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To get over the difficulties of issuing money to the internees it was decided that people should be allowed to make out lists of goods they required and that a British, American and Dutch representative should go into town and order these goods from one or two of the big Chinese shops, Wing On, or Sincere, or China Emporium or through a Compradore. Parcels would then be made up and sent into camp and then the Japanese would pay the lump sum direct to the shop or shops.
Walk around camp.
Fine day.
No news.
Mrs G back from x-ray today, and bought us food and a hotplate ((a tiny plate like a hob which plugged into the socket in our room: very primitive but very efficient except when, as often happened, the wires broke and had to be continually re-connected with bit of tin pressed together.))
Dance at S.S. Hall.
Mum came home yest.
Frightfully hot.
Margaret Watson, Deputy Chairman of the International Welfare Committee, issues a notice confirming that the recent margarine issue was communal not individual. The IWC is clearly having problems: two days ago it posted a notice complaining that some internees had sold products issued to them as welfare - only 'one or two' cases had been reported, but 'anything of the kind cannot be too strongly deprecated'.
Source;
MacNider Papers, 'Court/I.W,C./Rumours', 45
Finished in the Cookhouse.
Feet swollen again.
Canton captured?
Despite having my glasses, am beginning to have trouble with eyes – no sunglasses. Went with Mum to Welfare, she got milk powder and apricots.
Mrs. Grant has lost 70lbs. ((This is the neighbour and friend who, when we were shipped to Stanley, cried that she couldn't jump from our ship into the junk to take us ashore. Mum too had lost a tremendous amount of weight, she weighed 133 lbs. when she came out of hospital, having been about 170 pre-Jap attack.))
We may be swimming next month!
We had previously been given lists of articles they hoped to provide and were asked to place a tick against those we required. These included shorts, shirts, dress material, hats, handkerchiefs, underwear, socks, sleeping mats, shoes, saucepans, spoons, forks, mugs, basins and other very useful articles. Owing to the prohibitive cost of things now in Hong Kong it was not possible to get all these things - at least, a very limited number of some of articles were brought in. Where demand exceeded supply, names were put in a hat and the allocation of articles was decided by drawing.
Hot, sticky & showery.
Sat on Cemetery wall.
Canton surrounded?
Rommell ((sic)) surrendered?
6 mths pay due?
$2250
Talk of tiger, that one has been shot.
Last night Langston and Dalziel who were sleeping outside at the back of the bungalow, were woken up at about 5.00 a.m. by snarls and growls. Langston...got up to have a look. He went to the edge of the garden and looked down the slope to the wire fence. There Dalziel saw him leap in the air and fly back into the boiler room shouting 'There's a tiger down there'...
Next morning he's laughed at by other Bungalow C residents.
The Stanley tiger has arrived. None of the bungalows has any doors or windows, and soon laughter changes to fear.
Tiger reported killed in Stanley Village, 500 cts. weight. Tigress, 3 cubs & leopard at large.
V. hot.
Yvonne drew: a dress length of grey and white small chequered cotton material, a reel of white cotton and some ‘poppers’, two cotton handkerchiefs, a pair of khaki shorts, washing soap, and a small packet of Chinese toilet paper, also one fork. I drew: a pair of khaki shorts, one khaki shirt, one brilliant yellow shirt with a bright blue collar and a purple ‘V’ neck decoration, 2 handkerchiefs, a pair of sandshoes (not yet received), material for repairing one pair of leather shoes, bar of washing soap and a packet of toilet paper.
Japan bombed. China Coast points held by Japs bombed. Bocca Tigris Fort disabled. Rioting in I & G. Rommell took advantage of 24hrs truce to launch an offensive? Another convoy of troops arrived in India.
Cargo rice.
Tiger shot in the village, female & 2 cubs still at large. Indian killed & Jap mauled.
((Don Ady: I personally saw the tiger, dead))
Mum getting stronger day by day.
Photo in newspaper of tiger caught in Stanley; yesterday there were rumours about tigers being loose and being seen - they must have been true. There are said to be another, and cubs, and a leopard loose - I think from circus.
Death of Frederick Alfred William Fisher, aged 74.
Tiger fever grows:
Slept very badly owing to stomach trouble. During the night we were woken by three rapid shots and much shouting.
Soon the Camp can talk of little else.
The tales grew bigger and bigger, and so did the tiger.
(Canteen – Salami sausage ¼ lb. portion $1.70)
Death of Mr. F.A.W. Fisher. (74).
Very hot.
H.K. News published picture of tiger (240 lbs. 3 ft. high, 73 ins. Long, tail 19 ins.).
M.Dow / Johnstone.