of 1st November '42 and jolly nice it was too. I was grateful for your news and pleased to know that you were keeping well and fit. The letters arrive just any old how but nevertheless a letter is a letter and much appreciated. We are to be allowed to send a postcard this week.

The Amoy people who are now in Shanghai transferred end of May were lucky in being able to get a group photograph taken in the grounds of the Hope Hospital, photographs here are absolutely taboo, the only people to have cameras are the Jap. Superintendents. However events are moving quickly and our incarceration may not be so long now.

I omitted to mention we were all greatly shocked to hear of the death of Sir V.M.Grayburn in the prison here. He died of beri beri on the evening of the 21st August (Saturday) and the news was only released by the Japs. on the 23rd evening, that is 48 hours afterwards. There has been a great stink about it and our people have taken the matter up very strongly with the Jap. Authorities. No-one was informed of his sickness or death not even his wife in the camp. It looks suspicious and he must have had a tough rough time of it.

We had our block representative election last Monday and the present member Bob Young was defeated by John Barnett who is in the room next to us.

We had a typhoon over the weekend and it is only today that the wind has finally dropped tho' it is still pouring.

I handed in my 100 word postcard to you on Saturday and I hope you receive it O.K. There is such a lot I would like to have been able to tell you but we are so much tied and restricted in what we are able to say that anything out of the ordinary would mean the destruction of the card. The Japs. are funny and peculiar in their ways.

We had a very fine air raid on Thursday 2nd September and oh boy it was jolly good and we want a lot more such like. One bomb hit a gasoline tank at the Lai Chi Kok and the smoke and flames rose high in the sky for a long time . Many bombs were dropped in Hong Kong and Kowloon and it is said that all the docks got a pasting. Miskee let them have it we can start afresh some day.

Yesterday afternoon we had the greatest thrill of our internment when about a dozen P38 Lockheed twin engine fighters came over the camp and did aerobatics, victory rolls and such like and one plane flew very low at the Gendarmerie headquarters and opened up his machine gun on it. Evidently the Nips. got the shock of their lives.

I was in church and the minister was just about to start his sermon on sin when the lads came along. There was a helter skelter everybody rushing about. I beat the Rev. F. Short to the door by a short length. It was great. We heard later (today) that the planes were over Happy Valley when the races were on and created great disorder there.

We have also heard tonight of great Russian advances and it may be that the airmen were telling us of the great news. The news of Italy's complete capitulation has set us all agog with excitement and we all hope that our day of release may not be far distant.

The weather is now mild and cool at night-time and in the mornings but the coolness makes our appetites keener and we could take twice the quantity we get of chow.

Parcels have started to come in again and tonight I got two, one from Lo Fung and Young Lo containing 1 tin fish, one bean curd, 2 tins yellow beans, and 1 tin pineapple (all Chinese made) and for this we are very grateful, also one from Mai Lee Ironworks containing 1 tin condensed milk, 1 tin of corned mutton, 1 packet sugar, one cake soap, one toothbrush and one towel. All the foodstuffs of course go into the mess pool. The soap I used myself also the toothbrush and the M.D.M. got the small towel. (('M.D.M.' is probably a misread 'N.D.M.', which refers to Taikoo employee Norman Dunn Meffan, and appears on several other pages in Gerrard's diary.))

My weight remains very steady just now about 155lbs which is not bad considering everything. Actually I feel fairly fit except that I often get cramps in my legs at night which is of course due to under nutrition.

The Canadians and a few Americans sail next week by the 'Teia Meru'. They are lucky. They are not being allowed to take papers or books, other than bible and a little passport all other papers such as marriage lines and other certificates are absolutely taboo. The Nips. are funny people all right.

There is not much news except that it would appear that we are doing well on all fronts and that of course is most satisfactory and if we knew all that is going on we would probably be astounded at the rapidity of our movements.

The Canadians and Americans are expected to board the 'Teia Maru' on Thursday 23rd inst., she being due on Wednesday night 22nd. The weather has been very strong with equinoxial gales and rain. Nothing very important to record, but the news is excellent.

The repatriation ship Teia Maru of 17530 tons ex 'Aramis' (French Mail) arrived off Stanley on Wednesday evening 22nd inst. amidst very heavy rain. The Canadians had instructions to board her next day, first to be outside the prison at 12.30 for inspection of luggage. Actually the tender from the pier took them on board at 5pm and the vessel sailed at 9.20pm bound for Goa for exchange with the 'Gripsholm', 62 Canadians and 2 Americans left.

I gave Bill Buchannan a message asking him when he saw Mrs F to ask her to be good enough to write you and report on my condition and well-being and my love to you. They are all lucky blighters and tho' we are envious nevertheless we wish them all well.

6 boys arrived from the north by the ship, sons of residents. The camp strength has now been reduced to from 2575 to 2515.

Charlie Rowcliffe asked J.F. and I to coffee on Wednesday evening as a farewell to Bill Buchannan and Jack Robinson and his wife, both of B&S. It was very wet and next day was wet too, but it has cleared and is nice again.