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Conditions at the Queen Mary Hospital became very difficult soon after the war began. There was an almost immediate shortage of food as the hospital authorities were unwilling to draw upon the very large stocks of tinned food they had in the storerooms in the basement which låter fell almost intact into the hands of the Japanese. They had only a small supply of money on hand, so were unable to take advantage stream of green vegetables which the country people were taking in jo the town as soon as the bombing of the roads ceased. There was no fre fool of any sort for a number of weeks, and a minimum of rice and whé. little else there was available. My husband lost 18 pounds weight in three weeks, and had a severe hemorrhage ani'several heart attacks as a result of overstrain. A blood count had shown an improvement of 10, in his blood condition immediately following the operation, or rather during the ten days following. But the hemorrhage, lack of food, look of medicine which he needed for digesting his food, and all the impossible conditions which resulted from an almost complete breakdown in morale in the Hospital staff, deprived him or any chance of recovery.
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I had been living at the Repulse Bay Hotel during the carly part of the war, hitch hiking and walking from the town to the Queen Mary Hospital when transport broke down. When this became too dangerous, the road past Mount Davis, and all the district near the University being under heavy shell fire constantly, I was allowed by the Hospital authorities to live in the Hospital in the top floor, which had been evacuated of patients as being too lángerous should the Hospital be hit by bombs. Being entirely empty, I found it very quiet and restful. Luckily I am not afraid of bomba, and none struck it, as it turned out, and patients were returned there eventually when the hospital became filled up. I was later allowed to share my husband's room, which was a most satisfactory arrangement.
After the capitulation of Hongkong, Japanese soldiers occupied quarters in the hospital compound and sentries wore posted at all points of exit. On the whole they did not behave badly, although they relieved a number of the hospital staff and various persons who had refugeed there, of ringe, wrist watches and fountain pens.
The shartage of food was having such a deleterious effect on my husband's condition, we had been so hopeful of his recovery, that I decided to slip out into the country around the Dairy Farm, a distance of two miles or so, and see if it was not possible to find milk and vegetables.' I had heard that the Europeans in charge of the Farm were all at the hospital, mnd that the milking coolies were throwing away the milk, and that the vegetables were beinɛ taken into Hongkong to be sold. This was quite true, you could see loads and loads being carried along the road, obviously Dairy Farm products. This was about the beginning of January. I managed to evade the Japanese on the place, sentries were not posted till some time later, and had the luck to find some Russians who gave me a gallon pitcher full of milk, but told me not to come again as it was too dangerous, they had been given crders not to help the British, but that if I went up to the top station across the valley on the hills enroute to the Peak, there was plenty of milk to be had, they were throwing it away, and that it was so far up that the Japanese rarely went there.
I did this next day, and also took along a sackfæ vegetables, as the road led up through the Dairy Farm gardens which were full of all sorts of vegetables. I also took with me a young French lad who spoke the local dialect, to do a little negotiating as the coolies did not ́understand my Peking speech. Tewere successful, although it took a lot
of time, and patience, and persuasion, as the coolies were very much afraid of the Japanese, and said that they would undoubtedly be shot if they were caught helping us. The payment of cunshaw however won the point, and we returned home with all the milk and vegetables we could carry. I reported to the hospital authorities that I had been able to get milk and vegetables, but they were not interested, I suppose because
the Bountypply was sa limited. They said that the milk was unsafe because it had
source of not been strained of Ve§188.
Luckily I was able to persuade them to allow me to do this myself for the milk that we were using, a procedure we had always followed in the various outports we had lived in, and to which I was quite accustomed, So we had more milk than we could use, and more vegetables, I went regularly every day, with the young French lad, and was able to supply 'rom seven to ten patients with extra food and milk, which was vastly appreciated by them, as many of them were feeling half starved, particularly missing green vegetables.
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