R. E. Jones Wartime diary: View pages
Clear, cold, wind stronger.
Air-raid 8.45 – 11.15am by many single engined US planes. All districts strafed, big fire Taikoo direction. All clear noon.
Planes over again 12.45pm. 2 planes collided 1 pilot parachuted OK the other went with his plane. Local spots machine gunned & bombed. Prison, Prep School. 3 Jap vessels took refuge in bay close by Camp.
C Bungalow hit, 14 killed, 4 injured. All clear 6.30pm. ((He lists the 14 killed:))
- Balfour 39,
- O. Eager 57.
- S. Thompson 41,
- M. Davis 35,
- Bishop 51,
- Mrs I. Johnson 54,
- A. Guerin 37,
- A. Dennis 56.
- Mr & Mrs Searle 53 54,
- Mr & Mrs Lay 51 45,
- G. Willoughby 36,
- A. Holland 53.
Clear, cold, fine.
Fires over HK way & on the hills to N. observed last night.
Pointed up Hosp. Cookhouse brickwork.
2 A/r alarms 10.45-11.15am - 1.30-2.00pm. nothing happened.
Went to see damaged bungalow. Gear being salvaged. Apparent that American explosive is extra powerful.
Bomb dropped SE corner of Prison Boundary walk & in Gaol. Bullets & shrapnel marks all over the Camp. Japs have promised not to fire at planes from Camp again.
Rice ration to be increased from 1st Feb.
Col. came out.
List of names cabled home. Funeral of yesterday’s victims 4pm. No one but close relatives or friend to represent allowed to attend.
Lorries arrived with wood.
Grass party out.
Japan raided 14th. Ise shrine damaged. Benins & Taiwan raided 15th. Japs admit some damage here. Advances made by us in Phillipines & Burma.
Cloudy, cold, S wind.
Hosp. Cookhouse brickwork.
A/R alarms 11.15-noon, 12.45pm-1.45pm, 3.00-3.50pm.
Lorry with nothing 4pm.
Macao, Swatow & Canton raided 16th. Jap paper reports 49 killed & injured here in camp & that all buildings have white crosses on them. Lying yellow bastards. They do not tell the people why our planes had need to come so close to Camp nor why they had need to drop bombs around neutral Macao.
Big offensives started on Western & Russian fronts & more troops landed on Luzon.
Gusty wind & rain pm.
Rain & gusty wind, cold.
Hosp Ck-hse brick-work.
A/r alarm 12.30-2pm.
Repaired Hosp Ck-hse range till 6.30pm.
Bread issued.
Lorry with wood & veg., no paper today.
Notes tell of Phillipino guerrilla activity against Japs.
Overcast & little warmer, wind died down, clear sky by noon.
Altered water system in Bungalow “E”.
Workers’ oil & sugar issued.
Mrs Hardy to town.
Mary gave me pkt. cigs.
Lorry in 6.15pm with wood. Oil being removed via pier. Rice being sent up to the Fort.
A/r alarm 9.15pm. Big plane over apparently on reconnaissance duty.
Cloud, E wind, not quite so cold.
Ground rice.
Cotton to Mary & she gave me egg & pork.
A/r 3.40pm. 16 planes heavy stuff dropped. All clear 4.30pm.
Many happy Returns Rae darling. I’ll be with you both soon.
Cloudy, warmer, brightened up during forenoon.
Ground rice.
A few sips of Chinese wine with Steve proves how careful of “booze” I must be when it is procurable.
Lorry with wood & veg 5.30pm.
Chinese paper has it that Russians have 180 divs in the field & that the offensive they have started will not end until they reach Berlin. Battle for Manila commenced. Allied Offensive opened N.sec, W. front.
Letter from HK policeman at home says he has received two years pay & 10 mths leave.
A/r alarm 9.15pm. Plane over on reconnaissance.
Misty, NE wind.
Ground rice.
Chow at Steves pm pkt cigs.
27 workers cigs Dec.
Weather cleared up 4pm. NW wind.
Germans in retreat on Russian Front. All other news seems good.
“Slug” in. Japs wanted Camp reps. to sign statement re the bombing of Bung.”C”.
Plane over 10.15pm.
Cloudy. NW wind. Warmer.
Ground rice.
Some chow at Steves.
Took door down for Rita.
Nickel [Nicol?] saw me re work .
Lorry with nothing.
Yesterday’s papers destroyed.
Cloudy, colder. NE wind.
In workshop.
5,000 killed & wounded in raid on Wanchai last Sunday.
Taiwan raided 21st & 22nd. Advances made on Luzon to Tarlac area.
Lousy chow today. Hungry as the devil. Come on Yanks, get us out of this damned hole.
Chopped wood for Rita.
Rec.4.25Y worker’s pay for Dec.
Rice going into go-down.
Paper with-held again.
Formosa raided by 3,000 planes yesterday?
Low cloud, cold NE wind.
Outside roll-call 8.30am.
Workshop.
Steve for coffee, gave me 2 pkts cigs & Y100.
Rice flour ½ lb Y25. Noodles - Y10.30 ¼ lb & Sugar 9.45 ¼ lb.
Fixed chatty for Mrs W.
20 to town rice loading.
“Shell” House, Dockyards & part of Wanchai damaged. Kowloon go-downs, five ships sunk.
Danzig captured. Hitler & Himmler at the front. German generals have been given a free hand. Japan raided 23rd.
Drizzly, NE wind.
Guards picked up Scott, Ward & Channing for trading but it seems to be purely local. ((There are several possibilities for each of these names, so I'm not sure which three he is referring to.))
Went to Prep. school clearing clogged pipes. Had a meal there too. Like ours but more of it.
Yesterdays paper not worth reading.
Russians breaking thro’ Posen area are now 30 mls inside Germany according to latest notes from North.
Cold, overcast. NE wind.
Clayed in chatty for Mrs W.
Workshop.
Steve gave me 3 Pkts. cigs.
No news today.
Colder pm.
Pasties pm meal, excellent.
Tarlac captured 20th, also airfield to the E.
Bl. mkt. cigs up to Y25 due to lack of supplies.
Full moon.
Overcast, & a little warmer. NE wind.
Workshops.
Altered water boiler fire-box. Great improvement, halved the firing time.
US forces S of Tarlac & on the way to Clark air-field. All fronts OK.
Clouds broke up late pm.
Bright, warmer morning.
Workshops.
Fitted bed for Weir. ((Not sure which Weir he is referring to))
Clouded over, cooler pm.
Germany to shift capital. Clark air-field raided, Anglo-Indian forces within 500 mls of HK.
Lorry with wood 6pm & another with veg 7pm. & rice party.
Parcels soon?
(Linicker)
Bright, cold wind NE.
Workshops.
Browns cistern etc.
Air/r alarm 11am – 11.50am.
Workers oil & sugar issued.
Shelters? being dug in rockface on the main road.
North’s notes contain list of Fraser’s 13 battleships in the Pacific.
Japs claim many more ship sinkings including Ex.French & [Italians?] off Luzon & admit US advances on Luzon.
Overcast, wind dropped.
Workshop, odd jobs.
Weather beautiful aft. onwards.
Lorry with veg & fish 5.30pm.
Planes & “thumps” heard but no A/r warnings.
Overcast, N wind, colder.
Workshops, odd jobs.
Small convoy arrived 9am.
Lorry with wood 3pm. veg.5.30pm.
Russians 60mls E of Berlin & advancing (Frankfurt) No news of other fronts.
(Food stuff coming through the wire, prices, Pork Y600 per lb. (£32-10-0, or £2-0-0 per oz.) Wong Tong Y140 per lb (£11-7-8 or 10/- per oz.) Matches Y40 per box (7d per match) Cigs Y25 per pkt. (2/11 each)
Overcast, cold.
Workshops.
Damp & drizzly pm.
Lorry with Canteen [gear?] 5.30pm.
2 Pkts cigs issued.
Very poor meals today.
Permanent Black-out ordered.