BRIAN
In 1938 there were certainly war preparations. I worked at CSO then and
there were plenty of RED covered files ('SECRET') around. An Air Raid
Precautions Dept. was formed in 1938, headed by Wing Commander
Steele-Perkins as Air Raid Precautions Officer, later styled Director of Air
Raid Precautions. His office was in the CSO. I became his Secretary
early in 1939. As you can imagine,
every minute of my working day was concerned with a.r.p. in the event of
war. Air raid wardens of all nationalities were trained, mainly Chinese
as most of the European men were either in the Hong Kong VDC, or if older,
earmarked for essential posts if war came. There were practice blackouts
throughout the colony.
Also in 1938/9 Girls trained as nurses (after office hours) to join the VAD
(Voluntary Aid Detachment) to work at the Military Hosp. in wartime. An
Auxiliary Nursing Service was also formed to train nurses to work in
civilian hospitals. (My Mother became an ANS. My elder sister and I were
classed as 'essential services' in our capacity as stenographers in the
Govt.!)

I'm sure there were other war preparations I didn't know about.

Early in 1940, the ARP Dept moved to a purpose built building in Happy
Valley early in 1949, our offices were on the upper floor; the lower flower
had lecture rooms, including a room to give practical training in the event
of gas attack etc. After the war the building became Harcourt Health
Centre... I used to take my babies to the Baby Clinic there.
Barbara----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian" <brianedgar20@...>
To: <stanley_camp@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, January 27, 2012 8:03 PM
Subject: [stanley_camp] Re: 25.1.12 DEATH SENTENCES ON STANLEY INTERNEES


> Barbara:
>
> Sadly there's no general account of their experiences, just my father's
> article on baking (for an audience that really knew its yeast fermenting
> times!) and a few odds and ends. I'll email them to you.
>
> One of the letters is interesting because it shows the HK Government were
> preparing for a Japanese attack as early as November 1938. Selwyn-Clarke
> defends them against charges of leaving everything to the last minute by
> saying preparations began with the outbreak of the war in Europe, but it
> seems that it was at least a year before that (although I don't know how
> much was done at this stage).
>
> Thanks for posting the notice. I've read transcripts or summaries many
> times but never dreamt I'd see an image of the original. So lucky for us
> that it was you who acquired it!
>
> --- In stanley_camp@yahoogroups.com, "Barbara Anslow"
> <barbara.anslow2@...> wrote:
>>
>> BRIAN
>> Thanks for providing all that info. about imprisonment of Sir Vandeleur
>> Grayburn, Mr Edmonston, and Mr J.A. Fraser and the other Stanley
>> internees, and the dreadful deaths of so many of them. Of course we
>> heard a certain amount of this at the time, but not the heartbreaking
>> details.
>>
>> I have the notice about the executions and prison sentences which was
>> posted on the Married Quarters' notice board (and probably in other
>> quarters in the camp), and will scan it here. ((I must have been
>> decided it had been on the board too long!)
>>
>> I see mention of a record of your parents' experiences during the war..
>> how can I get a copy of this, please?
>> Barbara
>>
>
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