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Settling down slowly again. Place being cleared up & kitchens being built. Wrote cards to Marj & home.
The Temporary Committee elects a four member canteen sub-committee, and a canteen is opened within the week. It's a small shop with high prices located at Japanese Headquarters and run by the Chinese superintendent, Mr. Cheng Kwokleung. The internees suspect Mr. Cheng of being interested only in makiing money, so they propose to the Japanese the formation of a proper canteen
Well I'm nearly all packed up and go into "jug" tomorrow - Glover comes with me of course. I really think it is wisest. There is rather a shindy out there - everyone has gone "bolshy" - they are all agin the Govt. So it may be difficult to do anything there. But I'll try and do my stuff. We both hope to get in with Greaves and the hospital staff. But we can just see how things are when we get there.
Commenced organized working parties today. Got bread for two days and it is as much as we had for one day yesterday. Cards left the camp. Outside news very good if true.
The second birth in Camp: a boy, Richard William, to Mrs. L. M. Hobbin.
And the first death: Charles Bond, aged 69.
If he's Wenzell Brown's 'Charles Emerald Dana', then he's a retired businessman who was badly treated when the Japanese entered his home.
((Following text not dated, but probably refers to 29th Jan - see Brian's comments below))
More banks paid off to depositors, $50 each. Included Hongkong and Shanghai Bank and National City Bank.
We are to have a general store & an allowance of 200Yen ($400) per month. Fresh milk will be available too. Things no doubt will buck up with time. Our Camp Comm. (Sir Atholl Macgregor) could not tell us the home news tonight because of Japs knocking about but he says it is 100%.
There are ninety-six new arrivals in Camp, probably from St. Paul's Hospital in Causeway Bay.
Source:
G. B. Endacott and Alan Birch, Hong Kong Eclipse, 1978, 199
Note:
The source cited says from 'St Paul's College' - for the change, see discussion below.
Nothing doing much today. A few more arrived from the Nethersole.
Those members of the Hong Kong University staff who are interned in the University compound are sent to Stanley, with the exception of Professor Gordon King and Professor R. C. Robertson, who are allowed to remain outside Camp to fulfil medical commitments.
The Camp Temporary Committee sends a memorandum to the Japanese on food deficiency.
Barber’s shop opened & the same Chinese started to run a Canteen but it is a flop. Our own will be ready next week sometime & it seems that it will be a good one, $20,000 subscribed already.
Some people arrived from the University.
No home news today.
Birth of Robbie Hutchison to Hilda Hutchison.
Short / J. Johnstone
Another month started - Dora and the University crowd came in yesterday, so I gave D and M a cup of tea this morning for which they were very grateful. We have settled down all right - but what an existence! I wonder all the time where you are - if you got to Dacca you will I am sure be comfortable - even with the heat - but I didn't know if you got away or not. I wish I knew.