Central market and four district markets reopened, but without much fresh food to offer. In our district some Dairy Farm milk available at 30 cents a half pint - bring your own bottle. Eggs 25 cents each and potatoes $1.60 a catty.
Pages tagged:
No work today. General meeting at 1.30pm & talked over things in general.
((Not sure of the date he arrived at Stanley. Likely early February, 1942))
24 faces slapped because three sitting on wall looking down on gaol.
Morris 'Two-Gun' Cohen, a Stanley internee who's a general in the Chinese Army, is taken by the Kempeitai to a prison at the old Magistrate's Court in Kowloon. They want to know about his Chinese Nationalist activities and contacts.
((Following text not dated:))
Early February five and ten sen notes appeared, and shop prices quoted mostly in yen.
Warning notice that Third Nationals should not consort with enemy nationals and should not leave urban limits. Further notice stated Third Nationals without employment must register professions. Rumoured Japanese short of workers for Hainan naval base and elsewhere. Clearly bad strategy to report unemployed. I registered as "broker" - everyone not trying manufacture soap trying to buy and sell something.
A normal day, no authentic news. Canteen not going yet due to women supporting the Chinese one. Are we to be repatriated?
Birth of Barbara Hume at the Tsan Yuk Maternity Hospital. Her mother, Kathleen, was taken from Stanley for a caeserean, which was performed by Dr Gordon King.
Note: there is some uncertainty about the date of Barbara's birth - click on her name for details. I have followed Eric MacNider's diary in assigning it to today.
To Mrs Kathleen Hume a daughter (at Tsan Yuk hospital – Prof.Gordon King)
Dearest, We are all settled down now - it is not too bad - we'll survive if rations continue but that is about all. I have lost a lot of weight - which of course will do me no harm. We can get 4 cigarettes a day but no liquor of course - all good for us to do without it. I had a tremendous walk yesterday all round the camp seeing where a few bodies are still left and where others have been buried. I must write a report today.
At a Temporary Committee meeting, Lancelot Forster reads out a memorandum regarding the establishment of a school in Camp. Professor Forster subsequently chairs an Education Committee which meets weekly during internment.
Sources:
Forster: Geoffrey Emerson, Hong Kong Internment, 1973, 18
Bird's Eye View: Stanley and 'Old Hong Kong'
Canteen project temporarily shelved due to Cheng’s desire to run his own Canteen at an enormous profit.
Singapore in danger?
Trench digging.
Boiler going at last.
Civilian Internment Camp, Stanley, Hong Kong.
Joy's birthday and I have no idea where you are in the whole wide world - what a situation! We were discussing casualties last night - it is so tragic that many wives in Australia won't know yet that their husbands have been killed. I was just saying that of course you don't know that I'm alive, well and fit - I know you must be worrying terribly but I shall get news through as soon as I possibly can. A lot of the Volunteers were killed around here "Rusty" Forsyth, Alexander (also C
An International Welfare Commmittee is set up and has its first meeting today. Its tasks are to determine the needs of individuals, to distribute fairly the items received, to distribute extra food as medically required, and to keep records of children and infants.
Dr. Selwyn-Clarke will do some of his work through this committee. Funding for extra food for the needy also came from a small surcharge on each article sold in the canteen.
Saw “Tiny” Baker. It was the other Baker who committed suicide. Fridge No.624088. No home news. Trench digging. Own kitchen in Garage. Food much better.
Feeling so much better in heart today because we had a piece of fried fish this morning with the rice. I felt dreadful for 4 days, my cold hasn't quite gone. Food had been dreadful - one day the meat would have to be thrown away because it was bad, and the rice is still an effort for me. I have walked into the chocolate which Mr Bailey gave me.
The Japanese-sponsored Hongkong News reports on conditions at Stanley:
The enemy aliens at Stanley are receiving good treatment, and all extol the kindness and consideration of the Japanese authorities.
American internee Norman Briggs mocked the British for drawing down the wrath of the Japanese by responding to a newspaper claim that conditions in Stanley were good by pointing out that they weren't - it was perhaps today's report that gave rise to this incident!
At the first American Committee Meeting on February 5th, the administrative group that had previously emerged was confirmed in office ... ((list of names follows))
Trench digging. Black-outs to come for one week. Does this mean Japs expect trouble? We hope so. News re Singapore, Lybia & Russia, plus Wavell’s message is much more encouraging.