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 .
On February 24 , 1942 the P.M.O. was informed that the naval staff from Hong Kong Hospital were to be ready to leave St. Albert's Convent on the following day . This meant virtually the final splitting of the naval party as an individual unit .
On the morning of February 25 , naval patients were transferred to Bowen Road Hospital with the exception of those who had almost recovered , who were sent to North Point Prisoner - of - War Camp . The P.M.O. and naval nursing sisters were transferred to Bowen Road Military Hospital . The remaining naval medical officers were sent to the Military Hospital in St. Theresa's Convent , Kowloon . The naval sick berth staff were sent as prisoners - of - war to North Point Camp .