Everything tagged: Diary / Memoir

Part 1 My Childhood and Teen Years - Guangzhou and Hong Kong 

1.0 Preface

The following text is a copy of a chapter from my father’s, Dr. Harry Talbot, “Autobiographical Sketch” entitled “Tweed Bay Hospital” set up by the internees at Stanley Camp in Hong Kong during the Japanese occupation there.  it will give you, the reader, some background on the hospital.  His “Autobiographical Sketch” is copyrighted and is for the sole purpose of being read: nothing is to be used, copied and/or the like from it.  Thank you.

Tweed Bay Hospital

©

Here are the details of my father’s flight out to HK in January 1952.  I have taken the content straight from his letters.

Journey by Peter Halliwell from London to Hong Kong 3 January 1952, travelling in the BOAC Argonaut Amazon.

Day 1.

He went to the Air Terminal on Buckingham Palace Road at 8.15 pm on Wednesday 3 January 1952.   He along with other passengers caught a bus at 8.30 for the airport.    He  had to surrender his Ration Book and Identity Card – but no mention of sweet coupons!

My Aunt kept a diary on her journey back to Australia on the Indomitable , very interesting reading, but as it was  all written in pencil it is now very faded. The pages have been scanned, darkened on the computer, and posted below.

Click on any page and use the "Zoom" to enlarge it for easier reading.

Les Bird joined the Hong Kong Marine Police in 1976 during a period of rapid change in one of the British Empire’s few remaining colonies, and witnessed the last years of the hard-working, hard-drinking colonial policemen handing out rough justice in the World of Suzie Wong.

[Bob: I am in possession of a multi page document written by one of the younger Harris sons (Ted - his wartime memoirs written in 1997) which I am posting here. Ted's widow has given me permission to share Ted's memoirs.]

This is a valuable resource for anyone interested in Stanley Internment Camp, and Hong Kong during the Second World War.

It's a thick book, over 600 pages long, with the bulk of the content coming from John Charter's diary of events. Every new diary we read gives new viewpoints on events, but this diary also stands out for the level of detail recorded. John writes well, making it an easy read as well as an informative one.

John's family had known of the diary for many years, but despaired of ever being able to read it. His son Anthony explains:

A Memoir of Survival, Identity and Success

After hearing Barbara Anslow speak to the Hong Kong Society last year, I contacted Barbara to see if she remembered my grandfather, William (Billie) J Carrie and to let her know that I have his own wartime diary that he started on 08/12/1941 when Hong Kong Island was first shelled by the Japanese. I am happy to say she instantly remembered him from their days in Stanley Internment Camp.

Maclean's Magazine June and July 1942. In three parts. Part one is here The other two are at the bottom of the page that is referenced.