"Gothic Architecture" (Boxer)
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((Following text not dated:))
Explosions one day and sharp ack ack. Alleged heavy bombing near border. Black-out and street searches again.
No flour since end of month. Prices rising. No fish in market. Shark 84 sen. Cucumbers 70 sen. Hard keep costs down. Seems Y450 monthly is now minimum. Has doubled in four months.
To town for meeting of Welfare Committee. Decide we carry on. Relief money will last four months. Pat Brown and Peter Abesser confident will be enough.
The camp is just seething with rumours today: Britain ceased bombing Germany for several days while negotiations for peace were carried on, now the bombing has recommenced on a terrific scale; Italy is out of the war and Turkey is in; we are all going to be repatriated in about one month’s time; Britain has landed troops somewhere in France; the Chinese have won a great victory in central China somewhere; HK was raided by air two days ago.
Fine day.
Comm. work am. Took B to swim aft. Br. & And. much in evidence on return.
((G))
Softball with Steve pm.
Chungking casts doubt on Yamamoto’s Japanese version of his death. Bombing of Germany & Sicily reported. R.Cs give Italy 2 mths before they pack up. Food riots in Tokyo? Women & kids to be vaccinated next week & to leave on the 28th?
Blackout are the order of the day still and it is rather boring and tiring however D.B.B. and I after our wee bit supper sit out and yarn on all subjects. We get to bed about 10 o'clock and I get up early just after six or so. Sometimes I get a wee cup of tea by getting hot water from the water boiler. To make it tasty I add a leaf of mint which gives it a nice flavour.
In fact we find that we hardly have to cut down at all on our previous cooking times – we economise in such ways as queuing at the water boiler to get hot water for coffee instead of boiling it from cold as we used to (we still have coffee about 3 times per week, using the old grounds plus one new teaspoon each time – just enough to make us aware that it is coffee!) and I surreptitiously collect my shaving water every other day from the water boiler instead of boiling it on the hot plate.
KIDS concert (Morrissy, Dorothy Salmon (wardrobe), Pauline Beck (piano), Webb (?) ((unclear)), Dorothy Morley, Ruth Sewell, John Barton)
This morning I was medically examined once more, on this occasion by the special medical board at the hospital. Every man in camp is being examined at the request of the Japanese authorities. First my blood pressure was taken and I was examined for hernia by Dr Youggski (or some such name – he is a British naturalised Russian). This time, my blood pressure was 117/70, an increase on the last when it was taken about a month ago for the labour roster; so my digging must have raised it. Youggski told me it was very good for this camp.
KIDS concert
B.O. off
KIDS concert
The only further repatriation news is a notice from Gimson stating that the Japanese authorities (camp authorities) categorically deny that they have any further news of repatriation. In the same notice Gimson states: he has brought to the notice of the Japanese further medical reports and statistics prepared by Drs Macleod and Deane-Smith which show a marked increase in the cases of beri-beri in camp.
TRINITY M. Dow / Myhill
I had a horrible weekend last week and had to get the doctor on Sunday. He put me on Dagenin which cured me in two days - I've been absolutely O.K. again since Wednesday but the cure is not approved of by my doctor at the hospital - as Dagenin is not good for blood counts! No more letters or news - some letters as late as Oct last year came in yesterday but none for me. Rations are very low and I am losing weight again - down to 126 1/2 now - really slim! It's a funny sight I can assure you.
MOST SECRET Sheet 3.
SECTION I
(d)
HONG KONG. KWIZ/03 d/20/6/43.
REPORT NO.3.
Source: Mrs A. ELVIDGE.
Date: 15 Jun 43.
Grade: C.2.
Informant is the Chinese wife of a ship's Captain employed by S.T.WILLIAMSON. She left HONG KONG with her son aged 15 on 5 May 43, and came out by overland route through WAI CHOW.
Franklin Gimson notes in his diary that he considers the British Communal Council 'a subversive organisation'.
He also mentions disapprovingly a discussion of post-war Hong Kong in which the members disregarded the interests of labour and considered only those of employers.
Although Gimson considers the B.C.C. a 'revolutionary body' (diary entry of Friday, June 25) Camp politics aren't about a simple clash between 'left' and 'right'.
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