R. E. Jones Wartime diary: View pages

Fine, hot day. Aired bedding or what is left of it.

Rec. RC letter from Mother 9-2-43. Seems Marj hadn’t written to her at all.

Japs made special search of lorry.

Churchill made known British casualties for first 4 yrs. of war. 158,741 killed, 78,204 missing. 159,219 wounded, 270,995 ps. of war. 109,101 civilian and 30,314 merchant marine casualties. Allies advancing on all fronts still. Russians now N. of Tali in Finnland & E. of Polotysk in W.Russia. Tilly area in France being extended by us & progress N. made in Italy. Burma not mentioned today & Pacific only slightly touched on.

Black-out ordered again, also an order prohibiting the collection of salt-water by people who go to the beach. (Salt (rough stuff) is 90sen ½lb & has to last us at least 12 days. People have been collecting quantities of salt water in bottles etc. for cooking purposes & now the lousy rats even stop that)

With Steve pm.

Russians have one million men on a 400 km. front & surrounded between 50 & 70,000 Germans around the Vitebsk area.

No canteen due to lack of goods.

Lovely day.

Started  demolishing a wall in order to procure bricks to build a hot water boiler with.

Allies advancing on all fronts. Nil re Saipan. Japs praising up their own war in China & Burma. 6 Chinese executed this afternoon.

I’ve run out of everything again damn it.

With Steve pm.

(HK to be relieved in 2 weeks? (camp rumour))

Hot, dry.

Work on wall & wood chopping aft.

Oil, curry pwdr. cigarettes & 2 boxes matches issued. Canteen open am but due to none arrival of ordered goods many things ran out before all people were served.

P. Henriot (Prop. Minst. of France) assassinated 28th. Allies 25mls S & SW of Florence, Sienna. Advances made on all other fronts. US casualties to date. Killed 35,148. Wounded 86,789, missing 45,725, Prs’s. 36,467.

Jap Dr. ask Prof. Digby for a signed document that would state the Jap. Drs usefulness, ability etc. in the Camp & of the lack of cooperation afforded him by the Japs i/c.

Yamashita stated in jest “That he would be applying for repatriation soon”, during a conversation re parcels & repatriation for us. Perhaps his jest will become fact far sooner than he expects.

With Steve pm.

Fine, hot.

Work on wall.

Joint protest being signed by all adult internees. It deals with all the Camp problems that are becoming more acute daily, poor food, lack of drugs & medicines, the increase of diseases caused through malnutrition, the inadequacy of canteen supplies & money. It points out that for 100yrs Japan has had a name for treating her war prs. decently & that in this case she has let herself down badly. Let’s hope something comes of it.

At the moment I have about Y27 but cannot buy anything with it due to Canteen routine & lack of supplies, no soap, salt, sugar or oil.

Eating (what little there is) is a bleak affair, rice & soup every meal & all as tasteless as whitewash. The majority of internees are similarly situated of course. Why can we not be allowed the treatment accorded to the Internees in Shanghai? it seems they have adequate supplies & regular Red Cross parcels besides. If a neutral vessel was allowed to call here with supplies once per month the majority of the ire raising problems & bitterness would be eliminated. To think that we shall appreciate life & its little blessings all the more when we are  free again is really poor consolation for an empty tummy & a none too clean body that is liable at any time to contract any of the many diseases due to malnutrition. Heaven help any Japs I get charge of if ever.

Indian Guard (ex HK Police) saw Perdue re pension, said war would soon be over.

With Steve pm.

(Turkey assumes state of emergency and mans border posts?)

Rained nearly all night and clear up at 9am. Wind veered to S from NE.

More bricks & chopped fire-wood.

Sand found in last Canteen purchase of Wheat-bran.

Heavy gun-fire about 3.30pm.

No Canteen gear arrived today.

US severed Diplomatic relations with Finnland 30th ult. Advances being made by Allies on all fronts.

Jap paper contains an article by the new Chairman P.A.Krishna of the Indian Independence League re lack of support from Indian community. Indians must now declare their nationality, or in other words, say whether they are for Independence or not.

Grindleys made cake today & used Canteen wheat-bran. Due to the sand therein they dare not eat it & to save throwing it away asked me if I would like it. Sure I liked it & ate it sand and all. I’m too hungry to worry about sand in the food.

With Steve pm after listening to some of the fantastical prices being paid for stuff at the Auction.

Heavy showers all day, brightened 5pm.

Brick work & ground rice.

Some significance being attached to cartoons & wine adverts that have appeared in the paper recently. Meanings bearing on the war can be read into them.

No lorry today.

Mrs Flaherty caught trading with Formosan guard. Japs arrested her.  

Much rumour re Kowloon being turned over to Wang Ching Wei Gov’t. 

With Steve pm. He has slight fever.

Japs rang bell 10 mins before time 7.50pm & it seems a deliberate attempt to be nasty.  A crowd of about 50 were taken up to H.Qs where they were told that although they were on their way to their different rooms  they could not have reached them by 8pm & therefore were transgressing because they did not allow sufficient time to leave where-ever they where [sic] to get back to their own quarters by 8pm.

The Japs are wrong because any part of the Camp can be reached in less than 10 mins from the place the 50 were collected, the Canteen gate. It takes only 25 mins to go around the whole Camp perimeter.

Wed 5th, and 4 yrs since we parted darling.

Rained during the night, cloudy & hot.

Medical inspection. Weight now 156lbs. from 165 & 175 before the war.

Petition re food etc. handed to Gimson and by him to Japs. 2012 had signed it out of a possible 2191  91.8%.

Lorry arrived at last, no Canteen gear.

Rice in town works out at 3d an ounce & milk at 7/- a pint.

Japs seem to be getting on OK with their campaign in China battling strongly against US forces in Saipan & Bonin Islands. Advances made in Russia, Italy, and Finnland by us. As the Japs over emphasise their gains and under emphasise our own, things seem very good for the Allies.

North’s notes very enlightening re US Pacific strategy & likely happenings on China Coast.

Total daily food consumption per head per day 1lb 6oz approx.

With Steve pm.

“Coolie” by Madelon H.Lulops deals with Dutch Colonial contrast methods which were abolished 1931.

Full MOON, ㊸  17/8/44 ((That's how it's been transcribed. Not sure what it meant?))

Heavy rain early morning.

The No. 43 very prominent in dreams last night.

Showery.

Brick-work & wood chopping.

News excellent. Japs getting hot in Bonin & Saipan Islands. Several hundreds of plane. Germans driven west of Podolsk & Minsk (4th) & Germans evacuated positions in Normandy. Everyone very optimistic now.

No rations or Canteen gear arrived.

Eggs Y2.65 3/1d each & bananas 65sen 10d each.

Yap raided 4th.

Wind to the E pm.

With Steve pm. He is much better today.

Foster very ill. Typhus?

Fine, hot.

Brick work & wood chopping.  

Kovel evacuated by Germans.  Advances made by us in France & Italy, Finnland & Russia. Saipan Island surrendered 30th June. Described in Chinese paper as “Peace Overtures”. Japs trying to softsoap Chungking now that things are going against them. Burma, Bonins & Saipan not mentioned today.

Firewood rationing cancelled in town. Something else the Japs couldn’t control blast’em.

With Steve pm. He told me of the yarn going the rounds re Christine being my baby. Something must be done about it. 

Hot, windy & cloudy.

Foster died 11am.

Canteen gear arrived at last.

Russians advance in Finnland & Poland. Advance made by us in Italy. German CinC. relieved in Normandy (due to ill health?) More raids on Bonin & Guam. US raided Canton last night 9pm. Japs holding brass barter in town which proves how poorly they are off in Japan for that and other metals too no doubt. 

Attended Foster’s funeral. With Steve after.

Getting squally pm.

Surprise roll-call 11pm.

US Officers from Saipan described fighting as extremely bloody & inferred that Japs put up strong and brave resistance. 10,000 US casualties.

Rain squalls & strong wind all day. Tiles from roof.

All gear ready now for construction of water boiler.

No paper in today. No news.

Saw Denton & boyfriend re malicious gossip.

With Steve pm.

Lousy weather pm.

Squally.

Building water boiler. Rice grinding.

10day oil issue. No rations arrived today.

Japan (Kyushu) again raided 2am 8th. Canton raided 10pm 8th. Allies advanced up to Volterra nr Pisa in E & W line with Florence 7th. Russians advancing on Vilna 7th.

With Steve pm.

Weather cleared somewhat.

Food situation getting rather tight. Japs issued 150lbs beans in lieu of veg. etc. which works out at about 1oz per head for 24hrs.

Black-out off.

Better day. Few showers.

Canteen 132.

Lousy food today.

News very good. Pressure by us on all fronts including Burma. Japs say only 2 houses burnt on our raid of the 8th on Kyushu.

With Steve pm.

Sat with Webbers a while.

Oh! for a really good meal. Fish .96oz. Veg (nil food value) 8.5oz per head daily.

Windy, showers, brightened pm.

Caen fell 9th. Russians broke into Vilna 9th. All other news good.

Rec. letter from Marj dated Aug.1943, all well with them both bless’em. Posted my monthly card to them.

With Steve pm.

Windy, showery all day.

Kirby died last night, buried this evening.

Chopped firewood.

News good generally. Canton raided am 11th. Jap paper still reports resistance in Caen & Saipan.

With Steve pm.

Windy, showery.

Ground rice for Steve am. Bread rice pm.

Jap paper has nothing of note in it except commencement of evacuation of people from Tokyo & some more dope on V1s on London. Chinese paper has better news, especially that dealing with Russian Northern front. Vilna captured and forces attacking N in Lithuania & S wd to Bialystok.

With Steve pm.

Squally, overcast all day.

4 cigs issued.

Palmer aged 70 died & buried today. ((Probably refers to I Chalmers.))

Mrs Brown to hosp. ((MW Brown?))

Russians doing fine, all other news either covered or absent.

11am meal extremely lousy, rice & beans, pm meal a little better. 2 fried sprats, 2 pot & 2 taro chips, fish sauce (described as doubtful) fish water & rice.

With Steve pm. Rained heavily all the evening so plenty got wet shirts getting home by 8pm.

According to Camp Bulletin letter & graph re camp conditions sent to Tokyo & the petition signed by 91% of the Camp sent to Jap Authorities in town. Nothing will come of either as usual.

Cigs & the few cents allocated to workers ceased & the supply of tea is exhausted. So it goes on, negative results & decrease of amenities such as they are.

Wind veered to S. much rain in squalls. Warmer.

McNamara (KC) died.

Ground rice & chopped wood.

No paper today. Much optimism re position & progress of Russian front. Some fixing end of next month as time of collapse of German resistance.

Mary sent up a lovely tiffin for me. I must never forget the good turns they have done me.

With Steve pm.

Wind to SW. Better weather.

Shovel for Steve. With him aft. & pm.

Gandhi proves himself the opposite to what the Japs would have him according to their propaganda, ie British Quit India. He proposes to form a National Gov’t with the Viceroy & C in C i/c supported by a Cabinet chosen from Moslim & Hindu elements.

Vilna & Pinsk captured 12th. Gains made in Normandy & Italy.

No.10 Block bakers busy making buns & cakes. A Jap high official is to inspect the Camp tomorrow, after which the party have tea on their lawn at H.Qs. Probably he’ll be hoodwinked into believing we are having a good time or bribed to say so.

Nice day. Wind SE.

Rec. letter from Marj Apr ’43.

Jap officials arrived 10am to inspect the Camp. Qurst.[?] General. Let us hope they see & hear the truth & that they are told where they have failed in their conduct & treatment since the Camp’s inception.

Ground bread rice. Rumours of our evacuation have gained in volume, Macao next stop.

Daily average of rations for the week  .92oz fish, 6.7 veg.

With Steve pm & with Webbers after. Had little feed in celebration of their wedding anniversary.

No lorry, paper or news today.

Six people who were dancing to gramophone music arrested & kept up at the H.Qs all night. This shows pure cussedness & resentment on the part of the y.bs.

Small piece of sago issued by welfare.

Duck eggs 5/6d each.