U P F RO NT

MY LIFE BY PAUL LETTERS

Barbara Anslow
TheformergovernmentstenographerandprisonerofwarrememberskillingtimeinStanleyinternmentcamp.
BEFORE THE WARWefirstcametoHongKongin
1927,whenIwaseightyearsold.Myfatherwasan
electricalengineerinthenavaldockyard.Westayed
foronlytwoyears,buthewasreassignedtoHong
Kongin1938,soIreturnedwithmyparentsand
twosisters.AftercoldEngland,Ilikedeverything
aboutHongKong,exceptforthecockroachesand
mosquitoes.Weemployedacookamah,awash
amahandajuniormakeelearnsowethreegirls
nolongerhadtotaketurnstodothechores.For
muchoftheyearwewouldgoswimmingatRepulse
Bay.Ifitwastoohottowalktotheshops,arickshaw
ridecostonly10cents.Evenworkinginanofficein
HongKongwasdifferenttoEngland,wherewehad
neverbeenallowedtochatortakeapersonalphone
call.Outsideofwork,theSouthChinaMorningPost
occasionallypublishedoneoranotherofmypoems
buttheyneverpaidme!
EVACUATION AND RETURN Weweretoldone
Fridayafternoonin1940thatwomenandchildren
wouldbeevacuatedontheMonday.Although,as
governmentstenographers,myeldersisterandI
heldexemptedoccupations,asdidmymother,an
auxiliarynurse,myfatherinsistedthefourofus
womenleaveHongKongforourownsafety.We
weresenttothePhilippines,supposedlyenroute
toAustralia.Butwhilewewerestayingonasugar
plantationlikesomesupercountryclub,with
tenniscourts,bowlingalleyandswimmingpool
enjoyingourselves,newsreachedusthatmyfather
haddiedsuddenly.Bythetimewereturnedto
HongKong,Dadhadalreadybeenburied,andwe
hadbeenbookedonashiptoEngland.Therewas
theturmoiloftheBattleofBritainathome,sowe
madeacasetostayandworkinHongKong.Wewerejittery
allthroughNovember.TherewasallthenewsoftheJapanese
inandoutoftalkswiththeUSA.Iusedtotrytoenjoyeach
weekendasthoughitwereourlastTherewasnothingyou
coulddotoprepare.Theweekendbeforetheattackwasmuch
likeanyother.IworkedSaturday,December6,thenwentto
teaatthePeninsulaandontotheKingsTheatretoseeMy
LifewithCaroline.Weplayedtennisthenextday.
UNDER ATTACK TheheadquartersoftheAirRaid
Precaution(ARP)department,whereIworked,moved
underground,toatunnelbelowGovernmentHouse.
UnusuallyearlyontheMondaymorning,Iwascalledinto
theARPofficeIdidntknowwhy.IwasbilletedonDuddell
Street,offQueensRoad,soIdidntwastemuchtimegetting
there.EvenonceweweretoldPearlHarborhadbeenattacked
Iwasnonethewiser:IdidntknowwherePearlHarborwas.
Ihadntbeenintheofficelongwhenthefirstairraidsirens
rangoutandthefirstJapanesebomberscameoverheading
forKaiTakairfield.Wewereabsolutelyappalledathow
quicklytheJapaneseadvancedfromtheborderthrough
theNewTerritoriesandKowloon.
ISLAND BESIEGED Itwasanawfulfeelingtothinkthatthe
enemywerejustacrossthewater.Theshellswerewhatwe
dreadedmost.Youneverknewwheretheyweregoingtoland.

10 PostMagazine//January15,2017

killed.Accommodationinthecampwascrowded,
andfoodwasscarce.Butmostofuswerejust
relieved:thisenormousthingthathadbeen
hangingoverusforthreeorfouryearsthe
threatofattackbytheJapanesehadactually
happened,andwehadsurvivedit.Peopleback
inBritainsufferedbombingsanddidntletit
interferewiththeirlives.Atleastoncewewerein
thecampthebombingandshellinghadfinished.
Youcouldkeepquitebusyifyouwantedtobe.
Therewascommunalwork,likecleaningour
quarters,teachingandhelpingoutatthecamp
hospital.Queuingforfoodandcookingittook
uptimetherewere600peopleinourblockto
feedinturn.Lecturesweregivenoneverysubject
youcouldimagineandschoolwasorganisedfor
thechildren.Therewerelotsofreligiousservices
andconcerts.Iusedtowriteoradaptplaysfor
children.OurPeterPanwassomethingofahit
withtheinternees.
HAPPILY EVER AFTER ImetFrankAnslowin
Stanley,andwemarriedin1948.Likeallwomen
whomarried,IhadtogiveupmyjobfortheHong
Konggovernment.Itaughtshorthandfromhome
andwroteshortstoriesforaHongKongmagazine
calledOutlook.Ourfivechildrenwereallbornin
QueenMaryHospital.FrankandIhad55years
together(hediedin2003).Whenmyhusband
retired,in1959,wereturnedtotheUK.Ibeganto
writeanovelsetinHongKong.Almost40years
later,afterworkingasalegalsecretary,Iself
publishedTheYoungColonialsin1997.
PENNIES FROM HEAVEN
Idontrememberbeingupsetaboutit:we
Thewaryearshavestayed
weretoointentonsurviving.Everyday
withme.Wehadawonderful
throughoutthebattleIdgetupearlyand
reunionofStanleyitesat
havesomebreakfastattheParisianGrill.
LeamingtonSpa(incentral
Idworkatthetunnelforeighthours,eat,
England),50yearson.In2008,
andgobacktomybillet.ChristmasDay
Imadeamemorabletripto
wasmuchlikeanyotherdayduringthe
HongKongwithmyfivechild
battle.Mysistersfianchadbeen
ren.Iwasamazedtofindthe
woundedinthefighting.Hewasin
quartersinStanleywhereId
amakeshiftconvalescencehospital
beeninternedstillstandingand
intheHongkongHotel(onPedder
ingreatcondition.Forthe70th
Street).AfterworkonChristmas
anniversaryoftheVJDayceleb
Day,Iwenttoseehim.Hewas
rationsinLondon(in2015),I
lyingonalowbedamidmany
readawarpoeminfrontofPrince
Barbara
Anslow
otherwarinjuredpatients.
CharlesatHorseGuardsParade
in Hon
Decem
g Kong
ber 25,
on the
AladyIknewcameoverand
onbehalfofallinterneesand
1941, th
mornin
surren
e day th
g of
d
e
re
e Britis
d to the
said,Ivegotsometerriblenews.
POWs.Afterwards,Iparaded
h
Japane
se.
Shecouldntlookstraightatme,
inawheelchairwithotherveteran
butshesaid:Wevesurrendered.Wecouldnt
POWsandinterneesthroughLondon,
believeit.Outside,itsoundedlikethebattlewasstillgoingon,
toincrediblecrowdsofspectators
withplanesoverhead.
warmingourheartswiththeircheeringandwaving.The
recognitiontodayisstarklydifferenttosoonafterthewar.
SURVIVING STANLEY Iwas23whenweenteredStanley
Backthen,theBritishgovernmentgaveusinterneesapaltry
campand27whenwewereliberated.Ourdaysininternment
47inrecompense.Sixtyyearsaftertheevent,theygaveus
were,tobeginwith,chaotic.Thechapswhohadfoughtwere
10,000,whichIhavealwaysregardedaspenniesfrom
keptelsewhere,andnobodyknewiffamilyorfriendshadbeen heavenandsodomychildren.