AU34/26/4/52

Letter to Ena Mary Underwood from Andrew Underwood, 'off Honk Konk' Mother has been driving Darracq (Grandfather's veteran car) . Note on the weather 'I have stopped sweating. I wear shorts, socks, a vest & shoes in the day with a 'Poonah' jacket.

9 May, 1953, continued 17 May 1953

From: 1953 To: 1953

Went ashore at Hong Kong and into 'an awfully smelly street that smelt of incense, eucalyptus, camphor, coffee and dead fish. All the way down one side were cabinet maker's shops with the most beautiful chests I have ever seen, all in tropical woods and inlaid with ivory and mother of pearl and elaborately carved. I couldn't, of course, buy a chest, but I compromised by buying a carved box made of camphor wood .... it has a brass clasp. It cost $5 which is 6s 3d .....You wouldn' t get anything like it in England under £3. Continued 17 May Has arrived in Tokyo, at British Comonwealth forces leave camp. Spring interior mattress, 'Japs everywhere doing all the work', rhododendron bushes all over the place, a lake and a swiming pool. [Fomerly the Japanese Admiralty building: the lake had been for testing midget submarines, as had the swiming pool which was circular, 13 ft deep, and with a concrete 'island' in the middle where an engine had been mounted to spin subs round at great speed. Lake 30 ft deep with high pylon-like inspection tower to examine subs beneath surface] Unit comprised 1 Major, 2 Captains, 1 WO II, & 3 clerks (A Underwood was one) 'and a person to drive us to work' [Paddy - an Irishman] Can't say more because of Official Secrets Act [didn't more anyway yet]. Gets extra 4s.6d. a day Tokyo allowance. Bought beer-barrel look-alike mug for Is 3d. Letters received from Bedford Modern School friends 'Barrie from Goldington' [Barrie Abrahams] and 'Howard' [David Howard] 'Francis' [Francis Batt] Reference to post being transported by Comet aircraft - much quicker than norrral aircraft. 'Currency here Yen (1008 to the £) or British Commonwealth Forces currency which is all paper & called 'buffs' [actually BAFS - British Amed Forces Special Vouchers] Travelled from Kure (where docked) by sleeper. Train hit a cow & killed it. 'We had beef steak for supper. The meals here are absolutely whizzo bang-on & smashing. Tokyo just like London . . 'Our office has about 6 armed guards

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Underwood, Andrew Grimmer,
Underwood, Ena Mary,
Abrahams, Barrie,
Howard, David,
Batt, Francis

family correspondence, army, Hong Kong, Tokyo, weather, food