R. E. Jones Wartime diary: View pages

Fine day. Did washing & had cold bath. OK too.


Prep. school orders to clear for Consular bodies. Indians left to make room for them.


Fine day, did some washing.

Paper news not so good.

Noh maai faan ((sticky rice)) served & very few liked it.

Days like this in despair of you ever coming back here darling. Walked around on the back path & past GII & let my mind wander back into the past.


D.E.Is. ((Dutch East Indies)) likely to surrender. Yarn re Argentina revived.


We sank 240 Jap ships & lost 100 ourselves?

D.E.Is. surrendered. (("At 09:00 on March 8 the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied forces, Ter Poorten, announced the surrender of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army in Java." See http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Dutch_Empire/Japanese_Invasion#Dutch_Surrender))

1/2lb tob. $20


Cressell ((sic.)) caused trouble in kitchen & staff walked out.


Meeting called re kitchen trouble. Vote of confidence passed. Hiscock & Fordham opposition.

Rations late due to Jap celebrations. (Fall of D.E.I.)


96,000 Germans caught at Smolensk.

Women & kids evac’d from Ceylon.

USA & Aust. to send us food.

C.S. ((probably 'Colonial Secretariat'?)) & G.P.O. staff arrived in Camp.

Rice 8ozs. Meat 1.4oz. fish .68oz veg. bread 36 per loaf 1.33oz. 658 adults & 30 infants (13.4ozs)


Fine day, no news.

Campitis re flour & Sallis’ enquiry as to where it came from. ((Probably A W D Sallis))

Ankles swollen.


Rained. Stalin to eliminate Germany by early Winter. USA ready to attack Japan. Chiang Kai Shek prepared for counter-offensive if provided with pilots & planes?

(Two years ago tonight sweetheart you threw the clock at me for being late. I wish you were here to do it again pal. I’d catch it this time though)

Another 12 arrived. Sanitary & Health people.


Rumour brought in by S & H ((sanitary & health)) people re being sent to Shanghai.


Bowls matches reminded me of old times. No beer to call for now though.

Finished in kitchen 6.30PM.

Concert in St Stephen’s Hall.


Bowls finals. England beat Wales.

Fine day.

Weekly meeting, nothing worthy of note.


Krupps & Renaults bombed to hell. We are 5 to 1 up on Axis with planes.

Japs landed in Aust.?

Particulars taken for C.S.


7 escaped from Camp. 3 USA. 2 Police. 3 for Ind. Qtrs.

Roll calls introduced.


Russia has all Ukraine. Total war declared on Germany & occupied France. Counter-attack by Allies in Burma. Three Jap big ships sunk?

All this news makes us very optimistic.


Fine quiet day. Nothing of note. 16 to the loaf.

Rangoon captured, 3 Jap Cruisers sunk off HK?


Damaged cruiser entered harbour.


No bread.

Japs & 3 REs searched the beach for landmines.

India declares war on Japan?

6 Police arrested for stealing from godowns?


Rye bread. Tinned rations in lieu of meat & fish. Very good they were too. Corned mutton, sardines & D.M.P.sausage. 2 ½ oz.