Stanley: Behind Barbed Wire

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight We ha d no t lon g bee n i n th e cam p befor e i f wa s realize d tha t something would have to be done for the two hundred-odd childre n of schoo l ag e throw n togethe r i n s o hars h a n environment . Th e sheer struggl e fo r existenc e an d th e overcrowded condition s soo n began t o fel l o n thei r youn g an d impressionabl e minds . Parent s were onl y too anxiou s t o push the m ou t o f the rooms - thei r ver y presence irritate d th e othe r occupant s - and , feeling insecur e an d unwanted, the children wandered around making greater nuisances of themselves. They soon grew tired of playing games, and the adults were to o pre-occupied wit h thei r ow n problem s t o bothe r abou t arrangin g organized spor t fo r them . Moreover , th e inadequate die t allowe d little energy for physical activity and open space became more and more restricte d a s small vegetable patches sprang up everywhere . All tha t concerne d th e averag e perso n wer e way s an d mean s t o supplement th e meagr e rations . Lef t t o thei r ow n devices , th e children turned on one another . Worse still , the y wer e quic k t o observ e an d imitat e th e mor e undesirable elements of adult behaviour which arose from problems of daily living, particularly the constant grabbing and petty thieving so rife in the early days. Few had any scruples. Nothing could be left unguarded - eve n a blanket was stolen from a sleeping infant whe n its mother left it alone for a few minutes. One day I saw something glint in the sunlight. When I picked it up, I found it was a gold Rolex watch. I was all for leaving it in the care of the Colonial Secretariat (this was merely one of the rooms in the Married Quarters which the CS and his staff used as an office), but Bill Faid suggested that I post a couple of notices instead. Three weeks slipped by before the watch was claimed. The owner, Mr F.C. Barry, Managing Director of the Hong Kon g an d Shangha i Hotels , sai d h e though t tha t anyon e finding a gold watch would never dream of returning it so he did not even bother to look at the notice boards. 83 Should a child manage to steal something and bring it home, his booty could be made a topic of conversation, even in his presence, and thi s encourage d hi m t o greate r effort . I t i s no t surprising , therefore, tha t unoccupied an d undisciplined the children develope d a sharpness and cunning far beyond their years. Just as our shortages were solved by the inventive skill of experts in thei r relate d fields , s o were ou r problem s affectin g th e youn g taken care of by those qualified to plan for their welfare. As soon as the Professo r o f Educatio n an d headmistresse s o f tw o leadin g schools accepte d th e responsibilit y fo r organizin g a teachin g programme, childre n o f al l ag e group s wer e catere d fo r i n a n amazingly short period of time. A kindergarten was set up in the Prison Officers' Club and, as the canteen opene d onl y once weekly, ther e was no clas h of interest . Junior school occupied the main hall of St Stephen's College in the mornings, while boys and girls of secondary-school level attended in the afternoons . Ther e wa s n o shortag e o f teacher s an d willin g helpers - mos t people were glad of something to do. There were no classrooms, however, and all classes of the same age group had to be accommodated simultaneously in the one hall. They had no desks or even chairs and, unti l the Red Cros s was able to supply a numbe r from on e o f th e school s i...