[weihsien_camp] Re: 1942 letter on internment of civilians in Chefoo' Temple Hill

What a wonderful letter, Estelle! You have flooded me with Temple Hill memories!

I remember planting a few seeds in that tiny garden — working on some kind of gardening badge for Brownies. Imagine it! Earning badges for Brownies in a Japanese concentration camp! God bless every one of those sainted teaches! I remember writing in my Brownie diary that someone had “kindly” (sarcasm of a ten year-old) stepped on my tiny garden patch.

I wonder what ever happened to that diary.

Two of my most vivid Temple Hill memories were my terror of those huge geese attacking me and the attack I had of hay fever. My nose just POURED! I don’t think I’ve ever had such an attack of hay fever since then. Certainly, no Kleenex tissues in Temple Hill camp!! Growing geese at Temple Hill must have been — like growing the pig — to supplement our diet.

Since we’re now in our 80s, we can tell about the commode bucket for you teenage girls always being blood red. I was in the Prep School then. Until I was reunited with our parents in 1945 at age 13, I was clueless about menstrual periods. When we got to Weihsien, one of our thirteen girls in the Lower School Dormitory (LSD) started her periods, but teachers kept this a very big secret — like it was, perhaps, a wicked thing. None of the rest of us knew. I didn’t learn about this part of becoming a woman until after I was repatriated in 1945. I guess it was my big sister, Kathleen, who educated me. Kathleen, you know, was “wicked” in Weihsien. She and Douglas Findlay had actually KISSED, so one of the bishops was considering whether or not Kathleen should marry Douglas right there in the camp! Douglas, you know, was from Tientsin, not from Chefoo. (Let me assure you that Kathleen got over her “wickedness.” She died of Lupus in 1942 while she was studying in Asbury Theological Seminary, preparing to go with her husband as missionaries to Africa. )

Doctors in the camp surely knew that poor nutrition affected the teeth of growing children and the delay of menses in young women.

Remember eating powdered egg shells to preserve our teeth and our bones with that pure calcium?

Let’s have more memories from the rest of you.
What badges did you earn?

Mary Taylor Previte

To:suetsumuhanalou@googlemail.com,weihsien_camp@yahoogroups.com
Thu, 9 Feb 2017 at 08:49

[weihsien_camp] RE: Enquiry about Weihsien and Julyan family

Dear Louise,

Yes, I am – indeed ― at the origin of this Weihsien-Paintings’ website … 17 years already! Marvellous adventure !!!

I had a look at Ron Bridge’s listings (on the website) and the Julian family lived in block 33 room 5 but that is about all I can tell you. I was a baby in 1943 and four when we left camp in October 1945. My parents died a long time ago and as the clock keeps ticking away, year after year … all the sources of information are getting fewer.

However, the best I can do ― to help you ― is to forward your message to our wiehsien_camp@yahoo.com chat list and send you an invitation to join us. Maybe somebody will remember the Julian family and contact you directly or via the Yahoo-chat-list.

Best regards,
Leopold
(Belgium)

From: louise rolland [mailto:suetsumuhanalou@googlemail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 8, 2017 7:27 PM
To: tapol@skynet.be

Subject: Enquiry about Weihsien and Julyan family

Dear Leopold,

I hope this email finds you very well. I've been looking at the wealth of information on the web site you keep about Weihsien - thank you for making such a great resource available!

I believe that I am related to the Julyan family, who were interned at Weihsien and lived in Block 33. I found an email address for Kevin Julyan in your Topica email archives, but unfortunately it's no longer valid. I think he was married to Peg Julyan and living in Australia back in 2005.

I am pretty sure that Kevin Julyan's mother Maria Therese was the widow of Patrick Julyan (who was my grandfather Cedric's older brother). They married in Hong Kong in 1925 and Patrick worked in Tientsin for the North China Star. Patrick died some time before 1936. Kevin was 16 and his sister Can(d)ice 13 when they were interned along with their mother.

I'd be very grateful if you could let me know whether you are in contact with anyone in the Julyan family, know anyone who is or who knew them? I couldn't see a way to post a query on the web site.

Many thanks for your help.
Louise
(from London)