Unloaded rice from junk 7-11 p.m. Electricity resumed
Heavy p.m. Raid 36 planes
Pages tagged:
Big raid. Family jitters. Saw about 30. Beautiful sight glittering in sun. Said to be China based. Officially six downed. Rumour 200 school kids killed Hung Hom school.
Fine, warm. NE wind.
Cookhouse construction & woodchopping.
Heavy raid on HK by about 30 or 40 big bombers - & fighter escort – at 4pm. A.A. fire useless & no apparent air opposition. All clear at 5.15pm.
Didn’t see Steve because everything was late.
No papers.
Rice being shifted to godowns all day. 2000 bags in by midn’t.
The raid was reported in the Hongkong News:
Photos of the bombing of the Kowloon Docks at Hung Hom on 16 Oct 1944, which also hit many of the houses in the area, killing many civilians.
OBJECTIVE: Reconnaissance flight over Canton and Hong Kong
RESULTS: Pre-strike photos are taken of Victoria Harbor. Pilot reports that numerous ships are in port. No photos are taken of the Canton airbases, which are obscured by cloud.
TIME OVER TARGET: ~9:45 to 9:55 a.m. over Hong Kong
AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: One F-5B (#388) from Flight B, 21st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron
AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: Lt. Neely
ORDNANCE EXPENDED: None
Explosion heard 9.30 p.m. approx.
Today is my deadline date for something to happen; and things have been happening, but I must first write down that canteen list:
Group A (One item per person)
- Powdered egg yolk ¼ lb (113 grams) = Y5.05 ((pdv £45));
- ¼ lb peanuts Y6.25 ((pdv £56));
- ½ lb (226 grams) wheat bran Y3.45 ((pdv £31));
- ½ lb salt Y1.30 ((pdv £11.70));
- ¼ lb (113 grams) tea Y1.80;
- ¼ lb (113 grams) coffee Y8.10.
Group B (One per person)
Fine, warm. NE wind.
Cookhouse & wood chopping.
Air raid alarm 4pm. All-clear 4.45pm nothing doing but Jap patrols.
Excellent news re Battle of Pacific which has been going on since Mon 9th. Germans evacuated Athens. Big battle around and in Aachen. Civil war in Spain. Rommel dead.
With Steve pm.
Plane over 9.35pm W. to E. & heavy explosion occurred 7 mls E. Plane flew W. to E. two or three times between then & 2am 18th but no more bombs were dropped.
Fine, NE wind, cloudy.
Cookhouse work & woodchopping.
More cackling going on re food serving etc.
Japs claim great successes up & down the Pacific especially against the US forces attacking Formosa. Their news is obviously cooked when one compares reported losses.
With Steve pm.
As 1944 drags on, it gets harder and harder to tolerate the foibles of the other internees.
George Wright-Nooth writes in his diary:
HK News claim 6 planes brought down. ((“x” links this to the report of the big air raid on the 16th.))
Fine, warm, NE wind.
Cookhouse construction & woodchopping.
Jap plane activity all day.
Lorry arrived with veg 3.45pm.
Their paper cracks up their Taiwan “victory”. Canton & Swatow raided 17th. Manila & Taiwan heavily raided, both at same time from same task force 17th. 6 planes supposed to have been brought down from our raiders on Monday. Aberdeen 200 junks sunk & damaged. HK 7000 killed.
Formosan guard reckon on leaving HK next month. Japs shipping arms & ammo back to Japan.
With Steve pm.
The following report describes Goodwin's view on conditions in the POW camps in Hong Kong.
SECRET
0103/3995(I.W).
16th Dec. 1944. Copy No..18
20 Oct. 44
INTERROGATION REPORT NO. SKP/5/44
Escapers Serial No. E/5
Name and Rank: Lt. R.B. GOODWIN
Unit: R. N. Z. N. V. R.
Date of Capture: 25 Dec. 41.
Date of Escape: 17 Jul. 44.
Date of arrival in British hands : 3 Aug. 44.
MAIN REPORT
Med. Exam – bp 100/60
Fine, warm, NE wind.
Outside roll-call 8.30am.
Had to have my hands attended to. Slight abrasions & cuts turn septic almost at once due to unbalanced diet, lack of protein. No bandages available so old bits of rag have to suffice.
According to Chinese papers (19th) Aachen evacuated, Tilsit captured, Adml Horthy Hungarian Regent & his Govt. resigned. Adml. Horthy reports that his 5 task forces are all in operation & that Jap news is all tripe.
Rained early am. Fine, E wind.
Cookhouse & woodchopping.
Lorry with veg & paper.
US forces landed on Leyte Island 17th. Battle of Taiwan Japs claim to have sunk 11 A/C. 2 Bttleshps 4 cruisers 1 destroyer 13 other vessels & 112 planes, their losses 312 planes. Russians occupied Eydtkau 17th. Germans evacuated Thebes NW of Athens. Street fighting in Aachen.
Yesterday’s paper burnt by H.Qs.
With Steve pm.
He sent me up 4 cigs.
'One-armed Sutton' died (Francis Arthur). I went to funeral.