Grand sunny day, beautiful sunset and smooth going. We are to arrive in Rio Monday a.m. Have a shore leave and stay about 2 days.
Pages tagged:
Twigs for firewood
More $75 parcels collected
Rice cooked like congee
”AMATEUR NITE” - D. Wilson, Gilchrist, Wilkinson (2) & Drewery won prizes
Cyril Brown, M.C.
Schönes Tag. Amatuer Nacht Koncert. Es war sehr gut. Geswommt.
((Lovely day.
Amateur Night Concert. It was very good.
Can't translate 'Geswommt'. UPDATE 9 Aug 2012: Jill Fell writes -
R.E. JONES's German is not perfect at this stage. His 'geswommt' should be 'geschwommen'. He means 'swam'.
))
The P.M.O. remained at the Military Hospital , Bowen Road , until July , 1942 , after which he was transferred to the prisoner - of - war camp at Argyle Street , Kowloon . He remained in this camp until May 1944 .
The following messages didn't appear in the Weekly Intelligence Summaries, but add to the information about radio sets in Stanley Camp. Thanks to Elizabeth Ride for sending these from her collection of wartime material.
She notes they were three documents written on the 9th of August, 1942, and adds "Clague was writing from AHQ Waichow to my father in Kukong (it was before BAAG HQ moved from Kukong to Kweilin, which was on 15th August 1942)."
The messages use several code words:
Mabel and I went for a swim this wonderful morning – Brian and Billie Gill there.
Notice that we're not allowed beyond gate tomorrow when VADs come.
Lorenz had the services for adults in Thode’s cabin, also a children’s service.
I made good time in the queue for melries ((probably the "Milréis", the Brazilian currency described at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milr%C3%A9is)), got my papers fixed up in a hurry. We were allowed $15.00 per person. We only took 2 and got the other money for Beaver and Mossberg ((Were they from HK?)).
Schönes Tag. Geswommt. Kein neues.
((Lovely day.
Swam.
No news.))
Extract from p. 276 of 'The Royal Naval Medical Service':
On August 10, 1942, the female nursing staff of Bowen Road Hospital were transferred to the Civilian Internment Camp, Stanley, Hong Kong. The staff involved consisted of Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval and Imperial Military Nursing Services, together with sisters and nurses of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps Nursing Detachment.
Mabel is happy. 'Mara' (Tamara Jex), 'Nan' (Nan Grady), and 'Gin' (Virginia Beaumont) are here. Mabel and I sat in boiling sun on grass above the Indian Quarters and waited patiently. VADs arrived in 3 buses, their luggage came by sea. Rosaleen (Millar) was hanging out of the first bus.
Matron Dyson, Kay Christie, Anna May Waters, Daphne Van Wart, Molly Gordon ((not sure if this is the same lady as Amelia Gordon)), Mary Curry, Kathleen Thompson and the other nurses who had been working at Bowen Road Military Hospital and St Teresa's in Kowloon arrive in Stanley.
Sources:
Danny ((?)) called us at 6 o’clock and already at that time we saw mountains and we hurried out on deck so as to see everything. Was it ever a glorious sight! And every few minutes new beauty appeared. The sunrise helped to make it perfect.
62 nurses arrived from Bowen Road & St. Teresa's hospitals
Schwesten von HK angekommen aber sie kein neues brachten haben. Franks gedet.
((Probably "Schwestern ..."', so "Sisters arrived from HK but they brought no news."
Can't translate "Franks gedet."
Jill Fell: Not sure if I can help with 'Franks gedet'. Who is Franks? Could it be 'Franks geht' - 'Franks goes' ? but it seems to me that coming into camp is easier than going!))
((His wife's diary, written at the time, says this happened on 10th August. That's the date I've used for this page, not the 12th that he mentions below.))
Early on August 12th we entered the harbor of Rio De Janiero, truly one of the most beautiful in the world with Corcovado and Sugar Loaf dominating the scene. There was also a huge British troop carrier in port which we assumed to be the Queen Mary. Our little Gripsholm seemed like a toy in comparison.
Mum and I to lecture on Philosophy by Rev. Short - on bank by hospital.
Little Brian and Mrs Gill came to tea in afternoon. Brian so sweet. ((Our family had known Billie Gill's husband Paddy before they were married. Paddy was in the Army and was drafted to UK before Jap attack.))
Death of Col. Walter Roy Dockrill, aged 65. Dockrill was a Canadian who worked his way up in the lumber business. In 1915 he went off to the war:
Col. Dockrill’s return to civilian life was marred by his exclusion from the board of directors of the company,and after a year or two in Vancouver, he sold his remaining control to Captain Crawford and moved to Shanghai.
It's not known how he found himself in Hong Kong.
We were up early and right after breakfast we went downtown to do shopping. Had a nice time looking around and bought quite a few things.
At noon we were back on ship, turned in our passes and that ended our shore leave. I got busy right away washing clothes, also did some ironing, then rested and at 4p.m. we were all on deck to see the ship make ready to leave. They lifted the gangplank and slowly moved away from shore.
4 persons left camp (Chester Bennett, Mrs. Owens) ((I'm not sure which Mrs Owens this was. The only Mrs Evans on John Black's list is Mrs S. M. Owens. However her baby, born in April 42, is described as American, suggesting that Mrs S M Owens would have been repatriated with the other Americans.))
Death of Walter Roy Dockrill (65)
[Prof. W. Brown - “Spitzbergen”]