8.8.45. Very showery day & heavy squalls from SE. Typhoon filling up somewhere I think. Usual meals of porridge, rice & greens, & rice & pot. Our postponed concert was held in old hut 7 in spite of the weather. Very pleasant & our quartet of Bill Stoker, Jimmy Sutcliffe, Baker Brown & myself were well received. I do like the last one we sang How can I leave Thee – old Thuringian folk song. Napoleon⁵ took the evening parade – not pleased to have him back. Not much news. Yesterday a “present” of curry came in - maskee we've never received our stipulated ration thereof. Whacked out today at 4oz per head.

            ^5.NCO on the Japanese Staff

7.8.45. Wet day & very boisterous. Porridge breakfast & usual meals. Got 310Yen for 10 ounces of old wool – three worn out socks with no heels & a pair of hose tops. Bought pound beans 162.50 & a packet of Ruby Queens at 30Yen. Sunday’s postponed service was held tonight – Confirmation Service at which six officers and two batmen were confirmed into the C of E by Padre Strong.

6.8.45. Wet day & cool. Porridge breakfast, rice & greens tiffin & rice & a pot for tea. Today the vegetables delivered included 26lbs of onions for a change. Pumpkin, squash & ling choi have kept us going for some time now. One gets hungry enough. We get no sight or sound of warlike activity these days – no planes by day or night, no ships, no lorries. Just dead as a doornail & we are inclined just to go to seed. I am glad I have a job of work to do. It is difficult to imagine the outside world where there is plentiful & varied food, tea with sugar & milk in small china cups, comfort, newspapers, entertainments, wireless, houses, proper beds, cleanliness, privacy, changes of proper clothing, and women & children. Thank God we have the assurance these things will be ours again. It is horrible to think what would have been our fate if we had lost the war. I doubt if we would ever have been shipped home again.

5.8.45.Sunday. Day of heavy showers. Church cancelled for flooded hall. Porridge breakfast, rice & greens tiffin & rice & pot tea. Easier day in the store & managed to get the afternoon clear & play two games of chess with Jack⁴ – one of which I actually won. Very little news percolating through these days. Various details of new Labour Government, daily heavy raids in Japan, & end of Potsdam conference. I feel though that this very one sided war can’t go on a long time, but they are difficult to get at. The camp is simply lousy with Yen by sale of various clothing & treasures, but price of beans etc is naturally rising all the time too. Communication with the other camp is fairly free, people visit one another in the evenings quite a bit – often with the knowledge of the sentries.

            ^4.Jack Wilson HKVDC, an old friend.

 

4.8.45. Cool day with rain threatening. Porridge breakfast, rice & greens tiffin & rice & a little steamed salt fish which came in today in lieu of meat, for tea. Heavy rain in evening & concert cancelled. The inspection this morning was a Red Cross inspection & the usual thing happened. Mr Zindel, surrounded by a solid mass of Japanese walked through the camp, into a couple of huts, to the hospital & so away. In the hospital he asked questions which the Japs just didn't answer. He was allowed however to give Col White³ a quotation of lettuce seed prices at 10,000Yen a catty. Let us hope this will be the last.

            ^3.Lieut Col Simon White M.C. The Royal Scots. Camp Commander.

3.8.45. Very cool day with rain off & on. Porridge breakfast, rice & greens tiffin & rice & a pot evening. In the evening a 7oz bar of soap per man came in, & a little dubbin for “immediate distribution”. We guess therefore that Tokunaga's¹ inspection tomorrow morning of which we were warned is really a Red Cross inspection. The Yen continues on it’s downward course & a few Canteen prices are as follows. Tin syrup 650Yen; Chinese Tobacco 75Yen an ounce; peanut oil 810Yen per pound; brown sugar 320Yen a pound; tea 340Yen a pound; washing soap 192Yen a bar; salt fish 420Yen a pound; rock salt 50Yen a pound. Trading is extremely active in camp in beans, miso & cigarettes etc. Pete² & I have about six pounds of fresh beans at the moment. A further issue of 3oz oil today making 9¼ total.

            ^1.Colonel Camp Commandant.           ^2.K.W.Pedersen, fellow HKVDC batman.

2.8.45. Phenomenally cool day, & little rain. Porridge breakfast, rice & greens tiffin & rice & a pot for tea. I like the new rice which is big grained & very white. It does not “bulk up” much in cooking & so most people in camp think that somehow & somewhere they are being swindled out of part of their ration, & they come to the store in droves wanting to know the exact figures of this & that, & the slide rules are running hot. Sugar ration of 7oz per head issued today & was changing hands at 20Yen an ounce. Price of whitebait from traders is up to 240Yen a pound. The “Galpin rate” is 50Yen to the £1 sterling.