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Initials for Mrs Harrison (Pkt of cigs)

Raid on Colony at 2.50 PM. 18 planes.

((G))

Sun bath on roof.

Talk with Steve pm.

3 act play at St Stephen’s.

Mary ill.

Yesterday’s raid again futile according to paper.

"Full House" by Ivor Novello ((see 29th for details))

B.O. 7 pm,

Jail lights on

((Following text not dated:))

End of month air raid one morning despite heavy clouds. Explosions afar. Six planes.

Initials for Mrs Harrison.

((G))

Talk with Steve pm.

No raids, no news.

Yesterday’s raid caused slight damage per paper but hear that Taikoo area 40 houses damaged & Lai Chi Kok oil installation blown up; Kowloon docks & Holt’s wharf. Dropped leaflets warning Chinese to get out in 10 days for their own safety?

Cloudy day.

Blackout enforced from 7PM but all Jap lights on.

Leading Hong Kong surgeon and Nationalist Li Shu-fan begins his escape.  Because of his prominence he was courted by the Japanese and then watched carefully because of his steadfast refusal to co-operate with them. His departure follows a long campaign to convince the authorities that he's given up politics for a life of pleasure so that they'll relax their vigilance and allow him to prepare for and execute his escape.

"Full House" by Ivor Novello ((see 29th for details))

B.O. reverts to midnight

Cholera inoculation

One more month gone: one month nearer to blessed freedom. We have had some excitement since I made my last entry. Recently our flat has, apparently been consuming too much electricity and for two or three days we had our current entirely cut off during the day so that we were unable to do any cooking. For this reason our Sunday community curry had to be postponed. On Tuesday the current was switched on for half an hour at breakfast, lunch and suppertime, so we decided we would open our community tin of corned mutton and have our deferred curry.

Chopped wood & little walk with Bon.

((G))

To tea at Ms Win’s birthday. ((Probably Winnie Stevens, see a similar entry for this date in 1944.))

((G))

Steve to Concert pm. 

((G))

Cloudy & humid. Blackout cancelled.

Though Italy does not appear to be out of the war yet it is clear she is nearly finished. We have had raids here 3 days running but yesterday it clouded over and this morning  we had a thunderstorm so they may stay away again today. It is a real tonic to see them.  Of course they do only "slight" damage  according to the HK News and are chased away by AA fire - which so far as we can see is never anywhere near the planes!  They apparently have no planes here to send up and fight them.

Well at about 5 p.m. I posted up to Maudie to say we would be unable to come that evening.  While we were talking we heard a drone of planes and some explosions. The paper on Monday had said there would be AA practice in this locality between 10 and 12 a.m. on Tuesday, and at first we thought it must be this practice starting off a bit behind schedule. Then we saw people opposite at St Stephens pointing excitedly at the sky; so we flew downstairs to see what was afoot. The sky was full of puffs of smoke as scores of shells burst at a considerable height.

Another month started - we've been 18 months in durance vile.  It could be a lot worse but it is horrible enough.  We have had blackouts too - punishment ones for 2 nights - no light from 7pm to 6am.  So we just have to sit in the dark, smoke, talk and think.  I'm quite glad of old de Martin's company then.  Normally we are blacked out  from midnight only but "lights out" is at 10 every night so we are early to bed.        No news Honey and so weary!  

Birth of Alexander Graham Cochrane.

After narrowly avoiding detection when his sampan is stopped by a Japanese patrol boat, Dr. Li Shu-fan arrives in Free China:

So we waited till dawn . When we stepped onto the beach at last, I stretched my arms upwards and wide and took a deep breath of the free air of China. It was Sunday morning, August 1, 1943 - the day I was to have been sworn in as president of the Sino-Japanese Medical Association, and thus as a collaborationist of the Japanese.

Children's services: Martin, creed Michael Hall; lesson - Moira Carmone ((probably Moira Cameron)) / Myhill, E.W. Blackmore , Q.M. vice ((sp?)) Mrs. Dunlop((sp?))

to Mr. & Mrs. Cochrane a ((unclear, but should be their son, Alexander Graham))

((G))

Made stencil for Willcocks.

Talk with Steve pm.

Cloudy & warm.

Kai-tak 7 bombs. Kowloon dock with s/m being built, dckyd. residences in Tai-wan, Kennedy Town abattoir (converted to barracks) & Fort St. Dcky’d residences bombed.

But the biggest raid came on the third day. It had been a fiendishly hot day and Y and I had taken our tea outside and were having it in the shade of the building, at a spot where there was a faint breeze blowing. Our room is completely airless in this weather and as our fan has been disconnected the room is often unbearably hot and stuffy. While we were sipping our tea and perspiring copiously we heard the (by now almost familiar) drone of many planes and again I dashed round to Block 2, from where one can get a good view of the proceedings.

Deck-chair repairs for Willcocks.

Rec. letter from Bob 5th Oct.42.

Rained, cloudy all day. (Germany asks for terms & is referred by Churchill to Stalin. Large army US & Chinese around Canton)

"Reminiscenses of a Police Officer "(C.G. Perdue)

Cool & cloudy.

Cutting stencils all day.

Choir practice 3-4 & 5-6pm.

((G))

Women receive orders to group themselves into 3s for cabin accommodation.

Another bombing raid last Thursday afternoon with at least 12 bombers that I saw, others say there were 15 or more. The news is trickling in of the damage caused. None of our planes were brought down otherwise we would have heard of it through the paper. Bombs were dropped amongst other places on Taikoo Dock, Fort Street, Supreme Court, March Yard, Blake or Doyle’s Pier, Central Police Station, Belchers Street and places in Kowloon.