Incidents in her Life

Hong Kong 1939

We were in Wei-Hei-Wei with the Fleet when Jack's submarine was sent back to Hong Kong, so I went too. We had two weeks in a Hotel in Kowloon and he was sent to Singapore.

After a few days, alone in Hong Kong and knowing nobody I was profoundly bored. The heat was suffocating and my chief occupation was crossword puzzles and scratching mosquito bites. I moved to The Helena May Institute (a respectable hostel for working girls).

By this time I had met a few people and life had progressively become very social. The Fleet was returning from Wei-Hei-Wei and Jack was due back and I discovered I was having a baby. All in all we needed somewhere to live. Helen Fanshawe and Mhari Conran-Smith agreed to have a joint house, if we could find a really nice one.

The Japanese were ravishing through China and had got as far as North of Canton. Swarms of refugees were arriving in Hong Kong making accommodation difficult to find. We did find one - 186 Prince Edward Road. Very desirable. But there were strong indications that there would be a war with Germany. If that happened where should we all be? Chamberlain went to see Hitler and came home saying "Peace in our time". We eavesdropped someone's radio and heard the news and at 11 p.m. that night signed on the dotted line or 186 Prince Edward Road - where later, Jill was born.


Stewart Carter

Stewart Carter had a romantic and successful life, this one small piece of it at which I was present. He was Colonel of the Trucial Scouts in the desert country of the Trucial States, South of Dubai. Stewart was my age and his young wife was my daughter Jill's age.

He was about to retire and was to be given a Grand Farewell by Sheik Saga of Ras al-Khaimah. I was staying with Jill and Robin and Con (Jill's Godmother) and we went to the Grand Occasion.

The Sheik had a Palace - made of MUD. In front of it was a large space which was the parade ground.

When we arrived there was already a huge crowd in which we mingled. A large circle of 4 or 5 Land Rovers delineated the parade ground or arena. A Balnchi Band was playing familiar tunes such as Scotland the Brave. They only knew so much of each tune and when they got to the unfamiliar difficult bit, they broke off and started another tune.

Suddenly there was silence and from the direction of the Palace came three figures. The Sheik, Stewart and Celia.

Celia had a hawk on her wrist. Tears were streaming down Stewart's cheeks.

Sadly my memory stops there tho' I do remember driving through the crowds in a Land Rover on our may back to Robin and Jill's house.

Douglas Stein

Douglas Stein was a vague relation (there were others). He came to England most years on holiday from Mauritius and being mad on the theatre, went to one every day. He stayed with us (the Gordons) - re-met my mother and asked her to marry him. She refused him, tho' she liked him he had a terrible temper!

Years later, returning to Mauritius he met a woman of about his age on the boat. They got on well and the day before they arrived he proposed to her. She accepted him and told him that just before they sailed she had heard that she had inherited a very large sum of money.

When I was 16 they asked me to stay. They had a small flat and put me up in a very smart hotel. We went to the theatre every evening, dining out first and we did something like the Military Tattoo every afternoon. Phew, what a week. I only had one (home made) evening dress. We saw a sad war film and Douglas cried all through! I managed not to.

Hong Kong

When in Hong Kong (Jack, or course, at sea), I decided to hitch a lift to Canton in a naval river boat. The boat (not me) was met by the Vice Consul. He politely asked me where I was going to stay. I said I would find a Hotel. He was horrified, said I could not go into the town, but must stay in the British Concession. The town was bombed nightly by the Japanese. The Japs usually missed the British Concession, but there had been the odd incident. He said I had better stay with him and his wife.

His wife was just about to have a baby and was quite obviously not pleased. 'Did I play bridge?' I said 'no' and realised I was beyond the pale. Next day I met someone I knew and they asked me to stay. I bade my hostess good-bye and she apologised for her bad manners.

We found out later that she was a relation of the Kershaws.

Wei-Hei-Wei

Wei-Hei-Wei was a wonderful little island on the North East coast of China. For two or three months the British Fleet, based in Hong Kong, moved up there for a bit of summer heat relief. We all had quarters rather like rows of horse boxes - a bedroom and a verandah, a thunder box at the back. As you passed along the hotel you met everyone sitting on their verandahs. We were asked 'for a drink' that evening by a couple. What time should we go - we wondered. Six o'clock in England? Six-thirty? Was seven too late? We decided on 6.45. There was no one at home. We went away and watched their verandah from afar, saw nobody. We sauntered in that direction at 7.30 and at that moment they arrived in a small yacht, put it away and wandered up the beach and greeted us and went into their bedroom to change. We started our drink just before eight. It was a short sharp shock which taught us the ways of Wei-Hei-Wei!


Hunting

My Uncle was a Hunting Shooting and Fishing man. He would have liked me to hunt but I had never been near a horse and when put on a ??? Up hunter was very insecure. Though I rode a lot (and got a bit safer) I did not feel brave enough to Hunt. This brought barely disguised scorn from the hunting crowd. One day I was with the Uncle visiting hunting friends. We were standing round a horse, brought out of his stable by a groom. It was badly lame and a great discussion went on as the why. No one knew. I shocked and surprised the assembled horsey experts by saying, "perhaps its NAVICULA". It was. I can't think how I knew that!

Lantau

After Jill's birth in Hong Kong I felt pretty rough and got boils and it was terribly hot. I had a wonderful Shanghai baby Amah and she urged me to get away to Lantau. Lantau was a small island, one of many near Hong Kong and was really just a mountain in the sea. I went to Lantau by sampan and was carried up the mountain by two men, in a chair. At the top was a colony of American Missionaries. Out meals were silent, except for the occasional missionary who was Moved to speak. Some of their children, from America, were there. They were quite unlike their parents, modern, loud and roistering. Such a contrast.

However, it cured me and I hurried back to Hong Kong and civilisation as I knew it!

London

When I was eight or nine I stayed with Uncle Bos and Aunt Patty at no 56 Evelyn Gardens and went to school at Roland Gardens. They then went to the country and I became a border. Their great friends, the vicar of St Peter's Church, Cranleigh Gardens, invited me every Sunday to spend the day. (I walked over and back by myself in those days!)

I went to the morning service where Mr. Woodward often made children take part. One day I had to read the Lesson. I was terrified. It was the worst ordeal I have ever suffered. A big London Church, full, in those days, what could be more agonising?

Then there was the Children's service in the afternoon, again well attended. One Sunday I sat with Prudence Maxwell-Light and we got the giggles. Mr. Woodward was marching up and down the aisle and spotted me. "Barbara Massey - Stand up". My giggles soon subsided. He was rather a fierce priest and later, when my Mother died, he became our guardian (with Uncle Bos).

Passages to and from Hong Kong

I travelled out to Hong Kong in 1938 in the SCHARNHORST, a German Merchant Cruiser - the only passage I could get. War was imminent and Jack said his Submarine would have had to sink the Scharnhorst if war had been declared. War was declared two months later.

Two years and one baby later, Jack was sent back to the Mediterranean at four days notice. I had to pack up, sack the servants and book a passage in a great hurry. The only passage I could get (to San Francisco) was in a Japanese ship - the 'ASAMA MARU'. We were at war with the Japs two months later! From San Francisco to New York to Liverpool is another story which I am sure I have told elsewhere.

School

I did a remarkably successful drawing of our history mistress (Miss Elliot) at school. She was clever and amusing and I liked her very much but she was no beauty! My picture was a charicature. By it I wrote some remark she had made to me. Others, at intervals added quotations. It really had to be hidden so we took St Andrew apart and put her underneath him and replaced his picture.

Several years later (45?) I went with some people I met abroad to the Centenary Celebration. Imagine my horror when I saw my picture shown on the mantle piece! I wonder how long it had been there and where St Andrew had got to.

I was very bored during one of her history lessons (History was not, is not, one of my interests). Miss Elliot looked at me piercingly and said "Barbara, I wonder if you are as stupid as you look!"

I often wondered, at school, why a dull old (60?) Mistress never had any problems with keeping order in her French classes. Another (young) chemistry mistress who was great fun and very clever usually had chaos and mayhem - broken test tubes and spilt acid etc!

Our Headmistress, Miss Ghey, was Madonna like. She wore gowns, had large blue eyes and a holy smile. I could not stand her!

Fishing

At Soval Lodge, in the Outer Hebrides - I walked down to a close small lock to fill in an hour before dinner. I saw the most extraordinary sight. I think every fish in the loch was rising, including some as big as four pounds. I had no idea there were fish that size in the little loch. I could not catch one, whatever fly I put on. In the 20 minutes this lasted I tried all the flies I could think of. Then it stopped. The water was dead.

At that moment, Malcolm Ring, my young host arrived back from a loch about 3 miles away. His eyes were sparkling. "You'll never believe what I have just seen - every fish in the loch was rising. The loch was boiling with them". He had not caught one either.

I was told later that another fisherman at another time and another loch had seen the same thing, several years before and had caught one wish with a tiny bare hook!

War memories

During the war Jack was stationed, in his submarine at several of the ports in Scotland, out for ten days and I would go to Northumberland to stay and then find 'ROOMS' for the next 10 days when he was in port. One lot of rooms we had, sitting room and bedroom, all inclusive. We were fed and rooms cleaned and beds made etc.

We had a double bed, which was uncomfortable and lumpy in the middle. After a bit I complained to the land lady. "Oh dear - I wish you hadn't told me. I do not want my son to know. I have hidden his Twelve Bore under your mattress."

During the war again, Jack was at Barrow-in-Furness. I went too. I had a letter from Sir Charles Craven of Vicars Armstrong asking me to launch a submarine (P33). In war time they could not publicise the launching, or ask a Royal to launch one, so occasionally a Naval wife was asked. I left Jill with our Landlady (I could not tell her where I was going) and put on a fur coat to hide the fact that Adria was due to be born in 2 months and got on a bus for the Dockyard.

The launching went well, the Commonwealth Wine (it was wartime) smashed nicely against the Submarine and she moved slowly down the ramp into the River Clyde.

We all went to a splendid drinks party and I was presented with a beautiful ivory cigarette box. I was thrilled and said so to Sir Charles. "Don't be silly", he said. "The present is inside the box". It was a Diamond double clip Brooch! He apologised for the smallness of the gifts saying:- "It is wartime you know!. I was given an enormous bouquet of flowers and sent back to my lodgings in a Rolls. My landlady was very surprised.

In Barrow-in-Furness I occasionally walked down into the town pushing Jill in her pram. I went to a butcher and produced my "Traveller's Ration Book". "We don't serve travellers" he said. "But you MUST" I retorted. "No I won't". "I shall report you to the food controller". "All right." He said. "There is his office opposite here". So I went and joined a long queue, which moved extremely slowly.

Then a strange thing (for me!) happened. I burst into tears. I believe one is apt to when having a baby. I took myself off and walked to the Bridge, across it and back, by which time I was back in control. I went back to join the queue. It had gone. It was lunch time and the door was shut. I knocked and himself came to the door. He explained that it was lunch time. To my horror the tears started to flow again.

"Oh you poor darling" he said. "Come in and sit down and have a sandwich. Take your time, I have half an hour for lunch".

When I told him about the butcher he said "I will inform the butchers they must sell you meat. You can have as much as you like, but do stop crying!"

When Jack came back that evening I told him the story, tears again.

Jack decided and I agreed, we should move away from horrid Barrow-in-Furness. We drove about to 10 miles to a village pub and asked if they knew of any rooms or a cottage. Yes, they did. The owners were going South. We went to the cottage, agreed a rent and moved in the next day.

In the course of time the butcher called. I ordered a small bit of meat and gave him my name. "Mrs Kershaw" is it" he said. "We have been told to let you have as much meat as you like". Alas, I had to tell him I could not afford to have as much as I wanted!

Fishy Thoughts

I think it is extraordinary that fish can be 6ozs or 20 lb to 30 lb at maturity. The only animal in the world that is so affected by its food.

Oops

Hugh, Peter and I were going upstairs giggling and pushing each other. Mrs Woodward emerged from Aunt Patty's bedroom and said Be quiet! Your Mother has just died".

We went on to our sitting room. Hugh, aged 13, was crying. Peter and I put on a Gilbert and Sullivan record that my mother had given us. Mrs Woodward appeared again to tell us to take it off.

Mrs Woodward told me the facts of life, or at least the monthly facts of life. She told it so badly that I didn't believe her and hated her for telling me!

In my childhood, at the Old Rectory, the Uncle got a Golden Labrador. He used to go out with the horses - an 8 mile trek. One day, out with the horses, he dropped down dead. A heart attack.

By Royal Appointment

In my sixties I was asked to engrave some glass for Princess Anne. She was to 'Plant a tree' by Tetley Church.

I got a glass tray, about 12" across and engraved a picture of the Church. I was invited to the Presentation. Both the Princess and Mark Phillips were very nice about the tray. I wonder where it is now! In the Cellar? Sold by the butler?

The Old Rectory, Eversholt

The Old Rectory was a charming house with about 2 acres of garden and a stable yard. This was built when the Masters of Horse lived there. It had six roomy stables. Two garages, a tack room with loft above and Uncle Bos's WORKSHOP and a mounting store in the middle.

My Brothers and I found a RHEA's egg. We tried to blow it but nothing happened. We sawed it in half (using the mounting store as a table). It was solid and smelt terrible. One Rheas's egg, scrambled would be enough for 5 people.

At the Old Rectory we had the velvet from a stags antlers , on toast, as a savoury. We also had, for lunch, bison roast. The 'maids' were not told what it was or they would not have eaten it. Later they agreed it was excellent. Redder and stronger than beef.

Eight sailors came to our wedding at Eversholt. They were to pull the car from the church back to the Old Rectory. What they had not realised was that it was half a mile! Some of them were not as fit as they might have been and were very tired and hot!

My brother Hugh was going to drive me to church but a few days before the wedding we discovered he had carried a load of loose coal in the back of the car! The Uncle ordered a Rolls!

Jill's wedding

Before Jill's wedding we had two disasters. Her wedding dress was laid out on the dining room table. Someone, somehow spilt a great splash of ink on it. We rang the best cleaner we knew about in LONDON and got the dress back next day by train and car, just in time for the wedding.

Teresa, Jill's great friend, took our car down to the village on some necessary errand and managed to hit another car! It was INCONVENIENT, to say the least!

There were two sets of invitations to Jill's wedding, the expensive engraved? ones for Robin's relations and the plain printed ones. The engraved ones had ink spilt on them in the post office and had to be replaced.

Koko

When living with the Aunt, after Uncle Bos died, we had a dog, a Shih Tsu. Next door, a large garden away, lived the Rector. His son had given him a Jack Russel puppy to replace a much loved dog who had died. The Jack Russel, when grown up, was a devil and had killed two dogs in the village. I suggested that we should engineer a meeting between our two dogs who might well meet in the future to see if they got on. The Rector waited until his son was staying and they visited us with the dog.

Within a split second Koko was on his back and the Jack Russel at his throat! They had to keep their dog on a lead after that, even for his evening pennyworth!

Freedom at 67 and fishing

At 67 I was suddenly free. My husband had died, my much loved Aunt had died at 98, my daughters were married and happy and producing grandchildren. And ... I had some money for the first time in my life. We were playing bridge, when Tony, a new acquaintance said "I am going to Norway to salmon fish in July, why don't you come too?" "Good idea" I said enthusiastically.

We went to Norway. It was a success, so we arranged other visits. After that we went to Patagonia on the most wonderful trip, fishing in five different places (and had many adventures). Next we went to British Colombia two years running. Each time doing five different expeditions. One of them we were flown to the mainland until we found a river, then descended, got out our rods and fished! Nearby our pilot stood with a gun to protect us from grizzly bears. In the evening we flew back to our lagoon to a superb dinner (with 8 American truckers).

By this time Tony was 82 years old and I was 81.

We went to Russia to the Kola Peninsula - on the Arctic Circle, where we camped (splendidly), 220 miles East of Murmansk. There we fished the best salmon river in the world which had hardly been disturbed by mankind for millions of years. Here we wished from 9 a.m. To 6 or 7 p.m. We did this for four years running. It was absolutely stunning. Tony was absent one year having a new hip so another friend came with me. One day while we were out in the boat this friend said, "If my wife had dared to catch more fish than me, I should have been very upset". As it happens I had caught more fish than him so he ungraciously had to put up with me doing so.

At 86 years old Tony had to give in. Alas I could not face Russia on my own. After that I went to the Outer Hebrides with a Grandson and then to various places in Scotland with a Brigadier of 89. I am now 90 and have had only one day's fishing with another Grandson. C'est La Vie!

I am grounded and can only play bridge two or three times a week, paint and write and sew and enjoy daughters and grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Childhood memories again

I embarrassed my mother, as a very small child, as I kept on mentioning my Black Sister. She was, of course, completely imaginary, but my constant companion.

Aunt Patty must have been quite sure that I had something wrong with me, so I got sent to the Doctor quite a lot.

We had an appointment with a French Doctor a The French Hospital. All was well. At the end he made me walk along a chalk line with my arms outstretched. I managed this, with a little difficulty. Afterwards he said, with emphasis, "Nobody is going to hypnotise YOU!"

Years later I went to a Hypnotist to try to stop smoking. After about ¾ of an hour it was over. I co-operated as hard as I could but felt nothing had happened, which I told him. "Go away and think about it" he said. So I did! I could only think of the next cigarette, endlessly! Next day I gave in and have smoked ever since.

Fishing in the outer Hebrides

A ghillie was taking me on LANGAVAT, a nine mile loch in the Outer Hebrides. I said, "I want to catch a salmon, AND see a Golden Eagle". Both were unusual as in this huge loch few people could find the salmon and after 25 years of going to the Hebrides I had not, knowingly, seen a Golden Eagle.

After an hour or two, no salmon. Suddenly the ghillie took off at a great rate across the loch. My fly was in the water and I felt a sudden 'take'. I called for Duncan to slow down. He took no notice until we got to the far side and he pointed to a large rock ahead on which sat a Golden Eagle! I pulled in my line and showed him a very dead salmon I had on!

McFee took me on a small lock and we caught a lot of small trout. He stopped rowing and pointed to the top of a small mountain. "There are Golden Eagles and they have two young ones. Come on, we will climb up to see them closer." I was wearing body waders and could not face the climb. Up he went and came down very excited. There were two well grown little Golden Eagles and the parents flying agitatedly above. He PULLED my up and it was great to see the nest and the babies and the parents longing to dive on us but just not daring.

It turned out that it was not a Golden Eagle but a ???. McFee had spent all his life on Lewes but had got it wrong.

Uncle Bos and I had lunch sitting on a bank by an arm of Loch Yaltos. When we finally stood up an enormous Merganzer flew, through my legs and escaped!

McFee senior said I must cast three times a minute in Loch Valtos (salmon).

Some of the people mentioned

Jack - John Bertram de Betham Kershaw DSO RN, Barbara's husband
Uncle Bos - Colonel Evelyn Boscowen Gordon - 5th Fusiliers
Aunt Patty - Martha Gordon, nee Martha Wheldon