This is a story of contrasts contrasting countries, cultures, attitudes and fates. The thread connecting them is the commentary of one articulate and strongwilled woman, my mother. In her letters, notes and diary we read about the 6day trip from London to Hong Kong in 1938 via flying boat the enviable social life of busy expatriates in Hong Kong from 1938 to 1941 and the horror, heartbreak and suffering that followed the Japanese invasion in December 1941. My father, being an eligible bachelor and a keen sailor, is mentioned with increasing frequency in the early letters, but as a leading architect in the booming economy of Hong Kong he was very busy and it was not until late 1939 that they were married. He was killed in action on Christmas day 1941. My mother and I were interned in Stanley Internment Camp until September 1945 and her diary paints a vivid and moving picture of the collapse of her world and our life behind the wire. After repatriation to England my mother worked in postwar Germany for two years, using her fluency in the language and her organisation skills to help German newspapers reopen under strict conditions imposed by the Allies. In 1948 we emigrated to New Zealand where she had to rebuild our lives. She could not forget the lessons of Hong Kong and Germany and was active for many years in womens organisations, vehemently opposing nationalism and racism and promoting international cooperation and womens rights. The copious illustrations will help to...

Binding: Paperback;300 pages; Publisher: CP Books; Classification: N/A; Weight: 767.28 g; Dimensions: N/A

Something not quite right? You have 21 days from the day you receive it, to send something back.

Please note, we cannot offer refunds on fashion face masks, cosmetics, pierced jewellery, adult toys, and swimwear or lingerie if the hygiene seal is not in place or has been broken.

Items of footwear and/or clothing must be unworn and unwashed with the original labels attached. Also, footwear must be tried on indoors. Items of homeware including bedlinen, mattresses, and toppers, and pillows must be unused and in their original unopened packaging. This does not affect your statutory rights.

Click here to view our full Returns Policy.