|
|
My Beautiful Island: From England To New Zealand Via Hong Kong And A WarStock informationGeneral Fields
Special Fields
Local Description Chris Potter was born in Hong Kong just prior to the 1941 Japanese invasion and spent most of his first four years in Stanley Internment Camp before being repatriated to England and then emigrating to New Zealand in 1948. This illustrated book springs from his mother's journals and letters, and outlines also her ongoing activity opposing nationalism and racism and promoting women's rights and international co-operation.
This is a story of contrasts: contrasting countries, cultures, attitudes and fates. The thread connecting them is the commentary of one articulate and strong-willed woman, my mother. In her letters, notes and diary we read about the 6-day 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. |