Pages tagged:

Canteen, buyer.

Many conflicting yarns re repatriation.

Walk with Steve pm.

((G.))

D.B.B. and I went to J.F's on Saturday night for our yarn and a cup of coffee and biscuits. On Sunday I went to church at 10 o'clock for a wee while and then pushed off for the rations and at 4 o'clock J.F. and I went to church together.

“If I were You”

5 pkts. May Blossom $3.

Lovely day.

Staff meeting in B.C.Chambers. ((Barbara Anslow: I think 'B.C. Chambers' is 'British Council Chambers', which I imagine would be Mr Gimson's office in Block 2, Married Quarters))

Steve acquired ‘Cello.

((G.))

1st. in Lent

Rose / Spence

Cookhouse.

All fish again.

Lovely day.

((G.))

Issue 1 lb. flour

“If I were you”

Bush left Camp. ((Possibly Lewis Bush, though other accounts don't have him arriving at Shamshuipo Camp until the 27th of March.))

Fine day mostly. A few spots of rain fall. Didn’t go out all day.

Majima came to camp.

Walk with Steve pm.

((G.))

Smalley (“Med. officer in Colonial Service”)

Repatriation rumours rife 

With Steve nearly all day making music stand. Walk with him pm.

((G.))

Fine day somewhat humid.

B.C.C. meeting. Repatriation discussed but no particulars have come out yet.

((G.))

Arrest of Sir Vandeleur Grayburn and E. P. Streatfield.

They are driven from the Liquidation Office to a row of barricaded off ouses on the race course side of Ventris Road - Streatfield thinks this area is being used as a divisional Kempeitai headquarters. They are taken into one of the houses Grayburn is interrogated that afternoon and accused of getting money from the Macao Consul, John Reeves - this would make the offence much more serious in Japanese eyes.

St. Patrick’s Day concert

Int’l soccer Eng. 4 Scot. 1 (Pipes) HK 4 Ireland & Wales 1.

St Pat’s Day.

Concert pm but not very good.

Fine.

((G.))

A few tunes with Norwegian accordion player.

(('Esther' mentioned by Mr Jones in today's diary, was performed as a ballet. It was out of this world to us watching it, just superb dancing, music - and costumes some of which I believe were made of old bits of dyed mosquito netting. Some Japanese officers who attended the performance were critical about the use of mosquito nets for this purpose, and of certain medicines to dye them. What a great morale-booster these Stanley concerts were!))

Vandeleur Grayburn is interrogated for a couple of hours this morning. Then it's Edward Streatfield's turn: his interrogator points to lengths of cord and baseball bats and advises him to tell the truth. The questions last for two hours, and the unpleasantness is compounded by poor interpretation, but there's no torture and the banker is never to suffer physical mistreatment.

“Esther” ballet (Bateman, Brown, Drown, Heasman, Goldie, Peggy Hunter, (Esther), Garton, Moring, N Reynolds – 3 Acts) ((Not sure which 'Brown' he is referring to.))

Norman – “Prisons”

Misty & damp.

Cookhouse all day.

1st night of “Esther” performed.

Walk with Steve pm.

((G.))

“Esther” ballet

Misty & damp. Plenty mosquitoes around.

Repatriation negotiations OK?

Walk with Steve pm.

((G.))

We were in trouble...for the ballet Esther. An enthusiastic audience packed the main hall of St Stephen's College on a Saturday evening. The music was excellent and the dancing, considering the circumstances, was first-rate. The ((Japanese)) authorities, however, were strongly critical of the costumes, which had been made from mosquito nets dipped in solutions of mercurochrome and gentian blue from the hospital dispensary. Perhaps our enthusiasm had taken us a little beyond the realm of prudence, but the show was a huge success.

Source: