Wind W, another lovely day.
Japs have hoisted their flag at HQs now.
Lorry arrived 12.30pm with a good supply of veg.
I.Qs. had congee only for tiffin. Mary sent me some up for 2pm cup of tea.
Russians N of Memel. Florence evacuated by Germans. Allies advance in Normandy. Laval & Mayenne.
Estimations re our release or relief in the Camp range from Xmas up to July next year.
Webber informed re his promotion.
Germany seems to have had another purge & Goering is among the purged.
1 plane raid in N. to North of here at 1am. The plane then flew S. and carried out a patrol of some sort.
Very warm night, hard to get to sleep. Overcast & showery am. Improved pm. W. East, cooler.
Cholera inoculation received.
Lorry arrived 3.30pm with sprats, milk, enormous chunks of firewood & newspapers.
Scotland now being bombed with V1s. US troops make advances in Normandy & Brittany. All other fronts make no progress. Japs capture Hengyang (9th).
In town prices increase. Rice Y9.20, Pork 60.50 & Beef 57Y.
With Steve pm. Talked about Free Masonry & its effect on private lives. ((Jones would go on to become a Freemason in Hong Kong after the war.))
Black-out cancelled.
Raid on N.Ts (Taipo?) at 9.15pm. About 10 bombs dropped.
Rain squalls all night from the E & squally all day.
5 days oil, sugar & curry pwdr issued.
Ground rice & chopped wood, broke the axe-handle in the process.
With Steve pm.
Paper has little good news for us, all our attempts to advance frustrated.
Petition to come up re Stuart’s promotion & the reason given for it, ie, “For services rendered during the War”. If such be the case then a large portion of the Staff are entitled to promotion. As his probable promotion was mooted before the war it smacks of Masonic? favouritism. However, the Crown Solicitor has it in hand so must await developments.
7 Pkts cigs issued, the extra 3 being a balance on orders from the F.A. section.
Fire wood problem becoming more acute.
Squally early am but cleared up later. E wind.
I.Qs outside roll-call only.
Paper has better atmosphere today. St. Malo being attacked from all sides (9th) & our penetration was extended S of Caen. Kyushu & Honshu bombed (11th) US Pres. had conference with Pac big nobs at Honolulu (26th July). Lots of Jap tripe re mincing of Jap bodies & of hanging corpses up for target practice, sending Jap skulls home & presenting Roosevelt with a paper knife made from a human bone.
With Steve pm.
Lights off 9.45pm & on again about 10.30.
Our planes flew over S to N at about midn’t but dropped nothing.
Some AA fire from the Japs & they used [s/its slits? s/lts?] for the 1st time.. ((Probably s/lts=searchlights, though surprising to find they hadn't used searchlights until now.))
Rained early am. Fine day, low cloud, Wind E.
Ground rice & chopped wood.
A raid alarm 1.45 to 2.45pm but nothing happened here.
Canteen gear arrived but no paper.
Mitikyina evacuated by Japs. ((Mitikyina in Burma was abandoned by the Japanese on 3rd August 1944, see Wikipedia article: Siege of Myitkyina.))
With Steve pm.
Araid [sic = air raid?] alarm 9.15pm & All Cl. at 9.50
(Raid on Canton according to 14ths paper. Abortive as usual)
Lovely clear cool night.
Posted my card to Marj.
Dream re Peace being signed at 2.04pm on 13th of ?.
Bitter fighting & some advances made in Normandy & Brittany & in some section of Russian Front (11th) Plenty tripe re US atrocities in Burma & of forcing Chungking troops to fight at Hengyang at the point of a gun. No damage caused in our raids on Japan. Jap troops withdraw on Imphal & Mitikyina fronts. 3rd Aug.
With Steve pm.
Pancakes.
E breeze fell & the temp. went up.
Lorry arrived with veg. 7.40pm. Most people had bare rice only for the evening meal.
Araid alarm 9.10 to 9.30pm.
Weeks average, Fish 0.68, Veg 8.67 oz.
Wind veered to SW early am. Cloudy, showery. muggy, brighten pm. Wind NE.
Japan bombed again 12th. Things seem to be shaping up for a showdown out here. All our fronts doing OK. Talk of new German weapon, a flying bomb that on explosion releases inflammable gas which is then lighted with incendiaries.
With Steve pm.
Ground rice & chopped wood.
Canteen.
5 days oil issued.
Strong squalls from E.
Paper has good news of French & Russian Fronts. Russians open an offensive against E Prussia whilst in France our pincer movement has developed considerably. Germans evacuate Osowiec & retire W. Mutiny on 3 British cruisers? Angers being attacked ((this French city was liberated by the Americans on 10th August)). News indicates that Germany does not expect war to last many more months. No Pacific or Burma news. Things seem to be screwing up for the general final showdown both E & W.
Made rattle for Christine.
With Steve pm.
Heavy rain squalls from the E all day.
Canteen.
Ground rice.
Anglo-US forces 2nd landing made am 15th in S France. Nice, Cannes, Toulon area. Gains made in N France & Estonia. Reuters Lisbon correspondent reports BBC’s broadcast of mutiny on 3 British warships. 20 sentenced to death 18 to Life & others to other terms of imprisonment. No news of Italian Front or of anywhere out here.
With Steve pm.
Protest re Stuart’s promotion being signed by members of staff senior to him.
Lorry brought watering cans & dried beans only so it looks like a poor day for food tomorrow again.
Heavy rain squalls from the E. Apparently a stationary typhoon slowly filling up close by. Wind dropped somewhat during forenoon, rained all day.
Mary sent me up some “eggs” made from egg yolk powder & egg white crystals, quite a success too.
Rice & beans for tiffin. Rice & congee for evening meal.
Last day of baking.
Lorry arrived 4.45pm.
Advances made on all fronts. Chartres-Dreux. 50mls SW of Paris. No news of Italy or Pacific. Rice Y13 per catty in town.
With Steve pm. Mary T.B.?
Air-raid alarm 9.45pm to 10.30pm.
Rained heavily all night.
Canteen buyer No.19.
Rained all day.
More Canteen gear came in.
Good evening meal tonight, good by Stanley standards that is.
Dreux captured. More gains in France & Russia. No news of Italy, Burma or Pacific.
According to C.S. the Japs expect anything to happen here at anytime. They have promised to send in a full month’s supply of rice among other things & emphasized the difficulty of getting supplies anyway. Roll on Xmas & relief as it is my guess that we shall be relieved by then.
With Steve pm.
Staff concerned with Stuart’s promotion had meeting in which Davies ((possibly E W Davies, a lawyer)) explained the ins & outs of the case.
Planes over about 1am.
Dry, overcast, squally pm.
Electricity off indefinitely (for perhaps 4 days) so got our wood boiler going.
Col. Takanada arrived for Camp inspection, but the General who should have come to carry it out didn’t come.
Water only on 6-8am & 4-6pm. Fire wood reduced by 20%. We are reduced to a stage [sic] of siege almost.
The whole Camp cooking to be reorganized. We get Congee at 10am a meal at 5pm & 4oz of dry rice.
The lorry that fetched the rice today is supposed to have been attacked by a Chinese mob in Kowloon.
No papers.
With Steve pm.
No smokes. We are back to the early 1942 days again.
New Moon.
Overcast, showery, warmer.
Chinese paper came in. Our forces on the outskirts of Paris where the inhabitants are on communal feeding. US Anglo forces rapidly advancing up Rhone valley. St. Malo finished. Russians through Osowiec.
Veg & what is a tremendous surprise, pheasant. It seems they are getting rid of the Dairy Farm stuff before it goes rotten due to lack of power to run refrigerator plant. What a chance for Jap propaganda, “Internees fed on pheasant”.
With Steve pm.
(Camp rumour, “Japs asking for terms” “Canton about to be taken”)
Overcast, heavy showers.
No food between 5pm & 10am. Hungry as hell.
Hot water at 2pm daily, once only. According to camp yarns we shall end up very soon on bare rice only and not so much of that.
Enjoyed our pheasant rissole, first meat for 8 months.
Chopped wood for water boiler.
With Steve pm & he is fed up to the back teeth.
Canteen prices increased & each person can spend 17-50.
Mary sent me up some boiled egg.
Chief of Gendarmerie tells public no electricity due to lack of coal, that the shipment expected was delayed due to bad weather. All news excellent.
German General pleading lack of planes & their radio brands our statement that Germany is on verge of collapse as base propaganda. Japan mainland bombed again 20th + 21st.
Black market prices. 10 Pkts cigs Y200 = £10-16-8. 1lb Margarine Y1,000 = £58-6-8.
Water supply back to normal.
Firewood situation much better.
Overcast, occasional showers, wind SW & to N pm.
More veg & pheasant arrived.
Japs cover the raids on their main-land pretty well, only slight damage reported – 23 out of 80 of our planes brought down. Nothing outstanding re other fronts.
With Steve pm.
Internees must be in their rooms by 9.00pm now instead of 9.30pm.
Lorry arrived with rice at 9pm.
Dreamt that Germany had capitulated.
Fine day, low clouds wind N.
Chopped wood for boiler.
Oil & sugar issued.
Anglo, US line from St. Germain, W of Versailles down to Fontainbleu 21st. Germans have withdrawn their 15th Army from Calais area to support other parts of their line.
Chinese paper has even better news. US forces advanced S around Bordeaux. Jassy evacuated 21st. Vichy Gov’t moved to Belfort. French Communists retire in all parts against Germans. V.Adm.Decoux given Dictatorial powers in F.I.C.
With Steve pm after he had been to Staff meeting re Stuart’s promotion. A deadlock seems to have been reached in this case. He was promoted contrary to Gov’t system, anyway nothing can happen until after the war.
Heavy storm 9 to 10pm forked lightning most vivid.
Commenced the 2 6oz rice meals, much dissatisfaction re quantity of cooked rice. Pheasant again.
Fine day, cloudy & hazy.
Sharpened Steve’s saw & helped him to grind rice.
Made a key to fit our store lock.
Canteen held.
Chopped wood & gave Dutch their 53lbs.
Japs to take over private gardens.
Lorry arrived late, 7pm, veg & partridge.
With Steve pm.
Mary lent me another Y20.
Air raid alarm 10pm much shouting of “Kuchu” ended the day.
Japanese again warned re intensified A-raids & likely landings in Japan by their Premier. Paper news OK, Brit & Canadians advancing N behind German lines toward Calais. V. Adm. Decoux more or less warned re conduct by Japs.
Plane around at 3pm [sic – am?] but nothing developed beyond a bit of searchlight work.
Good news around am. Parcels expected in Camp immediately. Much speculation re size, contents & number. 4 cigs & 2 matches issued. Foodstuffs ex “Teia Maru”. Cream 14 cases. Medicines 10 cases. Shoe repair material 4 cases. Children’s Special food 10 cases. Nurses uniforms 3 cases. Orange Juice 4 cases. Special Infants food 7 cases. parcel 4936.
King Michael of Rumania issued orders to cease opposition to Soviets 24th. A Nationalist Group issued an order to continue, result, riots. Advances made in France & Russia. Southern advance reach Grenoble 60mls from Lyons. All political parties in Hungary banned 24th. Some US factories reverted to peacetime production, cars, frigidaires etc.
½ partridge each pm meal. Lovely & succulent.
Fine day, Alto com. Wind E.
Some Jap plane activity am practice mostly it seems.
Census taken in connection with new Communal gardening scheme re fitness to work. Camp Nos. given to all internees. Mine 985.
Cup of tea with Webber am while he was room cooking. Chatties make everything very dirty.
Churchill in speech says end of war in Europe imminent & that war in Pacific will end before expected. Russians to force a climax through their offensive just launched. We all sincerely hope you are right Winston.
Sixty four bags of mail supposed to be in?
Japs expect Pacific to take on 1st importance and attach much importance to recent Hawaiian Conference & think that Phillipines & China Coast is next US objectives. US turning out cars & etc at a 20% higher cost than pre-war, radios will be as cheap but of better construction etc. The Pacific war situation allows production of torpedoes to decrease. Another small landing made on S coast of France near Pyrenees.
With Steve pm.