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Sunday School service (Ream, Sandbach - Mary White, John Keates (l) (Sandbach) 

Myhill

Drown

BO

((I guess the 'Mary White' is Margaret Mary White))

Seems that it will rain for ever.

Noticed Plumb getting thinner almost every day.

Road between gate nr. Prison Gate to Cemetery closed.

No paper today.

Some Camp black-market prices. 3oz Cocoa Y40 = £2-6-8. 1 tin treacle Y155 = £9-0-10. Ricer per lb. Y18 £1-1-0. Cigs per pkt.10 Y4.50 = 5/2 or 6d each.

Control of Germany seems to have been taken over by Goebbels, Himmler & Ribbentrop 21st July. Churchill made very optimistic speech 2nd Aug.

With Steve pm.

Wind backed to E. Lovely day for a change.

Ground rice & chopped wood.

Lorry late arrivd. 6.15pm & some districts without anything but rice.

Daily average of fish & veg. last week. .95 & 7.7ozs.

Task force around Bonins. All Jap civilians in Japan to be armed. New President of Finland chosen.

With Steve pm.

Mary lent me Y30.

Lovely starry night.

Nell's birthday and so in my postcard to you written today I have written you 'Happy Birthday to you'. I was just saying to the lads that I proposed having the afternoon off and take a turn out to the Lido with you as we formerly did. Well there is no harm in hoping and wishing but we'll have happy days together again in the near future. I hope you have spent a nice day and I know you would understand that my loving thoughts were with you Dear.

Wind W, another lovely day.

Japs have hoisted their flag at HQs now.  

Lorry arrived 12.30pm with a good supply of veg.  

I.Qs. had congee only for tiffin. Mary sent me some up for 2pm cup of tea.

Russians N of Memel. Florence evacuated by Germans. Allies advance in Normandy. Laval & Mayenne.

Estimations re our release or relief in the Camp range from Xmas up to July next year.

Webber informed re his promotion.

OBJECTIVE: Block channels in Victoria Harbor and Pearl River with anti-ship mines

RESULTS: B-24s drop anti-ship mines into Victoria Harbor (East Lamma Channel, Rambler Channel, and near Green Island) and into the Pearl River.

TIME OVER TARGET: 10:25 to 11:55 p.m.

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: Nine B-24s from the 373^rd, 374^th, 375^th, and 425th Bomb Squadrons (308^th Heavy Bomb Group)

AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW:

Olive in hospital with tonsilo-pharyngitis.

Hot day, light airs.

Firewood 3 days late.  

A. Block’s Kitchen Supervisor to resign.

No lorry & no paper again.

Hodge, Floyd July 42 & Stuart Dec 41 for services rendered during the war saw Norman re promotion which will cause a stir among the senior members of the Staff.

With Steve pm.

Notes:

T. Pritchard died.

Death of Thomas Pritchard. 

Before being sent to Stanley he was held in the Mee Chow Hotel.

Source:

http://www.hongkongwardiary.com/searchgarrison/nonuniformedcivilians.ht…

Note: I can find no record for Mr. Pritchard in the CWGC online lists.

Death  Commander T. Pritchard R.D., R.N.R. (66) Canton, Macao Steamboat Co.

((Following text not dated:))

Kai hong expensive. Decide tong rooster. Hens laying only one egg alternate day.....Next door Japs hurriedly depart. New ones don't stay long.....Papers keep telling us goods arriving but prices ever up. End month prices rise sharply, rumours three day kai yim, but doesn't materialize.....People say if picked up as destitute don't speak Chinese. Can't understand you let you go.

1 plane raid in N. to North of here at 1am. The plane then flew S. and carried out a patrol of some sort.

Very warm night, hard to get to sleep. Overcast & showery am. Improved pm.  W. East, cooler.

Cholera inoculation received.

Lorry arrived 3.30pm with sprats, milk, enormous chunks of firewood & newspapers.

Scotland now being bombed with V1s. US troops make advances in Normandy & Brittany. All other fronts make no progress. Japs capture Hengyang (9th).

In town prices increase. Rice Y9.20, Pork 60.50 & Beef 57Y.

OBJECTIVE: Fly nocturnal sea sweep mission to detect and sink Japanese ships in the South China Sea.

RESULTS: Aircraft commander aborts sea sweep when radar unit fails.  He attempts to bomb the secondary target, the Kowloon docks, but the bombardier fumbles the bomb run.  Rain and fully alerted antiaircraft defenses preclude another bomb run.  Clouds and rain prevent bomb run on Canton targets as well.  Aircraft returns to base with a full bomb load.

TIME OVER TARGET: Unknown, but presumably after nightfall

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: One B-24

"Peter Pan" (p. by Barbara Redwood)

7 pkts. cigs. Y3.15

night raid 9.35

Rain squalls all night from the E & squally all day.

5 days oil, sugar & curry pwdr issued.

Ground rice & chopped wood, broke the axe-handle in the process.

With Steve pm.

Paper has little good news for us, all our attempts to advance frustrated.

((Peter Pan was performed at St Stephens during Aug. 1944. Eric MacNider mentions its performance in his diary entries for August 11th & 12th.))

 

Mrs. E. A. Koodiaroff (Block 5, Room 33) sends a card to Mrs. N. Smirnoff, Russian, French Hospital R. 33, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong:

Dear Nina,

Hope you are well all together, Little Sasha will be a big boy since. We are well and healthy, Michael is big boy and attending his school. Wishing you and family everything best.

Best Regards,

God Bless you all

Yours E. Koodiaroff

"Peter Pan" (p. by Barbara Redwood)

Sugar issue

Betty Hyde-Lay, John Luke, Betty Drown

night raid 9.45