The convent of St. Albert, Hong Kong, had been previously converted into a hospital by the Royal Army Medical Corps. On January 18, 1942 this hospital was commanded by a lieutenant colonel, R.A.M.C. and it also accommodated the Commanding Officer and medical staff of the Tung Wah Hospital which had been evacuated a few days before.
On their arrival, the staff and patients from the Royal Naval Hospital, Hong Kong, were given a most cordial reception and everything possible was done to assist them . Part of the second and third floors of the hospital were set aside for their accommodation.
The Navy put its equipment and food supplies into the communal store and, in the words of the P.M.O.:
'During our stay at St. Albert's, we received far more from this store than we had ever put into it.'
From the day of their arrival at St. Albert's Convent, the naval medical officers and nursing staff from the Royal Naval Hospital, Hong Kong, were required by the Japanese to be constantly at twenty - four hours ' notice to move elsewhere . This made their lives extremely uncertain, particularly as regards food for the future as, by this time, it was well realised that in the months or even years ahead food might mean ultimate survival . The Principal Medical Officer has stated:
'As always, securing food was one of our constant preoccupations for we never knew when we should be leaving or what we should be allowed to take with us. It was very difficult to plan our rations under such circumstances.'
During the period at St. Albert's Convent, the Principal Medical Officer himself showed some degree of reduced physical health which is hardly surprising considering the strain which he had undergone. He developed four separate whitlows, two on each hand, which finally had to be incised by one of his naval colleagues.