Raining cats and dogs.
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The Awa Maru delivers Red Cross supplies to Hong Kong. Captain Hamada's ship has been given safe passage by the American navy; it has already delivered Red Cross goods to Formosa, and will now proceed to Saigon, Singapore and Batavia. At Saigon it will take on 480 survivors of Japanese merchant ships sunk by the Americans and in Singapore loads about 1,700 businesmen and officals who are returning to Japan.
Three one-act plays – “Her First Dance”/ “Trial Scene from Merchant of Venice”/ “The Last Meeting”
Liner with 2 white crosses arrived; left 23rd 8.30 a.m. (great excitement – believed parcels)
Today started extremely well, for, what should we see sailing in from the North but a very nice looking ship (about 20,000 tons) with a couple of very large white crosses on her side – the Awa Maru we presume with our I.R.C. food! There was great excitement and a good deal of surprise that it should have arrived so soon – at least four days earlier than the most optimistic guess. In fact people in the shipping business seem to think this is a new ‘Awa’ which is considerably faster than its predecessor.
Another rotten day, cold & wet.
No 16. very prominent in dreams last night.
Tokyo bombed 100 planes 19th. Taiwan bombed 600 planes 16th & 18th. US forces landed on Iwojima 19th. No E. news whatever.
Vessel about 8,000 tons arrived 7.30am on which 2 white crosses were painted. Probably the “Awa Maru” with the US R.C. supplies & we are all awaiting confirmation.
Still raining.
Dorothy sick so I had to go to work in am.
Saw the 'parcel ship' going out again in a.m. when I got congee.
The plays were better on the whole, again a small audience. Doreen Leonard very good.
Americans are well on in the Bonins, and large armies assembling in Kunming.
Eric McNider ((a neighbour, who often did a double act with Clifton on Stanley stage)) went in to town with others to get building materials for camp.
Three one-act plays ((see 22nd for details))
Went to HK by lorry to work at Infectious Diseases Hosp., loading bricks on junk for Stanley – had congee & 4 biscuits – 8.20 a.m. left – 4.30 arrived back in camp
There has been a good deal of shipping activity of late: a convoy of five merchantmen and two destroyers crept out two or three evenings ago and early next morning two of the same ships (easily identified by peculiarities in their superstructure) came creeping back again. Later that day (evening) a third ship, which may or may not have been in the convoy, stole in and crept into Tytam Bay where she took shelter for the night. A most unusual procedure. She sailed out again the next morning.
Cold, wet & overcast.
Workshops.
50 men to town working on building materials.
White Cross vessel left early this morning.
30,000 US troops in Yunnan. Chinese troops in Burma being relieved for operations in China.
Lorries back 4.30pm. no news of parcels.
Fine day until afternoon, when rain set in again.
I have a hole in foot due to nail in shoe.
Worked in morning as Dorothy still sick.
Rumour says men standing by for parcels, but Father Meyer says a Formosan said 2 weeks at latest.
Pat Cullinan (TB patient) not allowed to come to final night of plays which went off very well; not a big audience but most appreciative; Even Dr. H. Talbot said he liked the 'sketches'. Mum and Father Meyer there.
Three one-act plays ((see 22nd for details))
Overcast, cold. Strong wind all night. Brightened up 11am. Overcast pm & drizzly.
Bulletin very good.
Chipping gully in Mosque.
All Bonins seem to have been taken. 130,000 seasoned & fully equipped troops in Yunnan. Four hundred odd war vessels in Bonins’ vicinity. No Burma or Euro news in today’s paper.
Lorry with wood 2.30pm.
Rec. letter May 44 from Marj bless her. She says Happy times ahead & sure she’s right.
No parcel news.
Visited Marie, Annie, Mrs MacDonald and Betty Twidale.
Party re plays in afternoon; (every one came including) Johnny Anderson, Jacqueline Matthews, Beryl Goldenberg, Pat Cullinan, Sheila Haynes, Pauline Beck, Joe Lewis, Peggy (Barton), Mr T Concannon and Clifton.
Sewell / Short
Rainy again.
Dr Valentine was pleased with plays.
Mum sold Olive's grey coat for 300 Yen to Betty Twidale.
Mr Sandbach gave end of Yunnan talk in evening.
Catholic Action meeting in afternoon.
Jane/Jean Lyon married to F. S. Chisholm.
We opened last tin of bully.
The dreaded Colonel Noma, head of the Kempeitai (Gendarmes) since the start of the occupation, is recalled to Japan. This seems to have been partly in consequence of the removal from the Governorship of Rensuke Isogai, his patron, partly of disquiet amongst the Japanese authorities at the power and ferocity of the Hong Kong Kempeitai - it seems that his removal was ordered by the Japanese War Office, and that during February 1945 about 150 of the Hong Kong Kempeitai were replaced by personnel moved from Canton.
Wedding – Francis Sidney Bertram Chisholm, HKFB and Agnes Jan Lyon (at I.H.O., Dow)
For the last month or six weeks an epidemic of a mild kind of chicken-pox has been doing its rounds. Yesterday Yvonne succumbed! She had been feeling a little shivery the day before and when, next morning, she went to the bathroom to wash, she found her chest covered with spots. Dr Smalley soon confirmed our amateur diagnosis. There is nothing we can do about it: I still continue to sleep in the same double bed and the other four, of course, still continue to live in the same room.
Overcast, drizzly, colder.
Aimless day, nothing accomplished.
Brightened up aft.
Steve having trouble with Joan re Y600. ((Not sure which Joan he is referring to.))
Japs doing lots of blasting locally.
Lorry with veg 6.30pm. No papers.
Jap planes around pm.
¼ lb Bran issued free.