36
In a situation where it is impossible to increase food, malnutrition brings its own compensation in lack of appetite. I had prided myself until I knew this that I had been living completely above food. Alas! for my spiritual pride! During all those months I cannot remember being hungry and this was a blessing. The children learnt wonderful control over their appetites. When we were first given half a slice of bread a day, they saved theirs till the morning in order to have a breakfast. They learnt to put aside part of the evening rice to be toasted for breakfast also. By mashing it and spreading it thin on a biscuit tin cover, it toasted into a crisp wafer which I spread with a little milk powder mixed with water. Just before the American party left the rations had improved and each internee was allowed to order $75.00 worth of goods from Hong Kong. Some had even begun to put on a few of the 20-65 lbs. they had lost. We had reason to believe that this improved ration was for the sake of propaganda and that after we went things were going to be much worse. This was confirmed by the news from the prisoners of war who escaped being torpedoed. They had formerly had better rations than we, because the Japanese have more respect for the military than the civilian prisoner. There was a welfare centre where contributions were received. The weather was cold with a piercing wind and Clyde had several sweaters but no coat as a windbreak. I went to the welfare and was able to get him a small size ladies' suit coat. By turning up the sleeves it made him a three-quarter length coat. He had been wearing an Indian play suit he had made himself, when he left home and this made him pyjamas and/or a play suit on warm days. One gentleman who saw him capering about with the fringes thought he was in tatters and offered me a shirt to cut down for him. Frequently we met with these generous impulses. Once a friend of mine, a nursing sister who had stuck by her post in the Kowloon hospital, and as a result was interned with nothing more than the clothes she stood in, was visiting me. She happened to mention this quietly to me, for she was not one to make public moan of the condition. Our conversation was overheard and the next thing we knew was a presentation of a beautiful red coat to wear over the uniform.
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