Fine, dry, hazy, overcast.
Dentists window.
Sweet congee 1pm.
Filling in J.P’s chatty & had cup of tea with him. ((Possibly J P Penefather-Evans?))
17 Jap old type dive bombers over 4.20pm E-W. Air-raid alarm 6.30pm
(Xmas bill 59-40)
All clear 7.15pm.
Lorry with veg 7.45pm, wood 1pm.
Dry, hazy, SW wind.
With J.C. on windows. ((Probably J C Chalmers, as on 3rd of January, Jones writes: "With Chalmers on windows."))
Air-raid alarm 11.45-12.30pm.
Colder, Wind E.
Lorry 5pm with veg.
Paper tells of bombing of “Reinan [Reman?] Maru” last Sunday.
Repatriation still in the air.
Germans advance into Belgium but one side of their wedge is being attacked already.
Pork Y150 per catty in town (17/- per oz)
Overcast. E wind. Drizzle.
Lorry with wood 2pm & veg 6pm.
2nd window frame in Dentist’s shop.
Air-raid alarm 8.50pm. Planes over 10.30pm but no bombs dropped.
Overcast, West wind, warmer & brighter pm.
Dentists window.
F.H. spoke for first time since July ’41.
6 oz Syrup(8-75) & Suk yin 1oz(7-50) issued.
Lorry with wood 4.30pm.
The papers, which go to H.Qs. every day, are still up there. Japs will not allow distribution for some reason.
((Who was the "F.H." who spoke for the first time since July '41? That was long before the fighting, so their silence wasn't connected with any wartime traumas.
Possible candidates:
Not any of these - with reasons:
))
Warmer. brighter.
Dentists window.
Hara inspected some of the Rms.
Orders to remain in our rooms 2 to 4pm cancelled even though “the Slug” came in for the purpose of Rm inspection. ((Who was "the Slug"?))
Yesterdays paper released.
Tokyo raided 27th. Russians gain in Budapest.
Todays paper kept at H.Qs.
Lorry in 2.30pm & 6.30pm with veg.
Colder, overcast.
Wedged in big window frame in Dentists place.
(1 more parcel to come, &, “It will not be long now” from an Ind.guard)
Washed some clothes.
Workers’ oil & sugar, also bread issued. Cigs now Y11 per pkt.
Mary sent up a lovely chow, chicken, sausage, egg, noodles lettuce & onions & it made our own chow look pretty sick.
Lorry with 4 days fish pm.
Quite a few saw the New Year in, bells were rung & Auld Lang Syne sung. Everyone full of optimism!
Overcast, dry. N wind.
Started bricking up Dentists window.
Drink & pkt cigs with Steve.
Oil & sugar issued.
Mrs Brown gave me a tie. ((MW Brown?))
Excellent meal pm. Soup, fried potato cakes & fried vol au vent filled with egg yolk and wong tong.
Talk with G.F. & V.P. till 7pm.
Air-raid alarm 7pm to 7.30pm.
Fine, dry. NE wind stronger.
Finished Dentists window.
Lost my knife somewhere.
Lorry with parcels 6pm.
Germans pushed back 14mls (refers to their salient made in recent push).
Ship to leave Kobe 4th with parcels.
Local Japs celebrating.
Overcast. NE wind.
With Chalmers on windows.
Germany to go on only a few more weeks.
Parcels at the end of month.
Jap time signals all haywire again.
A-r alarm 9pm.
Fine, clear, warmer.
Panes in Shield’s window. ((Barbara Anslow: Sammy Shields did dentistry in camp and worked in a ground floor room in the Married Quarters which had been so bomb damaged during the war that it was virtually uninhabitable.))
A/r alarm 12.30-2.30pm.
Colendar [sic – not sure if he means calendar or colander!] for Mrs Brown.
Fed up.
Lorry with wood & fish 6.30pm.
Japan admits seriousness of present difficulties which, Yonia says, must be overcome if victory is to be obtained. Axis sent telegrams to each other averring their determination to win as usual. German counter-offensive definitely quashed.
Overcast, low cloud. Colder E wind.
Window panes.
Col. came out noon & left 4pm.
Gimson gave lecture on Trade Unions & Social Legislation in British Colonies. Finney gave a suitable reply in which he said he hoped that before the year was far spent we should all be back on our jobs. ((Probably J Finnie or A H Finnie.)) My job seems likely to fizzle out.
Hitler’s N.Y. speech very enlightening & it gives us great hope for Germany’s early collapse.
Low cloud, cold, NE wind.
Water on.
No Canteen due to lack of supplies.
Dentists windows finished.
A/r alarm 3 to 3.45pm.
Posted card to Marj.
Task force off Sumatra. Taiwan bombed 3rd. 500 planes & 4th. 400 planes.
Overcast.
No work today but rations OK.
Coffee & pancake with Steve.
Lorry with wood 3pm.
Task force W of Luzon. ((Allied forces would start landing on Luzon, the largest island in the Phillipines, tomorrow morning, starting the Battle of Luzon.)) Turkey severed dip. rels. with Japan 3rd. Kyushu raided 6th. Some guff re Soviet trouble with US & British re Poland.
Salt in town 7d per oz. (10Y per catty)
Overcast, cold. NE wind.
No work, no rations, hungry.
Water on.
Jap say Pacific situation grave. British Pacific Fleet in Aust. 8th. Landing force at San Fernando 6th in Luzon. Churchill, Stalin & Roosevelt to meet after 20th. All seems to be going well for us. Montgomery created Field Marshall.
Colder, overcast. NE wind.
Workers oil & sugar issued.
Repaired mirror for G.F.
Hungry as hell & fed up.
Strong US forces in Lingayen Bay give every indication of landing. Aust. forces now taking part in Phillipine Action.
Drizzly later.
Lorry 6.45pm veg.
Drizzly, overcast, NE wind.
Ground rice for Comm.
Mended Steve’s pipe & saucepan for Mary.
Oil, sugar & tea issued.
Lorry with wood 1pm veg 4pm & 5.30pm.
Landing made in Longaney Bay 9th. ((This refers to the Invasion of Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines.))
Taiwan & Japan bombed 9th.
Tanaka the New Gov. took over HK.
A/r warning 9pm.
Overcast, cold. NE wind.
Outside roll-call 8.30am.
Made 2 saucepans.
Lorry with wood 4pm.
Japs deal with US landing on Luzon “as usual”.
¼ lb W.T. & 2oz Soy sauce issued. ((W.T. = "Wong Tong" or brown sugar. Barbara Anslow reported the same issue of sugar and soy sauce in her diary entry for yesterday.))
Vessel with R.C. supplies (Hoshi Maru) left Moji 8th.
Block Med. Insp. I now weigh 160 lbs approx.
Cold, brightened up am.
Convoy of 4 tankers 9 destrs & 1 cruiser off Tweed Bay.
(Salt pork Y400 per catty in Camp, eggs 40Y each.)
Wind veered to SW.
Landing made at Akyab 9th. US advance into Jap positions at St.Fabian 9th. 2 divs infantry & 1 div of tanks. Singapore raided 11th.