Feeling grand, but Mum in pain and to see Dr Kirk tomorrow
Duck egg again.
Spring Offensive reported starting.
Barbara Anslow's diary: View pages
Today Mum has had 3 eggs, hot cake, scone and ordinary food. Tony Cole will give us some apricot rings for her.
Outside news is good- English landings in various French coast towns, destructive bombng raids on specific German towns etc., and bombing of Tokyo.
Mum had her womb removed. It took 2 and a quarter hours. At 5pm we went up to ward and saw her just for a moment. She was just round from the anaesthetic, and said 'it's so sore' and 'don't worry', but her poor head was so heavy. Her legs were lashed up. She looked dreadfully pale, her hands so thin. We have to get hold of all the food we can for her. Dr Kirk and Prof. Digby did the operation.
I've been back working at the hospital. They made lovely scones yesterday.
When Mum is out of hospital, either Olive or I will have to give up working at hosp. because Mum won't be strong enough to queue or do things for herself. Selwyn-Clarke was in today - there's apparently no hope of getting Mabel into camp, she counts as a prisoner of war.
Japs have offered us HK$75 each, and we have made out lists of what we want to buy and it's hoped they will let someone in to town to buy it soon.
Heaps of flour has been coming in.
Mum frightens me – but there's nothing we can do but pray.
Mum so very much better today, thank God. Got porridge from Welfare for her.
Mum better still. She had custard today. We had lovely pastry at tiffin and sweet potato in evening.
Mum better, she had Bengers Food and milk and soup. Eric Kennard and Dorothy Deakin married. Baby Jean Addis Martin's 1st birthday.
Mum still improving. To Dance in evening with Tony and Olive.
Mum had big stitches taken out. Got sugar and choc. via Mrs McGowan.
Tried to make bread ((by growing yeast from rice, and wrapping it up when mixed with flour to keep it warm. Mrs G cooked it in Married Quarters kitchen where she worked))) Turned out fine.
Mum had all stitches taken out.
Sent our $50 note into town via Miss Jeffery ((a young nursing sister with T.B., one of a few selected for x-ray in town as there were no x-ray facilities in camp.
All 'lucky' patients were plied with money and lists from camp friends; they usually stayed overnight under Jap. supervision at the French Hospital; they got friendly staff there to shop frantically for them, and returned to camp loaded with goods.))
((David: Were there any restrictions on bringing cash into Stanley?
Barbara: I never heard of any restrictions on bringing cash into Stanley, but I didn't have much with me anyway! I forget where Olive got her $50 note from... her war billet was nearer the Bank than mine so maybe she got some out during the fighting.
We didn't need much money then, as our meals were all paid for at the cafe where we were registered, so would only need a few dollars to get drinks of coke etc. to go with the meals.
In my experience at least, there was nothing to spend our money on in the war! Can't remember any searches when we were sent to Stanley.))
News of Churchill's speech 'on the up and up'. Sea battle with Japs ensuing.
I weigh 108 lbs (was 101 and half on 25th March)
Some syrup and fruits and seven sweets came in, the rest of our £50 of goods will come later. Olive not well.
Mum not getting up yet, but OK.
Rest of our goods arrived - lovely: cocoa, vitacup, muscatels, prunes, treacle, jam, and cream of wheat. Bill was in Yen - 25. We won't have to give up working at hosp. when Mum comes home after all, beause now we only work half-days instead of full days. 18th May Mum got up for the first time, very shaky on her legs. On the second day of her op, Olive and I thought she wouldn't get over it. I've felt much better since being back at work in the hospital. Olive is getting fat, but she isn't well – bad cold, throat etc.
All sorts of news coming in - about Italy caving in, peace terms etc., about gas in England: victories in Coral Sea; speeches by Churchill that victory is in sight; that Russians have broken through Germany's spring offensive, and vice versa. All liable to be discounted the next day, as all the news seems to be.
We have a little garden now - Olive, Dorothy (Holloway) and I. Sweet potatoes planted so far. ((That garden was only about 6 ft x 4 ft, a piece of rough ground among the rocks behind the hospital, it didn't do very well. Much later when the rations grew worse, some one (either the Japs or our own camp officials) decided to convert the pre-war football ground near the Married Quarters into garden plots, and our family had one there which actually provided us with some crops.))
Now I have so much to do in spare time - am reading World Geography, and Florence Nightingale; teaching Miss Hill ((a nurse)) and Tony (Cole) shorthand; plus gardening and bread making - chiefly sifting flour because of weevils. Much more contented now.
Forgot to do diary lately. We have suddenly been presented with $17.40 each via the Japs, and will send ours via Mrs G on Monday when she goes into town for xray. Always feel rather wary of parting with so much money with period of waiting. Mum doing fine.
Mr Mezger ((an Australian neighbour)) gave us jam - so kind of him.
Whit Monday. Finished writing 'School Magazine' poem. Mum now slouches about in the hospital ward. She has gone much thinner and has no tummy.
The $17.40 ((see previous diary entry)) is the balance of the $105 which wasn't spent on kitchen requirement. ((The earlier mentioned prospective gift of $75 each had it seems originally been $100 which was then reduced to $75 so that the communal kitchens could buy basics for all with $25 from every one.)).
Most of our family's money is going into town via Mrs G, she goes in for x-ray today but is inundated with orders like ours, and I'm a bit worried at the outcome. We're also trying to get a hot plate.
The hospital office smells of apricots - there are crates of dried fruit here for the 'Welfare' (a sort of camp charity for the most needy cases - don't know where the funds come from.) Somehow it is comforting to see the food, though healthy folk like me probably won't have any of it.
Rumours that some of regular army are at the Fort ((Stanley)) to do some work.
Mum came downstairs from ward for the first time, groggy at the knees. We got salt, raisins, cornflakes at canteen today; and an enamel mug, basin, hanks and toilet paper from Welfare!
Mrs G had to shed most of her orders before she went yesterday – most probably ours was amongst them.