Barbara Anslow's diary: View pages

Water day. ((i.e., it was turned on in the taps one day in 4. In evening of water day we filled the bath in our flat and every one honour-bound to take out only a certain amount per day, usually 3 small tinfulls about the size of a tin of soup, nailed on to a piece of wood. You tipped your allotment into the washbasin, washed yourself and your clothes, then pulled the plug,and the used water drained into an old kerosene tin underneath. When that tin was full, one of the men in the flat stood on the lavatory seat and poured the water from the kerosene tin into the cistern to flush the loo.))

Doreen came for shorthand lesson.

Dr Talbot had a look at my eyes, they're bad today.

Newspaper says Russians 75 miles from Berlin.

Chinese lesson in evening with Clifton (the teacher!) and Mabel.  May start to teach Clifton shorthand.

We may get back issue of rice. Got a tomato each.

'Blessing of the Throats' today after Mass.

Japs are asking for information re safe deposit boxes in HK & Shanghai Bank.

Connie Van Der Lely ((Annie's elder sister)) and I went to play bridge and monopoly at the Bartons - George Davitt (Police) and Dick Cloake there too; nice, and lots to eat.

Rumour that motor torpedo boats are around.

Russians 50 miles from Berlin.

We're not getting back-rice after all.

Wet and very cold.

Mr. John Owen-Hughes died last night.

Catholic Action meeting in afternoon.

My eyes bad. ((I sometimes got infected eyelashes, and had to have them pulled out.))

Had card from Evelyn Kemp, (school friend in UK) posted 2nd March 1944, saying:

'Glad to be writing you again after such a long wait.  Will write again.  Good luck and health to you all.'

Mr. Wells gave lecture on 'old Hong Kong' in evening.

Mr Davis came, our plays to be a week later.

Doreen shorthand.

We got eggs (40 Yen) and pork (500 Yen a pound) but we didn't buy that much!
((These extras were bought with the proceeds of sale of my watch.))

Very poor, ordinary meals - greens and peas, and cockles.

Worked in afternoon.

Crosses are now being dug out in various places about camp  ((ie. to show  our planes we are a camp)).

Newspaper says that a Jap. ship leaves Japan about 17th with parcels for us among others - frantic rumours re contents.

Had egg in evening, fried a pancake.

Shorthand with Ivy Batley and Mrs. Goddard.

2 cards from Auntie Lil, one May 1944.

Very cold.

Leilah came to rehearse in passage at 4pm and is good.  ((Leilah Woods, teenager.   Her mother was Japanese/German, her father English.  He was working in Shanghai when the Japs attacked, and died there during the war (probably killed by Japs.)  In Stanley with Leilah were her mother, her  sister Edith and Edith's husband Arthur, and their children Mavis and Richard Hamson.  Leilah, now widowed, lives in Canada and we often chat on the phone.))

Ate 2 eggs tonight.

Bishop Valtorta visited camp, blessed us in Prisoner Officers' Club.

H. Stainsfield died.

Paper says Manila internees rescued by the US entering forces.

Miss Mavis Lush married Mr. C. Littler.

Walked round with Beryl in evening.

Lovely stew for tiffin.

Catholic Action meeting in afternoon.

Rehearsal in our room at 2, Doreen (Leonard) didn't come. Visited her after meeting, she has malaria.

In evening to Grants' room for talk 'Towards a Better World' but found it completely over my head. ((The Grant family - Mrs. K, daughters Kathleen, Eileen, and Rosaleen (married) lived in Block 2 of Married Q.))

Rumours:  parcels (food) leave today ((i.e. for the camp)), and Germany has capitulated.

Permanent blackout.

Chinese New Year.

To lecture on 'Insurances' in evening by Dr. Lanchester.

Bombing on D'Aguilar.

Rumour that Hitler is asking Pope for 'no condition' surrender.

2 post cards from Auntie Lily.

Captain S. H. Batty-Smith died (A.D.C. to Governor pre-war)

Slept in slacks and scarlet blazer last night, it was so cold.

Rehearsal at St Stephens went very well. Concannon seemed reasonably satisfied.  Anneke offered to prompt.

To Rosary at Bartons' room, then to History lecture.

Ash Wednesday.

Sore-ish throat.  Worked in afternoon.

Mr. A. J. Collins Taylor gave talk on 'Lourdes'.

Planes around.

Had 2 eggs tonight.

Convoy went out, and a camouflaged launch is lying off Tweed Bay.

Terrific explosion in the night.

Lovely chow fan and baked potato for tiffin.

Have slight cold.

To St Stephens all afternoon, rehearsals, Concannon most helpful.

Clifton not well.

I have a runny cold.

Saw Pauline Beck re music for shows.  

Father Meyer's birthday.

Newspaper tells of discussions re peace terms in Europe.

Cold and rainy

Food ship supposed to leave Japan.

My cold still annoying.

Dress rehearsal of plays at St Stephens. Her First Dance not so bad, but The Last Meeting awful; Trial scene seemed too long.

People have heard from families overseas to whom Gladys Collard wrote after she was repatriated to Canada.

Olive in bed with cold.

Worked for Olive in afternoon.

Lovely English potatoes for tiffin.

Went to Benediction, and Stations of the Cross, then for a walk with Annie, then to Catholic Action social, with eats - in honour of Father Meyer's birthday.

To lecture 'Ends & Means'.

Paper says Manila in flames and ruins, and fighting at Mackinley ((where we were billetted when in Manila in July 1940)).

Much bombing of Japan by a powerful task force.  The Japs claim 187 planes shot down.

9,000 planes supposed to be over Dresden.

Rumour that East Prussia has surendered, and that our oil ration here ceases at the end of March.

Henry puss is getting loads to eat - people bringing him remains of some of the stunned fish. ((We acquired Henry when one of the few camp cats had kittens; we 4 each gave him about a teaspoonful of our rice & stew each day.  Can't remember now how the fish came to be stunned!))((Admin: the source of the stunned fish is explained in John Charter's diary entry for 15 Feb.))

My week off.  Olive back at work.

Catholic Action meeting at 3pm, then Sheila and I went to St Stephens for rehearsal of Her First Dance which Concannon has brushed up tremendously. We have invited him and others to tea on Sunday.

Joyce Wilkinson is engaged to John Wall.

Yesterday Mrs June Cheape had some food stolen.  ((Her billet was on one of our landings.))

Had a card from Auntie dated June 1944.

Had a long chat with Ivy Batley who is in hospital again.

Water in taps.

Mrs Christine Robson had appendix op.

Doreen came for shorthand.

Americans landing on Bonins.

Spent nearly an hour at Leprosarium with Pat Cullinan, arranging tea party for Sunday.  Also saw Ivy, and Mrs Lena Edgar.

Spent most of afternoon with Van Der Lelys.

Still on holiday.  Rainy.  

Visited Twidales; Betty (nee Cullen) was sick, so I went with her brother George to bring litle sister Rosie home from hospital, then to St Stephens for last rehearsal of The Last Meeting.

We got more eggs.

Raining cats and dogs.

Just when it was light, a large grey ship with big white cross on either end, crept past the Fort - so near that I could see the crosses.  It later anchored where the last repatriation ship did, but moved off at quarter to eleven.   Every one thinks it's the food ship... hoping, anyway.
 
The plays went off quite well. 'The Last Meeting' was the worst, they all spoke too quickly. The Shakespeare play went off fairly well; 'Her First Dance' was best. Kristine (Thoresen) looked beautiful, wearing Sheila's bridesmaid's dress; Mavis Thirlwell very good too.   A small audience, due to the rain I hope. ((I don't remember who the Sheila was who lent the bridesmaid's dress, but that almost certainly was Sheila Haynes who was a great friend of mine. She married policeman Patrick Cullinan in camp.))

A stye coming on my eye.

Talk by Rev. Sandbach.

Still raining.

Dorothy sick so I had to go to work in am.

Saw the 'parcel ship' going out again in a.m. when I got congee.

The plays were better on the whole, again a small audience. Doreen Leonard very good.

Americans are well on in the Bonins, and large armies assembling in Kunming.

Eric McNider ((a neighbour, who often did a double act with Clifton on Stanley stage)) went in to town with others to get building materials for camp.