R. E. Jones Wartime diary: View pages

American Independence Day. If Roosevelt’s promise is true we should be hearing some heartening news very soon.

Didn’t hear Hill’s baking efforts this am. ((Believed to be F. N. Hill)) Thoughts of all sorts of things kept me awake until the early hours of this morning so I was fast asleep by the time he got started.

Fridge moved from American Kitchen to G6.

Four pkts.cigs @ 30cts issued.

$75 parcels being distributed at last, but they are by no means satisfactory. Oats full of weavils [sic] & chocolate mouldy & the value of total goods $52.50, $22.50 dis-counted for big notes. However, as the goods are gratis (at present) we must be satisfied.

Dull & humid.

Had lovely eats with Steve, sausage & bacon & some real cocoa. ((We think this was E. J. Stevens))

Mandoline & guitar in Venables place. ((Probably A. C. Venables))

No news.

Two years ago today Marj went away, two years wasted. I wonder what you think of it all dearest. It is raining too just as it was two years ago on that hateful day. Shall I be seeing you before this year is out I wonder Marj pal.

Shifted to A.4.  D.room (The Single Officers dining room) Lyle, Jones ((probably means himself)), McGrath, Rae, Fitzgerald, Gemmell & Excell.

Settling down & getting kitchen gear together ready for a start within the next day or two. Held a meeting of all occupants. Willcocks elected Chairman. I’m to be a cook.

C.S. went to town. What for?

Repatriation yarn all rot.

$75 parcels being issued.

Rec. $14 from Taylor. ((Barbara Anslow: The 'Taylor' who gave Mr Jones money would be Mr A.J.C. Taylor of the Hong Kong Treasury. I record in diary of 8th July that my sister Olive and I each received $15 from him, so this seems to have been an official handout to civil servants in camp.))

(2nd Front to be opened. America to send more s/ms to Pac. & Med. Churchill sends for G.O.C. Lybia [sic] to explain loss of Tobruk. Chinese have 20,000 Japs bottled up around Canton?)

Still plenty of rain knocking about.

The rebilletting is still in a mess.

(Lybian & Russian situations OK. We are using a new improved anti-tank weapon?)

Rommell’s lines of comm. cut?

Camp optimism on the upward trend again.

Rain & wind.

Mrs Ashby brought in some news & she tells us that US planes were over Kowloon on Wed.

Started in our own kitchen P.M.

Rain & wind.

Several bus loads of Chinese, men women & children arrived & entered gaol today. Food rioters?

No.5 typhoon signal hoisted.

More Chinese entered the gaol under guard.

Slight improvement in weather.

In kitchen PM. Quite easy as compared with Ind. Qtrs. kitchen.

Dance at St. Stephen’s.

Allies have decided to clear the Japs out of Far East. Russians driving Germans back & Allies driving them back in Lybia. “Von Tripitz” bottled up in Norway & being bombed.

Special Roll Call tonight.

Fine but humid.

Pincer movement in Yunnan against Japs.

Canton bombed last night. HK blockaded.

Cloudy & showery.

Resumed German lessons.

2 Pkts cigs $1.10.

European news very good if true.

All news good but no details.

More Chinese entered Prison.

Filled in another form for C.S. name, birthplace etc.

Squally.

Wght.174lbs.

(30,000 Japs trapped in Aleutian Islands & relief ships sunk? If true, they will starve to death as the islands they have occupied are almost barren)

Benghazi re-capture, Fat Shan re-captured. Japs lost many ships off Hawaii & in Sea of Japan. Germans suffered terrific losses on Russian front?

Rained all day.

More parcels arrived.

Chinese being taken away from the Prison.

Heavy rain all day.

$75 parcel arrived so am fixed for cigs. etc for a while.

News good re Hawaii, Russian front & Sid. Barrami [?]

Better day but humid with some rain.

4 Junks, 2 small ferries & a small coaster anchored off Stanley Pier. Junks overloaded with Chinese from the Prison (Persons of no fixed abode in HK) where they had been since Wed. afternoon. 4 bodies dumped from 1 junk in about 10 minutes. The Chinese were eventually herded on board the 2 small ferries & after the junks cast off 2 more bodies were dumped.

(130,000 troops under Gen. Bailey landed in Java)

No fresh meat again.

Trouble in town.

Bodies on beach near Cemetery.

Fine day.

Fine day. Typhoon warning. Rained PM.

Usual Sunday. No news. Paper looks bad for us.

Tinned meat.

No news.

Rained.

13 ½ lb for 108 people (Pork).

People for Shanghai notified to be ready to leave on 22nd.

Rained.

People for Shanghai checked luggage. Later departure postponed.

Pork.

Paper tells us that Britishers in HK will not be repatriated.

Better day. More pork.

Fine day.

Bowls.

Bodies still on Cemetery beach.

New Council formed, Gimson chairman.

Plenty of Jap air activity today. (Canton in flames, Shanghai about to fall to Chinese? 21 ships sunk in Jap. endeavour to evacuate Aleutian Islands?)