Everything tagged: Diary / Memoir

The diary was transcribed from the original by Alison Gerrard.

George Gerrard - Concise biography.

George Gerrard was born in Fraserburgh (Aberdeenshire) in 1894. He was the fifth child in a family of seven. His father was the Rev. George Gerrard and his mother Mrs Helen Gerrard. The family moved to Kirkwall in the Orkneys in 1896. In 1903 they moved to Greenock where George lived for the next eleven years, completing his education at Mearns Street School.

My Mother's relatives were her Polish Grandmother Banderzevska, a Widow with five daughters. After her husband's death, grandmother by law, was left without property and therefore her daughters had no dowries. They started to marry Russians, and were cursed by their Mother who was drinkin too much. The Catholic Church excommunicated them for 20 years because in Russia children have to be Orthodox Church.

Daughters:

This extract from my Grandfather's memoirs covers his last posting with the RAF before being demobbed. 

Rangoon was as deadly as ever but I was bucked by the thought of the Hong Kong posting. I waltzed into Postings as usual and there was my favourite Flight Sergeant, at his desk with his mug of char at his elbow. "Ah, you're back," said he, "have a cup of char." I parked myself and accepted his offer whilst the formalities of the posting were outlined.

My Dad, John Bechtel, wrote this shortly after his release from Stanley:

The following text was given as a lecture by Mrs L. I. Puckle to the Churchstoke Womens Institute.

I feel very much honoured that you should have asked me to come and tell you about our experiences at Stanley Internment Camp and I hope I shall be able to give you some picture of the life lived there. This is the first time I have ever spoken in public, so I hope you will forgive any shortcomings and make allowances for my lack of experience.

Capt, Thomas Pritchard, Commander R.D. R.N.R

Born at Bryn Coch Farm, Abererch Nr. Pwllheli, Carnarvonshire, N.Wales on September 24th 1877.

He wrote these memoirs whilst interned at Stanley Camp Hong Kong Dec 1941 - Aug 1944. He died in Stanley Camp.

His original notes were brought back by Capt. Albert Jones, "Mathan“, Pwllheli, friend and fellow internee.

Deacription of the internment at Stanley Camp during the Second World War.

These extracts are from Henry (Harry) Collingwood Selby's diary as partly published in "In Time of War" (a collection of materials, including essays, POW camp regulations, etc.) edited by his son, Richard Collingwood-Selby and Gillian Bickley (Proverse Hong Kong, 2013).

The book is available from HK bookshops and can be ordered by them from the distributor, the Chinese University Press. It is also available from https://www.createspace.com/6412761.