R. E. Jones Wartime diary: View pages

Fine day. Wind E.

Collected grass for drying & to help out the wood for water boiling which is now twice daily.

Battle for Paris began 25th Anglo-US forces about 140 mls from German border & German forces let down very badly in Rumania due to collapse of Rumanian resistance.

A few more words with Stevens re quiet hour. ((Is this the same person he usually calls "Steve"? Or is he referring to the family as a whole?))

We are allowed two Canteen purchases per month Y20 each as from 1st Sept.

PM roll-calls now fixed 7pm so all lectures, concerts etc. must now come to an end.  Some think the new order due to fact that patriotic songs were played & sung last night, others that trouble is expected at anytime.

With Steve for ½ an hour.

This new roll-call routine makes the evening seem very long.

Damned hungry again.

Fine. Showers forenoon.  Wind E.

Chopped wood.

Lorry went in am with some of our fellows & armed guard for rations. They were fed on congee & condensed milk in town.

Germans retire to their own borders on Eastern Front. Sweden stopped shipping to Germany. Street fighting in Paris. Churchill had 45 mins talk on important questions with Pope in Vatican.  

With Steve pm.

Parcels expected at any time now & a party detailed to deal with them right away. Some taken to Bowen Rd. Hosp. for the patients there.  

Lorry arrived back 10pm with rice & veg.

Showery. Wind SE.

Rice arrived. 4,000 bags.

Chief topic today is parcels.

Turkey & Spain Portugal & Switzerland sever Dip. relations with Vichy 27th. Advances made in France & Russian Front. Focsani in Rumania captured 26th. Increased raids on Japs northern islands. Troyes captured 27th. De Gaulle to church service in Notre Dame in Paris 26th. Hungarians having trouble with Rumanians. They captured German General Staff in Bucharest. Russia makes demands on Bulgaria.

Steve on rice carrying party pm.

7pm roll-call is an order from Tokyo.

Getting impatient & fed up again, hungry as usual. Imagine all kinds wonderful food.  

Marseilles & Toulon captured. Mountbatten has been home & reported that enough of Burma has been captured to enable Allies to keep routes open to Chungking at the cost of 10,000 killed, 3,000 missing, 250,000 sick.

Wind SW.

Collected grass for boiler.  

Promised parcels & Canteen goods did not arrive.

News excellent. Germany stops all outside communications. Allies N of Paris. Russians seem to be walking through to Hungary. Buzoa captured 27th. Paris captured 27th. US bombings intensified on all Jap holdings.

With Steve pm.

Air-raid alarm just after 10pm.

Fine, wind SW.

Canteen No.153.

Taking over of private gardens commenced.

No European war news whatever in today’s English paper which indicates that our yarn as to the reason for Germany’s severance of communications is correct, ie, “Trouble has broken out amongst the Germans”. Rouen captured also the Roumanian oil pipe-line 29th.

Lorry load of Jap soldiers arrived in Camp complete with arms & rations etc.

With Steve pm. Bet with Mary re parcels tomorrow.

Our planes over NTs from 11pm to Midnt appeared to be after the railway tunnels etc. Much ineffective AA fire from Japs.

Fine. Wind SE.

Outside roll-call 9.15AM.

4 Pkt.Cigs issued. Japs making up deficiency of workers cigs 1-10Aug.

Parcels promised & expected this afternoon again delayed, damn their bloody slant eyes. Canteen gear promised for tomorrow arrived today.

Russians nearing Bucharest. Bulgars ordered their troops to return from Yugo-Slavia & Greece and asked for Armistice 29th? The only opposition in Bulgaria & Romania now is German. Rheims comes into the news again after 30 yrs. rest. German General in broadcast said it took only 4 mths to lose as much territory as it had taken 4 yrs to obtain.  Propaganda & diplomacy has played a major part in the downfall of the Axis just as Stephen King-Hall said it would if employed correctly.

With Steve pm.

We had sliced tongue for pm meal & stew with plenty of fat in it.

Hot night, cramp and left chest pain, poor sleep.

Overcast, cooler, rain.

5th anniversary of outbreak of European War. We have the assured satisfaction of knowing there will not be a 6th. 

Oil 4oz. Sugar 1.6oz & Curry Pwdr 1oz issued. Mrs Brown gave me hers.[This written above the curry powder] ((MW Brown?))

Aberville captured. Lodz & Cracow too? Germany collapsed yesterday? North, the chap here who makes up a series of very useful notes from the Chinese & Japanese papers, thinks that the European war will be over within 10 days.

With Steve pm.

Hungry.

Lorry arrived with a good load of veg. at 9.30pm.

Cooler, fine, wind E.

Outside roll-call 8.45am (1 male too many, 1 female short. Eventually found amongst Norwegians).

5 days wood arrived.

Excellent news. Verdun, Amiens, Arras & Dieppe captured & Sedan besieged. Russians being held on their front (Theory is that Germans prefer our invasion of Germany to the Russians)

With Steve pm.  

Delivery of parcels still the main thought of most people.

Daily average Veg 9.5oz fish not enough to worthy its reckoning.

Sore tummy today due to eating fermented Wong Tong.

Fine, warm.

Excellent news.  Finland capitulates 1st. Air war in Pacific intensified.

With Steve pm.  

Temp 102. Took asp. & sweated plenty.

Still upset. Temp 102.4, More aspirin & more sweat.

Air-raid over Taipo way 1am.

Temp. up all day but I don’t think it is anything serious.

Steve came up pm.

In Staff sweep for Armistice day I drew 30th Sept.

Fine hot day.

News good & Germany’s collapse is expected at any moment. 

Borrowed a collection of “Life” mags of 1940 and very interesting they were.

Blood test reveals no malaria.

Fine, hot. Much better today, temp. down.

Allies around Antwerp 4th. Soviets declare war on Bulgaria 4th. Finns accuse Russians of breaking Armistice terms.

Plenty firewood arrived. 

Steve came up pm.

Widow of Hyde (shot last year) died & buried today. 

Lovely clear night, moon up at Midnt.

Plane over about 4am & dropped bombs over Taipo way again.

Japs at HQs seem to take raids as a matter of form now, no panicky yelling etc as was usual previously.

Bulgaria requests armistice of Russia, Soviets approaching Y-Slav border & East Prussia N of Warsaw. Allies hold line Louvain to Sedan. Allies N of Antwerp & up to Dijon & attack towards  W. Italian frontier.

2 pkts cigs issued.

Cut grass, chopped wood, & started on Rita’s door jamb. ((Not sure who Rita is.))

Saw Steve pm.

Fried liver for pm meal, very good.

Water problem becoming difficult again.

Sat on roof till after midnight.

Fine, hot.

Cut grass, chopped wood, posted my card to Marj.

Finished door jamb for Rita.

No rations arrived. No more cigs, factory idle due to lack of power or that is their excuse anyway.

Sanitary system in jeopardy.

No Euro war news in todays papers. Bulgaria severed dip. relations with Reich & Italy.

With Steve pm.

Poor meals today due to lack of rations. Japs admit that vessel bringing food from Canton was bombed. Hungry as hell tonight.

Rations arrived 8pm. veg. only.

Cards from P.O.W. indicates their receipt of 4 parcels each.

Clear, starry night, warm, moon up to 1am. Hot, no breeze.

Cut grass.

Jaw-bone.

No lorry. no news.  Camp news has it that the Allies are approaching  Cologne via Aachen.

Tired & fed up all day. Hungry & no smokes.

With Steve pm.

Fine, hot, E wind.

All war news good. Jap Diet explains plenty in different speeches & emphasise the seriousness of the situation.

Fish came in 2pm but so rotten most of it had to be buried immediately.

Cut grass.

1 ½ cigs 7 a box matches issued.

With Steve pm.

Hurry up you US blokes.

Hot. Light breeze.

Chopped wood.

With Steve grinding rice am.

Made chatty & chopped wood for Rita.

With Steve pm. He gave me some Suk Yin.

Becason captured. Bulgaria declared war on Germany. Fighting in Maastricht area. Siegfried Line outer defences penetrated Germans evacuate Greece & Egean [sic] Sea & Yugo Slavia.

Hot. Light breeze.

Chopped wood. Ground rice with Steve am.

Vehicular Ferry arrived with rice, beans, sugar, salt, tea & PARCELS. With gang at Godown unloading rice.

No Euro news in paper. Churchill & Roosevelt in conference in Quebec, re Pacific?

Finished 2am. Too dirty to turn in so lay down on the roof till 6.30am bath time. Turned to again down on the pier & finished off the rice transport job at 2pm.  Burnt to the devil & sore as hell where the rice sacks have rubbed my back & arms when carrying.

2 parcels each issued & each one contained:

• 1lb Butter, 
• 5oz Chocolate 
• Cow & Bell Pwdrd milk 
• 1lb. Jam or Marmalade 1lb. 
• Corned Beef 12oz. 
• Tea 4oz or Coffee 6oz. 
• Toilet Soap 2oz. 
• Pilot biscuits 1lb. 
• Cheese 4oz. 
• Luncheon meat 10 ½oz. 
• Prunes 7oz. 
• Raisins 7oz. 
• Sugar 8oz. 
• Sardines 3 3/4 oz. 
• Salmon 8oz. 
• Salt & Pepper 1oz. 

& very welcome they were too, everyone much happier.

With Steve pm. He is sore & tired too.

Allies battering away at 2 points on Siegfried Line & have entered 5 mls into Germany  11th.

Hot.

Poor sleep last night.

Outside roll call am.

Saw Steve am with sieve.

Allies maintain pressure on Siegfried Line defences. Le Havre captured. Lomza captured. Russians entered Muresul Valley. Rumania to fight Germany according to Peace terms with Soviets. 12 divisions, the Air Force & Navy.

With Steve pm.  

Saw Dr. Nicholson re Oedema. (("Oedema is the medical term for fluid retention in the body." from http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/oedema/Pages/Introduction.aspx))

Tried out the milk & biscuits today, most excellent. What an immense difference a little extra & better food makes!

Hot, nice breeze blowing.

Canteen No.1.

Saw Dr. Thomas re beri-beri. Thiamin injections 1 daily for 1 week.

No more tobacco in Camp. Managed to get some before it ran out in Canteen.

Saw Steve pm.

Mary lent me another Y20.

No lorry in today, no paper or news. Water supply inadequate.