Xmas cards rec'd from S.S.PO
Pages tagged:
7 Lessons & Carols (Rose)
Tojo's telling speech in newspaper.
Four days later ((ie 28th Dec, 1942)) we docked in Shanghai and were told to get off the ship. We all got off and stood in a group on the dock not knowing what to do, no one paid any attention to us and we just stood there in the dark waiting for someone to tell us what to do - we had lost all initiative in Stanley.
Eventually an old charcoal driven bus chartered by the British Residence Association in Shanghai took us to the Cathedral where we were registered and given some clothing and funds by the Association. What a change from Stanley!
Pasty today.
Colder.
Chair & Cushion cover.
((G.))
To Cyril Brown's Nativity Play at St Stephens; Betty Richards looked very sweet, the shepherds good.
Japs want to turn the doctors out of the Leprosarium to make it into an Isolation Hospital, since Japs say Benwell (V.) has diphtheria, although docs. say no.
Nativity play (Betty Mills, Drs. Valentine, Alderton, Uttley, Revs Richards, Martin, Wittenbach / Garton, Robertson, Thomas)
Much warmer.
AM walk.
Finished cover Guitar with morning.
((G.))
Chair.
Another case of Dyp.
To Children's Mime in St. Stephens Very sweet, particularly the angel Gillian Millar ((aged 7)) who had rather a strain-making part, with arms outstretched for a long time.
Mrs Drown's concert was good, she sang..a dainty sweet little voice in a (simulated) quarrel, also Dick Cloake.
Reflections on the First Year
Xmas Mime & Drown concert.
My pen has lain idle for nearly a month. I had intended during this month to write up the period between Dec 8th 1941 and the day which first started this diary: many war anniversaries have been observed during this month; but I regret that this jogging along, camp life existence does not improve or mend my procrastinating ways.
Cookhouse all day.
((G.))
../.-../-.--/--.//
((Reader Rhr193 says: The Morse code in the last line of his diary for that day translates as:
I. L. Y. G.
which I guess is short for "I love you G"))
During 1943 and 1944, my diary became very sketchy, as from late 1942 our Catholic priets were gradually organising a kind of RC parochial life for us, and encouraging us to organise it for ourselves. There was a short daily Mass at 8.15am in the Prison Officers' Club on weekdays; this had to be finished on time as that hall was used in the mornings as a junior school.
Optimists concert
Ext. 9pm