R. E. Jones Wartime diary: View pages

Overcast, showery, humid. Heavy rain early am.

Plunger.

Steve 100%.

Fixed mosq. net for Lido [?] friend & ground rice for Steve.

Oil to G.

(Rumours. Task force off Luzon 8 Bttleshps. 5 A/c Cs. 40 destroyers. Ocanawa [sic] finished. Singapore fallen. Tokyo heavily raided. Jap Govt resigned)

3 workers cigs.

Chopped wood for V & sat with C a little while.

∴C.

Heavy rain.

Odd jobs.

Steve gave me W.T. & I gave some to G & V who forced me to take payment. I got my own back by buying sugar for them. G is so sweet.

German lesson.

∴C.

Fine, hot, cooler pm.

Odd jobs.

Trouble among Black-marketers.

Fixed Steve’s camp-bed.

(Rumours. Japs bomb Penang. Jap Emp. injured. Big US Task Force off Luzon).

∴Cx.

Temp. dropped.

Overcast, cool NE wind.

Over door frame.

Black-marketers still being interrogated. Mrs Flaherty to Hosp. due to a beating up she got. Broken wrist, nose & 2 ribs.

German lesson.

Rained pm.

∴G.

Overcast, drizzly, cool.

Odd jobs.

Bl. mkt. people still in jeopardy.

Injection needles & ground rice for C. [G?] V.

∴G.

Fine, warm, dry.

Odd jobs Hosp.

More questioning & beatings of Black-marketers.

Gave talk on s/ms. Well received I think although I felt I’d let myself down somewhat. ((He had served on submarines when he was in the Navy.))

∴G.

Bright & warm, NE.

New scale of rations is a flop. No oil available & the issued [sic] of raw rice to individuals not allowed from now on.

A/r alarm 11.30-noon.

Sunbathe on roof.

Lorry with small amount of veg 6pm.

G∴x.

Overcast, wind shifted back to SW.

Hosp. kitchen grate & Dutch oven frame.

1 ½ “ soap issued.

C diff today. 

Sunbathe aft.

∴C

New Moon

Fine, hot.

Oven frame.

Made 10cts ring for Betty. ((Not sure who Betty refers to))

A/r 10.45-12.15pm. Many large 4 engined bombers over. Photography?

∴C

Bright & clear, hot. No wind. Rained early am.

Plane over early am.

Odd jobs.

A/r alarm.

1 plane over  10.15-10.45am.

Made trowel & fork for V. & repair thermos flask.

Dug bit of garden for Stones. ((At first I thought he meant he was digging stones out of the ground, but on the 16th he writes "Planted potatoes for Stones", so he must be referring to some or all of the three people surnamed Stone in camp, Miss D H, Miss N F P, & Mr W F Stone.))

∴C.

Clear, hot. Light breeze.

Leprosarium fence & Hosp. windows.

German lesson.

Dug Stones their potato patch. (("Stones" refers to some or all of the three people surnamed Stone in camp, Miss D H, Miss N F P, & Mr W F Stone.))

∴C  

3 ½ pkts cigs issued Y5.50, wrappers had to be returned.

Showery, humid. SE wind.

Outside roll-call. (Women must take off their hats)

4oz rice bread issued (poor show).

Brackets from Clinic wall.

Dug another potato patch for G.

Plane over 10am no alarm.

More stuff being transported up the hills by Japs.

Allowed out after 6pm r-c till 8pm from today.

Steve had row with Mary re Black-market.

∴C

Cloudy, hot, showery, better pm. S wind.

Dispensary sink.

Planted potatoes for Stones, made little boats for G. ((For "Stones" see http://gwulo.com/node/25983))

?C but over.

Hot, fine. SW wind.

Day off.

s/m to V & G. [?]

Had meat 1st time for 18 months.

Lorry in 10.20pm with Black-market stuff.

Hot, bright. SW wind.

Roofing felt from H.Qs. & wood from C bung. ready for Hosp. roof.

Walked around Camp aft.

Jap flag at ½ mast with black tape flying today but we none of us know why.

G [C?] so sweet.

Painted suitcase for Ah Chung, wong tong to V & G.

Hot, bright. SW wind.

Cutting hole in Sisters Qtrs wall for rain channel.

Fixed Mrs H’s bed & painted suitcase for Ah Chung. ((Not sure who Mrs H is.))

All workers to H.Qs to sign pay sheet.

Lorry with Canteen gear 5pm.

Usual 9 to 9.30 with V & G.

Hot. SW wind.

Slept on roof last night.

Hosp. Sisters’ Qtrs.

29 cigs rec’d.

Workers cigs.

(Rumours. Big landing made (no place mentioned) Japs “Peace feeling”. Churchill says HK only British Possession in enemy hands)

Fed up all day.  

Ant. Eden ill, Churchill does his job meantime. Landing made 80mls S of Kyushu. Wuchow in our hands & more troops landed there.

Names on suitcases for Dr. Pope. G & V. G sweet.

Heavy shower early am. Cloudy, hot. SW wind.

Black-market stuff around the camp in wheelbarrows early am.

Finished off Hosp. job.

Made ring for Mrs Willcocks. Painted suitcases for Ah Ying & Ah Chung. ((Probably Chau Ying MILROY and Wu Chung Tai BLACKBURN, as they were both in the same room.))

With Steve pm.

(Rumours. British aircraft in Luzon. Aussies land in Borneo. Landing made on Kyushu. Formosans to leave on Sunday)

Oil & incendiaries dropped 12th. ((The use of incendiaries is reported in other diaries from the 12th of June.))

?C

Hot & heavy weather. SW wind cloudy.

Bit of a row with Franks in Congee queue.

Hosp. taps & wheelbarrow repairs.

Another ring for Mrs Willcocks.

Sugar 1.4oz & tea .6oz issued 10 day supply.

A/r alarm 10.45am – 11.30 & 12.30 to 1.50pm.

Stilwell & McArthur in Manilla [sic]. Stilwell had C.K.Shek [Chiang Kai-shek!] clear out adverse elements in Chinese forces. Jap. Naval Base bombed so heavily the Jap naval vessels had to put to sea where they received a nice battering. We have enough land bases for planes that A/c carriers are no longer necessary. “Queen Mary”, “Normandie” & “Aquitania” carrying out 1 div. fully equipped troops per trip. 150,000 troops & 6,000 tanks already in Luzon. 2/3s of Canton smashed up & China land offensive has commenced. San Francisco Conf. wound up with all Ps settled.

Road closed 4pm. Bus load of E. Pris’s left the Gaol.

With G & Michael [?] on beach. ((Not sure which Michael this is))

?C

Hot, SW wind. Trying weather.

Odd jobs.

Col. in 2.30pm for an hour.

Canteen A & B groups. W.T. ½ lb 34-50. Salt or Soy sauce ¼ lb 5-50.

Lorry in with beef 6pm.