R. E. Jones Wartime diary: View pages

Fine, clear, no wind.

Brackets for Blood-transfusion tubes.

All workers to H.Qs for pay (4-50)

A/r alarm 11.30-11.50am.

Sold my Canteen ticket. 

Lorry with Canteen gear 11.30am.

Odd spots of trouble in Germany still. I.F. state caused trouble re German surrender. Hitlers body found in Chancellery cellar. Himmler escaped. Churchill warns of long & gard struggle with Japs. Chinese Army at WaiChow? Telegraph etc suspended to Burma, Thailand, Phillippines places in Taiwan & Coast Ports.

Lorry with veg 7.45pm.

Big Task Force off Kyushu. Bombed Kyushu Osaka etc Sun & Mon.

Fine, warm.

Rope tyres on stretcher.

Cucumber frame for G.

Air & oil-fields  & reservoirs on Tarakan occupied by Aussies. Japs think Kyushu Task Force & bombing is prelude to a landing.  Russians demand immediate trial of Goering. Many German High Officials & wives committing suicide. Many Germans sent to work in Russian & French mines.

?C.

Letter from home Apr 44.

Close, hot.

Canteen eggs of doubtful origin Y18 each if one was lucky enough to draw one.

Barrow repairs.

Agent for M. gave me 2 pkts cigs.

A/r alarm Noon-12.45pm.

Egg, lard, onions G.

Letter from Hilda Nov. 43.

?C

Cloudy, humid, hot.

Barrow & umbrella repairs.

Flask holder for V & G.

No fresh news. Chinese & Jap papers stopped.

4 Pkts cigs @ Y1.50 each issued.

Bright, hot.

Rings from coins & Belt buckle.

No news.

M. lent me Y50.

Supper with V & G

?C

& Whit Sunday, hot & clear.

Water on, did my washing.

Made slice for R.N.H.Matron.

Egg etc to G & V.

No news. Rumour has it that fighting is in progress in Canton & that many people in town are starving.

Bright & hot, overcast pm.  

Tea, sugar, oil & salt issued.

Leprosarium water pipes, thimble & buckles.

1oz Egg Yolk Y13.55 & ¼ lb Wong Tong Y8.20 ordered.

Much rumour re landing at Singapore & conjecture re HK$s being worth Y50 in town.

Hot, SW wind.

Lep. water pipes.

German lesson.

All Jap prop. in paper.

Overcast pm.

Mosquitoes a nuisance.

?C

Overcast, rain, cooler.

Hosp. shower. Thimbles.

Rec. Oct 43 from Marj.

Paper has nothing but propaganda.

Plaited rope for Gwen.

Japs deny Peace feelers again.

Overcast, cool, drizzly.

Blood transfusion brackets to Hosp.

Copper plate for G.

Concert cancelled because of death of Jap prince Kanin. (No music or singing in Camp for 2 days)

Internees still digging tunnels for A/r shelters.

No news.

Card to Marj.

?C

Overcast, showery.

Outside roll-call 6am.

Repairs to barrow.

Ash-tray for V.

Lorry with nil 4pm.

Churchill resigned but re-appointed to head Govt until new elections in July. Denmark severed dip. rels. with Japan. Tokyo raided for 2 ½ hrs 24th.

Cut C

Overcast, muggy.

Odd jobs & Hosp kitchen.

Flask holder for G.

(Rumours, we are to have meat & fish twice a week, US parcels to come).

Fin C

Hot & humid.

Steve 40 today.

Bracket for G.

Lorry with veg noon.

90 divs Chinese troops with 3,000 US officers ready for offensive in S China.

?Cx

Cloudy, hot, humid.

Odd jobs. Making tins watertight with pitch.

Have noticed M very offhand lately when I’ve been to see Steve, one would think I’d done something wrong.

?C

Cloudy, fine, hot.

Odd jobs.

Churchill in Election speech indicates that war out here would not take long to finish.

German lesson.

Fed up. (I visit other people, why don’t they visit me?) Out of everything.

?G

Cloudy, fine, hot & humid.

Sewing shop wall repair.  

Made G garden trowel & fork.

Tokyo heavily bombed 26th.

M. gave me haircut & soap.

Sharpened knives.

(Many Jap pris’s released. Germans in town rounded up)

?C

Fine, hot, humid.

Rims on wheels.

Lard to C.

German lesson.

Writing hymns.

[?] all off.[?]

Workers’ oil & sugar.

W. Joyce (Lord Haw Haw) captured by British. ((W. Joyce was captured on the 28th May. The news had reached Jones quickly.))

Fine, hot.

Outside roll-call.

We must all bow now when the rubbish arrives. (Block 15 made to stand extra ½ hour because they accompanied their bow with a laugh)

Col. arrived, left at 4pm.

Repair rubbish bin.

Rice tin for Steve.

Wrote hymns for G, pleasant aft.

Crutwell read a little German.

∴C

Hot.

Hosp. lav. cistern.

Rep. rice tin for Steve.

Dug pot. patch for G.

Black-market stuff arrived by lorry. 

Ahmed Khan in trouble re chit to Pile & MacCutcheon re cigarettes. (("Pile" could refer to C S Pile or R M Pile.))

No news.

∴C

Cloudy, hot.

Rails for Gs garden.

Funk-holes being provisioned.

New scales of rations issued, oil 75% less, salt 50% less, but we are to have meat 2oz per day with a slight increase in veg. issue.

Oil, tea, salt & sugar issued.

Order re all Internees bowing on arrival of “rubbish” at outside roll-call cancelled.

New scale rations  Cancelled 10th June Rice.16oz. Veg 10½oz. Meat 1¾ oz daily.
Oil. 3oz  Salt 1¾oz . Beans 10½  oz every 10 days.

∴C