R. E. Jones Wartime diary: View pages

Nice day except for heavy shower am.

The arrested people released 10am.  They had violated the Jap. Gov’t rule forbidding public dancing, however, they were treated OK at HQs given cigs & tea.

Excellent news from all fronts. Saipan ours 16th & Arezzo 16th. Russians pushing ahead 19 mls per day. Turkey likely to abandon neutrality on our side & Germany indicates her selfish desire to protect the Fatherland only, to hell with her Protectorates it seems.  

With Steve pm.

Current in town reduced 1hr. ie 8-11pm.

Wind E stronger pm.

Fine, E wind. Partial eclipse of sun 2.30pm.

Jap C of Staff and others inspected Camp. Supposed to be investigations through report made by Canadians & by our own petition. One officer is supposed to have definitely said that the rice as measured was not enough.

Ground bread rice & chopped wood.

News excellent. Togo admits fall of Saipan & its serious consequences to the people.

Blocks 8, 9, 11 & Bungalows [blank space here as if meant to fill in details] placed out of bounds due to typhoid.

With Steve pm.

Oil issued.

Fine until aft. then rained.

News even better than expected. Togo & Cabinet resigned 18th. (Will the next Cabinet ask for terms?) Cagny in France taken 18th & Montgomery says things are going better than expected.  Ancona, Italy evacuated by Germans after our attack which caused a major dent in their line. 18th.  Russians advancing on Lemberg (Levow) [Lvov]

Biggest consignment of Canteen goods seen for a long time arrived today.

Adm.Yonai & Gen.Keisho [?] asked to form another Cabinet.

Place of “Yi” release found.

Squally pm.

With Steve pm.

Storm warning issued.  

Turkey stopped all outside communications & Parliament to have no recess. Hitler recalled military personnel from Govts in France Belgium etc. & replaced them with civilians.

Typhoon passed to S’th’wd. Gardens look in sad state now.

3 sentry boxes blown down and damaged, then the wood was stolen. CS. ordered it back to his office by 1PM.

No lorry & so no paper or news.

Weather cleared pm. S wind, overcast.

With Steve pm.

Ground rice  & she gave me some tea.

New Moon.

Rained early am. but cleared up later.

Complaints re sour congee.

Prof. Faid killed falling from a ladder 18 Block.

Lorry arrived but no papers. News too good to let us see it perhaps.

Lots of sesp [?], oatmeal, flour & odds & ends given to Camp by Japs, probably I.R.C. stuff that was kept back for their own use in town.

With Steve pm.

Wind backed to the E.

Chopped firewood.

Lovely day. Wind S.

Ground bread rice.

3 days papers arrived and good news in them all. St.Lo captured 19th & Leghorn entered 19th. An attempt made on Hitler’s life 20th. He gets away with a few burns yet 3 of his entourage were seriously wounded & 10 slightly wounded. We landed on Guam 21st. Premier Gen. Koisho made first speech in newly formed Cabinet aft. 22nd. Camp news has it that Hitler is dead.

With Steve pm. Lent me Y15.

Storm laden sky spread over by 8pm with a beautiful rainbow. All colours showed up beautifully under the grey & white sky, some of the rain clouds were green.

Rain & N. wind all night.

Canteen 25 & what I got today  cost 16/4 & pre war 10 ½d.

Rained all day.

Lorry came in very late so majority of Camp had Welfare supper (Tinned mutton, 12 per tin & 1oz bread)

Jap Cabinet intends to go on all out for victory. Mussi & Hitler had war conferences 16th-21st (so says the paper). Russians doing fine, Lemberg penetrated 22nd & Lublin threatened. Progress on other fronts not so good, according to the paper of course. Chinese papers taken to H.Qs. (Why?)

With Steve pm.

Radio, via Indian Guard says Hitler is dead.

Committee meeting.

Fine. E wind & nimbus clouds.

Ground rice for bread & chopped wood.

No more serving to be done in kitchen due to complaint re extras. Complainants, women & tired men as usual.

Supper was the lousiest meal ever, bare rice for meal. Lorry eventually arrived 8pm.

Paper has no European news whatever. (Camp news, Outside news excellent. Attack on Phillipines commenced. Hitler definitely dead)

Letter from Shanghai tells us the internees there rec.1 parcel Sept.43 3 Dec.43 & 6 in Mar. this year.

Showery am. E.S.E. wind, nimbus.

It is understood that we have a change of Administration to come.

Rec. 2 letters May & Sept.43 from Hilda & 1 from Bob Apr.43. May from Hilda indicates that Alf is dead. Bobs indicates conflicting reports made about our Camp conditions in England.

All our fronts opened up with apparent intention of breaking through. Advances being made in France, Florence & Pisa in Italy, Lublin in Poland & Russians are now (24th) NW of Kuanso in Lithuania. & clear of Pakov & Ostrov 23rd. Yesterdays Chinese paper quoting a New York Paper’s report of rumours circulating in German Dip. circles said that an announcement of world-wide importance will be made in a few days from Germany as a result of conference held by Hitler Goering etc. (North puts a pinch of salt on it)

With Steve pm.

No smokes.

A beautiful day. The bad weather seems to have exhausted itself.

Coal issued in lieu of firewood.

H.Qs and godown preparing for change of administration.

Ground bread rice.

Jap paper hard put to cover our advances on all fronts. Goebbels makes a stupid speech describing the attempt on Hitler’s life and avers therein that Hitler is still alive. Why should he have to make a long speech to that effect if Hitler himself could have spoken or shown himself. Consensus is, He is either dead or so seriously injured that Goebbels had to act for him.  The whole affair shows that rot has set in at the head of the German Army.

New Ad. to take over 31st.inst. i/c Col. Takanada, Mr. Hakimura [?] will act a  laison [sic] officer between him & Hattori in the F.A. office.

Raid by 1 plane about 2.30am.

With Steve pm.

Fine up to 7pm then heavy rain squall.

Bit of sunbathing aft.

Drew back tea order for Steve and self.

Godown & H.Qs emptied of private effects, soap etc.

Y12.50 issued.

Russians captured Lublin. US 300 plane raid on Palau Isles 26th. News of Biak indicates preparation of report of its loss to us.

Mary in Hosp so Steve having hell of a time with the kids.

Black-out ordered.

Salt ration to be doubled 1st Aug. & children under 6 10.5oz rice. Children over six to rec. full ration.

Dreamt of searching for Bondi Beach & Marj, crossing an awful looking structure representing Sydney bridge, walking around part of Sydney with nothing on, telling Blumenthal to pinch the wrist-watch from a pilot killed when his plane crashed & hung up in some wire cables.

Fine day. W. wind. Alt.Com. ((Not sure what "Alt.Com." refers to - clouds maybe?))

Ground rice for bread & chopped wood.

News good. Germans evac. Lemberg, Brest, Litovsk, Bialystok & Drinsk & retire in Galicia. US troops making headway. Allies still pushing in Normandy & Italy 27th. Thai Cabinet resigned yesterday. Japs expect attack on Island N. of Japan.

Have developed rotten cold.

Zindel inspected Camp.

Fine hot day. W. Alt. Com.

Roll Call went off OK this am all over by 10.45am.

No papers today, but yesterdays Chinese paper had some most excellent news in it. Kurile Isles N. of Jap being bombed. Japs expect US landing there from Aleutians. Allies expected to land at Genoa & Spezia in Italy.

With Steve & Mary pm. Winnie’s birthday. ((Winnie was the daughter of Steve & Mary.))

Saw Dr re cold. Temp 101.(A.P.C.)

HK$ fetching 11 Yen in Camp.

Daily aver. of fish .97 & veg 6.72 oz.

Black-out.

Felt much brighter but still bunged up this am. Dr. prescribed some Med & Asp.

A Jap. Officer smashed some windows that had V on them.

Another roll-call – 8am the same as the previous weekly ones.

Meeting called.

Jap big wigs arrived this am.

Two days rice arr. Temp. 5% cut in rice ration.

No papers but we do not know if that is due to a hitch or if the new Adm. have disallowed the privilege.

With Steve pm.

Rumours about already re am.s meeting.

Not a good night for sleep or weather. Showery W.wind.

Very poor tiffin, majority of Camp had bare rice only. Lorry arrived 3.30pm so the evening meal was a little better but late.

Another meeting of R of I, Block Chairmen & Jap this aft.

With Steve pm.

Mary dis. from Hosp.

No new, no papers.

More rice & oil arrived pm.

Sabang captured?

No smokes.

Some talk re Adm. taking over private gardens.

1 plane dropped bombs NTs 0015. A flight went over much later, about 4am.

Overcast, showery, wind W.

Canteen 110. 14.90=80cts. 17/6 – 1/-.[?]

Private gardens to be taken over for Communal purposes after private owners have reaped the benefit of their work. Any veg grown & used for commty will be in addition to rations. The size of chicken farm to be increased. ½ eggs will go to Hosp & the other ½ to Canteen for sale, proceeds to help buy chicken feed.

It would seem that once the new Adm. has settled in all will be well, better in some respects to previous Adms. Veg. has increased in quantity & the fish in quality. Rice we hope will increase too as from date of next X day ration period (11th).

Roll-calls to be made at 8am & 8pm in future with the usual outside one on Thursdays

(With a slight increase in rations & 25Y per month I could manage beautifully & keep fit too)

(Camp rumours. Nicobar & Andaman Islands re-taken by us. Hitler died of his burns)

With Steve pm.

Showery, overcast, muggy.

4 Pkts cigs issued. Welfare soap, Palmolive, Carbolic & ordinary washing soap. My luck was as usual in the Block draw, I got washing soap. The people who sit on their sterns all day got the Palmolive. The Dutch & Norwegians who have stacks of soap rec. Welfare soap too. Such is the cock-eyed world.

Papers arrived. Turkey severed Dip. relations with Reich August 1st. Rommel injured by bombs 17th July. Timor, Guam & Biak in our hand 31st. Mitau (Lat) evac. 2nd Aug. Premier Koisho tells Jap of possibility of US landings etc. Russians S & NE of Warsaw. Florence shelled. St.Malo captured. US forces fighting in defence of Hengyang.

With Steve pm.  

Did a bit of digging & planted sweet potatoes.

Overcast, raining.

Ground rice.

Good ration of veg. arrived.

Jap paper poor for news today, reviews & composite results mostly, says a lot but tells us nothing.  Yonai tells Japan that present air-raid shelters are inadequate. Chief of Jap Naval General Staff resigned.

With Steve pm more digging & planting turnips.

Italian General takes over CinC of forces in Italy.

Chris, after many boils all over her is now getting better.

Seems that it will rain for ever.

Noticed Plumb getting thinner almost every day.

Road between gate nr. Prison Gate to Cemetery closed.

No paper today.

Some Camp black-market prices. 3oz Cocoa Y40 = £2-6-8. 1 tin treacle Y155 = £9-0-10. Ricer per lb. Y18 £1-1-0. Cigs per pkt.10 Y4.50 = 5/2 or 6d each.

Control of Germany seems to have been taken over by Goebbels, Himmler & Ribbentrop 21st July. Churchill made very optimistic speech 2nd Aug.

With Steve pm.

Wind backed to E. Lovely day for a change.

Ground rice & chopped wood.

Lorry late arrivd. 6.15pm & some districts without anything but rice.

Daily average of fish & veg. last week. .95 & 7.7ozs.

Task force around Bonins. All Jap civilians in Japan to be armed. New President of Finland chosen.

With Steve pm.

Mary lent me Y30.

Lovely starry night.