Fine, Cold.
More firewood arrived.
R.Cs Nat. play at St Stephens.
Choir practice 5pm. Played crib with Steve after.
Pages tagged:
Rain & cold am, improved pm.
Nothing eventful today. With Steve pm.
New moon.
“Scharnhorst” sunk.
((The German battleship Scharnhorst was sunk at the Battle of North Cape on 26 December 1943.))
Red Cross Delegate Rudolf Zindel makes his monthly visit to Stanley, interviewing 58 internees on 'various current subjects'. He notes that because of the timely arrival of fresh British funds he was able to pay the usual monthly allowance of M. Y. 25 to 2, 393 (British) internees just before Christmas, and that the camp authorities also approved a grant of M. Y. 3,000 to the Stanley Camp Nutritional Relief Fund.
Zindel also paid M. Y. 25 to the 13 Americans remaining in Stanley.
Source:
“Laburnum Grove” (Eileen Tinson, Yvonne Charter, Clitherow Margarett, Hubert Phillips, Colin Coles, George Frost, Betty Hyde-Lay, Richard Mills, Arthur Glanville, p.- John Charter)
((AJ Savitsky painted this portrait of Richard Mills in character:
Reflections on the second year
“Laburnum Grove” ((see 30th for details)) & 1st Jan ((ie the play “Laburnum Grove” was also performed on 1st Jan)).
Issue of ¼ lb. peanut butter.
The start of another year and still here, but we are more hopeful of release than we have ever been. We are moving rapidly on all fronts and this we gather from the meagre news that is in the daily rag and reading between the lines sort of thing. At any rate we feel more confident that our day of freedom is not so far distant now.
The chow put on by the kitchen was quite good considering the small and poor rations we get, however to supplement we made another pie of corn mutton and vegetables and has helped to fill the empty places.
Stanley Camp becomes The Military Internment Camp. But the Japanese military will not take full control for some time, and when it does the internees will not be treated as POWS, which seems to be what some worried relatives back in the UK fear when they get to hear of the new name.
Franklin Gimson likes the camp production of Laburnum Grove, noting in his diary that it contains 'more decent humour than is usually to be found in modern drama'.
Source:
((Following text not dated:))
Very quiet New Year's Eve and later Chinese New Year.
Getting dozen tomatoes daily from garden but small and family complain make throat sore.
Electricity supply to be restricted to 8 to 12 p.m.
To Kotewall for long session. Paid and gave me coffee.
Dull & drizzly.
Everyone happy & optimistic re our chances of being happier this year.
Change of administration to be made.
With Steve pm.
Plenty congee today.
Some news to come re repatriation & new Camp conditions?
Wittenbach / Ponting
Drown & Heath
Better day. Cloudy. Nothing doing.
With Steve pm.
(10 Formosans to take over Camp duties, live in Prep. school)
News from 49,000 Far East captives
A further batch of about 49,000 postcards and letters from prisoners of war and civilian internees in Japanese hands has reached Britain within the last few days and been delivered.
Approximately 56 per cent, of the mail came from camps In Thailand (Siam), and about 15 per cent, from Java and Sumatra, the remainder being from camps In Japan, Hong Kong, occupied China, Korea, Formosa and Burma.
Source: Daily Mirror, page 2
Fine but cloudy.
Good news in Jap paper, 2,000 ton bomb raid on Berlin, Japs admit being on defensive, & Germans evacuate to point about 55 mls from Polish border.
Walk with Steve pm.
Lovely day.
No news.
Choir practice with orchestra 5pm.
With Steve pm.
(Peace delegation left Germany).
Fine. Bit of sunbathing on roof.
No news.
Walk with Steve pm.
Death of retired army officer Ernest Dudley Matthews, a former minor counties cricketer.
Source:
https://cricketarchive.com/Berkshire/Players/158/158781/158781.html