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7.
shell-fire and into vicinities where, for all they or anyone
They
else knew, the enemy might already be in occupation.
worked on fire services and at clearing and repair jobs frequent-
ly in peril. They manned A.R.P. posts and food kitchens without
respite through bombing and artillery bombardment. One saw
them at all hours, exhausted and dishevelled, snatching a quick
meal between jobs in dark corners of restuarants and hotels, or
slipping up to some quiet corner for a few hours sleep.
That evening in the crowded
The only time I was conscious of anything near a break in
European civilian morale was on the evening following the
unexpected evacuation of Kowloon.
lounge of the ill-lit H.K. Hotel, where a great many Europeans
were congregated, there was a decided feeling of uncertainty.
It wasn't what people said or how they looked, but the atmosphere
hit you in the face like a wet cloth the moment you entered.
Some (not many) were drinking too much and individual voices were
sometimes over-loud. People talked for talking's sake,
talked to keep their courage up. When a newcomer pushed his way
through the doors, every head turned to follow him: when some one
suddenly broke into alcoholic song half the room started to its
feet. A waiter who dropped a tray came within an ace of
emptying the place altogether. The whole town was uneasy and it
was plain that many people would not have been surprised had the
Japanese appeared that night in Pedder St. itself.
and/
By that time of course tales had filtered back from Kowloon
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