[Excerpt]

...

The chief topics of conversation still revolved around food and the shortcomings of the Committee. Over the course of these years matters of the most trivial importance were magnified out of all proportion; personal affairs had become not only the concern of one’s neighbours but of the whole camp.

Confined to this complete world of their own for two and a half years, the majority of these people had become obsessed to an unbelievable degree with the petty affairs of the camp and their personal lives.

We were not apparently the only ones to realise this, for within a week the Americans had inaugurated an intensive course of “reorientation” calculated to bring the mental status of the ex-internees to a state of preparedness for their return to the world of 1945. Loudspeakers were connected up throughout the length and breadth of the camp; there was much preparation and then suddenly one morning at six o’clock the full blast of American high-pressure “reorientation”, rent the air in the guise of Frank Sinatra singing, “Oh! What a beautiful morning, Oh! What a beautiful day.” Doors and windows were flung open and masses of bewildered ex-internees in various stages of nudity looked out on this new post-war world to which they had had such a rude awakening. A stream of derogatory remarks floated up and down the alleyways. Someone cut a wire then silence. The doors closed on these staid and unappreciative Britishers, who crawled back to bed. There was much indignation on both sides — a compromise was reached and future “reorientation” was not commenced until 7 A.M., from which hour it continued at a fast and furious pace throughout the day under the able “Director of Reorientation”, who had a special office to himself, from which he conducted music, lectures, organised games for adults and children, and kept an eye on the reading room. In the end the Americans, by sheer perseverance and charm, won the day. The ex-internees were “reoriented” to everyone’s satisfaction and learned thoroughly to enjoy the process!

With the collapse of the Japanese, the food situation became serious for a few days. Supplies of hare necessities were sufficient only for two to three days at the time of the Japanese surrender. The Weihsien puppet Commander, quick to see an opportunity of getting “ out of the red “ politically, needed little persuasion to send food, and Wang Shang-chih, although he could ill afford it, sent a letter by us with a promise of ten thousand pounds of wheat, but in spite of these efforts there was still insufficient to meet requirements. Staiger radioed his Headquarters for assistance and within a couple of days a B–24 flew over the camp to drop sheaves of handbills worded to the effect that supplies were on the way. Within half an hour, we heard the ponderous drone of heavily laden planes. Ten B–29s circled overhead and, as their bellies opened, tons of supplies were dropped, filling the sky with yellow, green, red, blue and white parachutes.

Some failed to open and steel drums hurtled through the air and, bursting on contact with the earth, sent up cascades of Californian peaches and cream, tomato soup, corned beef hash, cigarettes, candy and chewing gum. At least 30 per cent of the first drop was wasted. This continued on and off for several days, until the church, resembling a warehouse, was stacked high with clothes, boots, food, smokes, medical supplies and books — everything that the Stores Officer on Okinawa (from where the planes had come) thought might conceivably be needed.

To cope with the demand for fresh fruit, vegetables and eggs, an open-air market was soon established outside the front gate by the river, where dozens of stalls were set up. People were still short of money, however, and most of the business was carried on by barter. Old clothes that were hardly fit to wear, boots and shoes with gaping holes, women’s hats, were all exchanged for eggs, milk, or maybe a fried chicken or a bottle of the local brandy. Never had there been such eating a craving of two and a half years’ standing was satiated there were casualties, but all admitted that it was worth it!

After the first excitement had worn off, and people were nauseated by the sight of food, the ex-internees began to talk of the return to their homes. Many of them failed to appreciate the true situation. The homes of the majority had been occupied by a succession of Japanese. What furniture and household belongings they had left behind on coming to the camp, had long since been sold by the Japanese occupants and replaced by cheap new furniture purchased and resold with each incoming tenant. Sanitary, steam heating and plumbing installations had been torn out and sold, or contributed to the Japanese war effort, and the majority of the houses were but empty shells. Before any move of the ex-internees could be considered, accommodation had first to be prepared in Peking, Tientsin and Tsingtao.

In the meantime, the political situation was deteriorating rapidly. The vanquished were now defending the victors --- the Japanese, on surrender, had been instructed by the Chinese Government to co-operate with them in the protection of the railways throughout North China from attacks by the Communists. Former puppet forces were now enlisted also to co-operate against the Communists, AN-ho were making increasingly frequent attacks on the railway, cutting communications for days on end and completely isolating the camp.

The American authorities planned to evacuate the camp by railway to Tientsin and Tsingtao, but it was not long before it was realised that the rail trip to Tientsin was quite out of the question. Plans were then made to evacuate the whole camp by rail to Tsingtao, but the Japanese did little to protect the railway and each day brought news of further Communist activities : bridges were blown up and miles of rail were removed. Repairs were carried out, and after days of delay perhaps one train would manage to make the trip from Tsingtao to Weihsien before there were further demolitions.

The -weeks were passing, the ex-internees were getting restive and demands were made that steps be taken to find some means of evacuating the camp. The American officials were at a loss for a solution of the problem, and little progress was being made, when they agreed to the suggestion proposed some weeks earlier, that a deputation be sent to the local Communist Headquarters with the request that they should hold up any further demolition of the railway until the camp had been evacuated. Roy-Tchou had connections and he and Arthur set off on a secret mission in an effort to open negotiations which would halt the interruption of communications. The first contact was promising and was followed up by the American Commanding Officer. A truce was agreed upon and repairs were completed; baggage was dispatched on the trial train and was followed the next day by some six hundred of the ex-internees for Tsingtao.

The following night the track was again blown up and a large bridge demolished. More days of delay followed and it was during this period that I was fortunate enough to obtain a seat in a military plane leaving for Peking. As the plane circled over the camp and then headed north, I took my last look at the camp and congratulated myself on the fact that it «as I who had managed to get a seat rather than one of the less fortunate eight hundred whom I was leaving behind.

Some two weeks later, almost two months after the Japanese surrender, all hope of getting away the remainder of the e-internees by train was given up and they were flown out by relays of C—54s to Peking and Tientsin — here they were crowded into hotels and the few remaining houses that were habitable.

[further reading] ...
http://www.weihsien-paintings.org/Tipton/text/e1-TheCommunistsAttack.htm

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