Thursday, July 3, 2014

72 years ago: Hong Kong's wartime diaries

72 years ago: Hong Kong's wartime diaries

4 Jul 1942, Chronology of Events Related to Stanley Civilian Internment Camp

Posted: 19 Mar 2012 10:10 AM PDT

Book / Document: 
Chronology of Events Related to Stanley Civilian Internment Camp
Date of events described: 
Sat, 1942-07-04

The Asama Maru pulls anchor at 10 a.m. and gets to the mouth of the Mekong at 3 p.m. It's low tide, the ship can't get past a sand bar so turns back upstream and anchors. The passengers are worried: they spend the next few hours debating the situation, and some people fear a return to internment. At 6 p.m., to general relief, the ship pulls anchor, crosses the sand bar, and heads out into the open sea.

 

So, after a frightening three hours, the Americans resume their progress towards home. Life remains hard in Stanley, although at least there's more space now. But things are getting tougher for the British left behind in town as conditions deteriorate.

The largest uninterned group consists of bankers, and they've been running great risks raising funds to provide medical and welfare provision for the camps but now they too need financial help. Today D. C. Edmondston, Hong Kong Manager of the HKSBC, writes to Lindsay Ride (head of the British Army Aid Group, a resistance organisation):

...18 men, 10 women and 19 children guests in {Sun Wah} hotel. £6,000...should be enough if spread over six monthly payments to look after all Bank people and dependants, further funds required by Government and other internees in Stanley...Food stocks declining, prices high and rising.

Sources:

Asama Maru: Carol Briggs Waite, Taken in Hong Kong, 2006, Kindle Edition, Location 3382 onwards

Edmondston:Frank H. H. King, The History of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, Volume 111, 1988, 615

Note:

See also entry for July 2. By July 1942 the BAAG are in contact both with the internees and the Allied civilians left in Hong Kong.

4 Jul 1942, R. E. Jones Wartime diary

Posted: 26 Jun 2012 01:16 AM PDT

Book / Document: 
R. E. Jones Wartime diary
Date of events described: 
Sat, 1942-07-04

American Independence Day. If Roosevelt's promise is true we should be hearing some heartening news very soon.

Didn't hear Hill's baking efforts this am. ((Believed to be F. N. Hill)) Thoughts of all sorts of things kept me awake until the early hours of this morning so I was fast asleep by the time he got started.

Fridge moved from American Kitchen to G6.

Four pkts.cigs @ 30cts issued.

$75 parcels being distributed at last, but they are by no means satisfactory. Oats full of weavils [sic] & chocolate mouldy & the value of total goods $52.50, $22.50 dis-counted for big notes. However, as the goods are gratis (at present) we must be satisfied.

Dull & humid.

Had lovely eats with Steve, sausage & bacon & some real cocoa. ((We think this was E. J. Stevens))

Mandoline & guitar in Venables place. ((Probably A. C. Venables))

No news.

4 Jul 1942, Ella Buuck's wartime diary

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:36 AM PDT

Book / Document: 
Ella Buuck's wartime diary
Date of events described: 
Sat, 1942-07-04

Not much reason to think that this is a holiday for us. ((Independence Day in the U.S.))

We did have some excitement. We hit a sand bar and had to go back up river and wait for high tide.

The scenery is beautiful.
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