Case of suspected diphtheria in I.Q. Block 13 (Mrs. Williams): Concert cancelled.
Pages tagged:
Chinese PM.
((G.))
A Jap doctor visited. Hospital closed to visitors, and Block 13 roped off ((in Indian Quarters where the Williams family lived - Mr. B. (Health Inspector), Mrs. L., Patricia 4, David 2: another boy Raymond born July 1945)).
They haven't definitely put off all the festivities as yet.
Shanghailanders now been put off to Thursday.
Mr. S. Lillicrap died this morning - there was never any hope.
Death of Samuel Lillicrap aged 53. He formerly worked for the Hong Kong Bowling Alley.
Source:
Geoffrey Emerson, Hong Kong Internment, 2011, 186
All concerts, gatherings etc. off for a week - such a disappointment. Maybe church services can be held out of doors.
The Woods twins brought us jam and grape fruit juice ysterday.
Mum sold hot water bottle for 5 Yen.
Collected $20 for Mum and $20 for Mabel from the Relief Fund. ((I have no recollection of what that was!))
Some people got cakes today from men in Argyle St. Camp. Loads more (private) parcels came in today.
Issue of 2 M&V. & 1lb. sugar each.
We first assembled on Dec.23, 1942 in front of the Stanley Prison and were checked off and then waited.
The Japanese then told us the ship was delayed and to assemble again the next day.
Back we went to our rooms to find in our case the occupants had to make room for us again.
Canteen.
((G.))
Many parcels arrived during the evening.
Japs have lifted ban about concerts. Spent nearly all afternoon (after Bridge with Mr Kelly etc) in doing up the Ward Christmas trees with silver paper, and the book marks. ((The 'Christmas trees' were simply large branches we'd collected. Silver paper was probably from cigarette packets. We girls in hospital office made book marks for every patient - just small slips of paper with a little drawing on, which we put on the trees.))
The camp Christmas plans have to be changed. A female internee is diagnosed with diphtheria and all indoor gatherings are cancelled to try to lower the chances of an epidemic.
The measures taken work, and there are no further cases.
A wedding takes place: Enid Mabel Martin, a private secretary, marries police sub-inspector John Cecil Michell. Enid is the mother of Keith Martin, a boy living in Shanghai.
At Shamshuipo Staff-Sergeant James O'Toole receives a mysterious but welcome gift:
Carol service on bowling green. Many Xmas parcels.
I.W.C. gift of peanuts. Present for each child.
John Michell (Police) & Enid Mabel Martin (widow). (M.Dow) (Prison Officers’ Social Hall).
Curfew ext. 9 p.m.
38 left for Shanghai.
The following PM ((24th Dec, 1942)) we again assembled and after being checked off we were marched down to the old wharf at the beach and boarded a tug which took us out to an old rusted coastal freighter which we boarded and were told to go down into the forward hold.
Much to our surprise the hold was quite clean and the whole area was covered in Japanese tatami mats. The vessel obviously had been used to ferry Japanese troops prior to our boarding the ship.
All of us could only take with us whatever we could carry which created sme problems for the elderly.
((G.))
Curfew extended till 9PM for carol singing & Nativity Play.
Slept in with Mum last night – my bed folded up because bookcase removed so fireplace could be used.
Went with Mrs K to 7.15am Mass in Maryknoll Chapel ((tiny, so few people so didn't count as a 'gathering.')) Mum and Mabel to 8am Mass in grotto. ((near American Quarters)).
After, egg, bacon, tomatoes and loganberries.
The first Christmas in captivity and a year since the surrender - a day of great emotion.
Outdoor carol singing goes ahead (see yesterday's entry). A choir tours the Camp singing close to each block in turn, and also outside the hospital to welcome Janet Carole Sallis, who's born today.
To Mr & Mrs C Sallis (d)
Services on bowling green
HC (2) Brown (c) / Short : Sandbach / Wittenbach (c)
10am – Short
Sandbach 4pm
(Curfew ext. 9pm)
Party in Cookhouse & served one meal at 12.30PM.
To tea at Steve’s with G.
Nativity Play at St Stephens.
((G.))
Lovely Xmas considering conditions.
Post cards from Shamshuipo - I had one from dear old Harry Chalcroft! ((one of Olive's ex-boyfriends)). Neither Olive nor Mabel had one. Rosaleen had 4 from friends, but none from Bert, her Royal Scots husband. ((We didn't know then that The Royal Scots had been taken to Japan 2 months earlier on the 'Lisbon Maru' which was sunk. Bert survived, but his marriage to R didn't after the war.))