Extract from the diary

 Thursday 4th November 1937

Today the sound of artillery fire has not ceased for even a moment. Considerable interest and anxiety is being felt in Shanghai as the area in which the fighting now is contains a huge amount of foreign interests, the majority of which is British.

We had armistice day, two minutes silence, the last post etc. All the time this was going on, big guns were firing and Jap bombers were bombing Nantao and the River Whangpu about two hundred yards ahead of us. We could just hear the parson speak - THAT’S celebrating armistice - it struck me as being humourous.
I’ve been watching the battle and taking photo’s all day. Saw a dead Jap soldier in the river and managed to get a photo of it. Japanese gunboats set fire to scores of junks just above us and the Chinese set fire to Pootung before retreating so we are getting plenty of smoke and dirt.
 

Saturday 13th November

Nantao is captured and the barrier across the river broken so the war in Shanghai is believed to be over, though it still continues west of Shanghai and in North China. Big fires are still burning in Nantao and Pootung on Monday 15th, but none in Shanghai itself.

Saturday 20th November

We left Shanghai and arrived in Hong Kong on Tuesday 23rd November.
Stayed in Hong Kong until Sunday 20th February 1938.
A new Commander in Chief took over the Far East Station (Cumberland his flagship) on 5th February 1938.
Had a very quiet Christmas, on duty both Christmas eve and Christmas day. Went ashore Boxing day and for the first time visited the top of the peak - what a place! The scenery is beautiful and the air much cooler than in the city below, even getting chilly in the evening.
 

Sunday 20th February

Sailed for Singapore. Weather very cold when we sailed but it is now very rough and getting hot. We changed into tropical rig on Tuesday 22nd and am now sweating like hell. Arrived at Singapore 24th February. C in C visited the Governor etc. and we left on the return trip to Hong Kong on Sunday 6th March, and was I glad, the heat was driving me mad. All day the sea was like a sheet of glass, a perfect reflection of the sky could be seen on the surface, broken only by shoals of flying fish breaking the surface to get out of our way.

Monday and Tuesday 7th and 8th. The sea is still calm, Wednesday 9th - not monotonous now! Have just twigged on that we are not heading directly for Hong Kong. The reason for all the calmness and not getting any colder is that we are heading due east. Rumours are that we are in the south seas or the Hainan Islands. There are dozens of Islets all around us and we are moving around inspecting each one closely. There is a small French packet anchored off one of them.
The sea is a very light blue and the flying fish in the area are huge, about two feet long on average and the reflections of the sea on their scales and through their wings makes them appear pale blue. The scenery is gorgeous.
Our aircraft were going up to inspect everywhere but were cancelled later. A party of Marines was to land and the ship was going to anchor twice but we finally kept on. There are coral reefs around the Islet, and that which the French packet boat has anchored off has a complete circle of reefs with only a narrow opening in it.
 A signal just reached the office that we reach Hong Kong at 1400hrs tomorrow, so we must be speeding.