Yesterday we completed the third year of the Japanese war, and within another six weeks we shall have finished our third year of internment in this camp! However, American planes came over three times yesterday to show us we were not forgotten! I lay down in our garden when, suddenly eleven fighter planes zoomed over the fort at the end of our peninsula and simply shot across the channel between us and Po Toi Island. The weather and visibility was bad and they were very low. We could not distinguish the markings but we have never seen Jap planes shifting at that rate and we guessed they were “our” planes and sure enough, in a few minutes the air raid whistles were blown. I dashed back to our block as I did not wish to have to take cover in the gardens in this cold weather. Presently we heard the sound of pretty heavy detonations from the direction of the town or harbour. Evidently, these fast fighters were tearing round the Colony while the bombers, which they had escorted, were dumping their bombs. Two tankers were on their way out and were passing Stanley Bay when these fighters swooped down and let fly at them with machine guns. They both stopped, one turned back and the other went ashore. They managed to re-float it today. There were casualties on this ship. I spoke to several witnesses who had seen one of the ship’s boats bringing two of the casualties ashore at Stanley Village where, amongst others, they were met by some Carmelite nuns – there is a Carmelite Convent in Stanley. There was a good deal of bowing, so it is possible that one of the casualties was an officer. I did not see any of this as I was on the wrong side of the camp. There was a second raid in the afternoon and a third at about 9 p.m. The morning raid must have upset the gathering in HK for the reading of the official rescript. It certainly disrupted the local one that was taking place up the hill: all the Japs had to dash in and take cover!
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