Received $14 from govt. - only worth 3 and a half yen, but a great help.
Tales that many of the men ((POWs in other camps)) have died of diphtheria.
Miss Hill ((Eve, a Nursing Sister)) re-started at shorthand.
Barbara Anslow's diary: View pages
Mr Stott ('Bok') at French Hospital escaped, and now no more folk are allowed to go there from camp for x-ray. ((Stott was married to a Chinese lady.))
Rumour that 'Eagle' has been sunk, Mrs. G's boy is on her.
Vatican has sent camp $150,000 - it will be about 1 Yen each.
The rumours of 4-point invasion of Europe are said to be false.
In evening Mum and I sat on bank outside the Leprosarium ((as it had prewar been; now used as quarters for the doctors, as it was fairly near the camp hospital)) and talked to Dr. J. Selby. I looked at 'Southcliffe' (holiday home) across the bay and thought about the time when I almost went there for my leave last year.
Jap paper says Berlin reports that 'Eagle' has been sunk.
Softball match tonight on the Indian Quarters Green, men dressed in various Stanley fashions - one in a hula skirt, one in Mae Westish costume, played against a regular girls' team. Later, community singing there.
Police have made gardens now in front of the block to which they have been moved, and there's a V-shaped piece of land in a corner, a V planted inside it. (('V' for Victory!))
We went swimming - including Mum, her first attempt in Stanley, with a roll-on suspender belt underneath costume. So gorgeous, able to wallow in that lovely warm water. ((no hot water to wash ourselves or clothes in the Blocks)).
Talking about writing to Golly Anslow ((Francis Joseph, son of F.P. Anslow who worked in the hospital office, Golly often came to talk to his Dad as they weren't billeted together. Little did I think then he and I would be married 6 years later.))
Mrs 'X' wanting the sink removed from our kitchen; committee being asked about it tonight, we sent in a protest - almost all the block.
Miss Ellis ((Leontine)) - from St. Theresa's - died this morning.
So tired and sunburnt, afternoon off, spent it at the beach. Olive started to have a week's holiday, Norah Witchell taking her place for the time being. ((Post war Norah Married HK policeman Stutchbury. She was murdered in Malaya during the troubles there.))
Went to talk by Mr Gilmour. (Boss to Mabel for 2 days when she worked at CSO at the beginning of our war.) Grand, very amusing. He was District Officer of various outposts. ((We saw him in early 1972 in a tv documentary about the Far Eastern war; he was still in Singapore, looking blooming.))
The kitchen sink ((see yesterday's diary entry)) will NOT be removed.
Am annoyed because the camp voting hours ((for Council)) don't let me vote ((because of my hospital office shift)).
HK News (paper) rather depressing - about Germans pressing through the Caucasus. Rather ominous that we haven't had any news of the usual good sort lately.
Extra potato at dinner.
Mary (Taylor) is in hospital just now, she looks so pale.
Mrs G has moved to Block 2, Married Q. ((She was given a room to herself - an awkward tiny ex-boiler room, where she could snore to her heart's content without annoying anyone.))
I weigh 119 lbs.
Olive and I went to talk by American priest about marriage, in the garage near where ration lorry come. ((First met Peggy Barton there, she was to become my dearest friend - and still is as of 20.3.2016, even though she is 93 and no longer knows me, she has Alzheimers.))
I had first Menformon injection today (for K).
Started 5 days' holiday. Swimming in morning with Dorothy (Hollway), and in afternoon with Mabel and the VADs.
Concert in evening: Hula dancing; and Mrs Drown (piano); Steve Moring (banjo or similar) sang Camp Down Races with great vim and vigour, and played his own composition called Troubles. Mr Gimson spoke at the end and the hula girls presented him with a lei and he kissed her. Then Mr Gimson gave Elizabeth a lei and kissed her.
Rumours of British landings on continent, with rather severe losses.
A policeman, Fred Kelly, for whom I did some church typing recently, has promised to give me some writing paper.
Swimming with Mabel. At last she's got a pair of shoes – a swop with some one, black patent, for white rubber-heeled. I had second injection. Got a little paper from Kelly.
Felt honoured because Elizabeth Drown invited me to sit beside her on a wooden crate in the pantry, and think of ideas for a sketch she and Ian Heath are doing in the next concert!
Re-started ((writing in shorthand)).
To French lesson with Jimmy Ferrier.
Lecture on 'Tea' by P.E. Witham in evening.
Lovely meat cake at tiffin.
Did more writing during the rest hour. ((Camp concensus decided that the hours between noon and 2pm should be kept as far as possible as 'quiet hours', i.e. the time immediately after the 11am meal finished)).
Went to see Mary (Taylor) in hospital, she's not to come out for about a week.
Dorothy has given me some blue lined paper to make next year's diary.
Good walk round after hearing duets at St Stephens by Elizabeth Drown and Miss Bicheno.
To French lesson, Jimmy didn't come, but Dr Barwell was there.
Swiming late afternoon.
Paper says that Duke of Kent has been killed in a flying accident.
This evening Mr Fred Kelly (Police) visited us, also Father Moore, an American Maryknoll Mission priest, very young and sincere. ((He was one of 8 newly-ordained RC priests who had flown into Hong Kong just before the Jap. attack for transfer to Missions in China. They joined enthusiastically in camp sports, but much of their time was taken up in language lessons (Chinese) given by an older priest, Father Bernard Meyer.)) Fr Moore said he's having the best time here he's had since he was a kid, he gave us lovely new soft-back prayer books, and promises to lend us books from the American library.
((Americans had managed to bring their very good Club library into camp, but was made available only to the Americans. The much-prized books were housed in a small secured lobby in the Prisoner Officers' Club hall. After the Americans were repatriated, friends of the Americans (and friends of friends) acquired tickets, as did we Redwoods from Fr Moore.
There was also a very small makeshift library for us in an ex-boiler room in the Married Quarters, its contents just a few books handed in by internees after an appeal, so very little selection but better than nothing!))
News reports that Hitler has been 'missing' for the last 6 weeks, and attributes it to supposition that he is away planning a new front.
Mabel and Nan slept on the roof last night. I'm going to try it tonight.
Mabel 19 today. Popped up to ward to say Happy Brthday to Mary, it's her birthday too - 24th. Mara, Nan and friends gave Mabel pretty birthday (home-made) cards, and hankies, and a party this afternoon in the cemetery.
Mrs G cooked the cake! -- nominally for Nan's friend Una ((Brown)) in Married Q. kitchen. ((Constance Una Brown, whose husband in HKVDC was killed during fighting; their little daughter Annette also in camp.))
To Benediction in afternoon. In evening piano recital.. The lovely music upset Mabel, because no Sid here on her birthday.
Later we fried sweet potatoes from Mr Gelling's ((J.H. Gelling)) garden ((they were birthday present)), and had salmon and rice; Nan came along too - a nice little spread.
Duke of Kent was apparently killed on 25th August.
Rain and typhoony. Electricity off for a while. French in am, some other girls have now joined. ((These classes were held in the upper gallery of St Stephen's Hall.))
I should have had 4th injection but electricity off therefore no sterilizing could be done.
Thought I was going to lose my fountain pen this morning((i.e. I was writing my diary with it beside the P.O. Club)): two Japs came along and had their eyes on it - but nothing happened.
Mary's name is down for a chest x-ray and the threat of chest trouble looms again. She gets 2 bottles of milk a day at hospital and that will help.
Rumour is (a) the Russians are retreating round Stalingrad, and (b) the Russians have counter-attacked on various fronts. Also, that Canada has invited us in the Far East to go to Canada, all our expenses paid.
Mr Bendall gave Mabel a lovely cake of good soap for her birthday - Agafuroffs sent him in a parcel. ((Pre-war we often played tennis with Jimmy Bendall and the Agafuroff brothers at the Civil Service Club, Happy Valley. The Agafuroff brothers were not interned, I think they were Indian and probably both worked in the HK Government. I never heard anything of them after the war.))