Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-07-22
BY FRANCES LONG,
Associated Press STAFF Writer.

<hSSoSAobSo L
NEW YORK, July 22.-Just to
look at Mrs. Gwen Priesthood,
young, pretty, smiling, you can't
imagine her in baggy mems trou-
ers, fleeing from the Japanese in
Hong Kong by crawling under the
barbed wire around an internment
camp. But that's Ovens story.
The war caught her in Hong Kong
after most of the other white wom-
en-including her mother-had been
removed. But Gwen had taken
training in the Auxiliary Nurses
Service and so, during the brief
fierce fighting, she drove truck
loaded with food and medicine,
picked up wounded soldiers and at
tended them as best she could.
When the Japs entered Hong
Kong. Gwen was staying with
friend but the Japs took over the
building and ordered them to leave.
Joined Prisoner Line.
They didn't seem to care what I
did and I was left sitting on the
road with my few pieces of luggage"
Gwen says.
A Chinese boatman promised to
take her part way to Chungking,
but he never showed up and, in des-
peration, she joined the crowd that
was being marched by japanese SOL
diers to Stanley Prison "At least I
thought would be fed" she recalls.
Stanley Prison, an ancient place,
was crammed with internees, ap-
proximately 5000 of them. Mrs.
Priesthood was showed into small
room with eight other women. She
slept on the hard floor because
there was no bedding available and
the japanese didn't bother to pro-
vide any. AS to food. the Japs al
lowed us rations of rice-two bowls
a day-some lettuce leaves and oc-
casionally we were given some fish,
which wasn't always good"
Conditions were desperate. Any
thing would be better than such
miserable existence, so she began
plotting to escape. A former COM
missioner of the Hong Kong police
had approached her several times on
the subject, but realizing the danger
of trying to reach Chungking, 1000
miles away, she refused. But the
monotony, the misery, of internment
life changed her mind.
Elude Guards.
For weeks she and her English
friend boarded all the canned food
they could get. One night, just after
dusk, they crawled under the
barbed wire, while the guards back
was turned, made wild dash for
nearby bush. They lay tense, until
sure no alarm had been raised. Then
they started walking rapidly North.
Wearing old ragged trousers and
thick sweaters-it was March and
the weather was cold-and carrying
haversacks, filled with food, a
change of shoes and water bottles,
they walked at night and hid during
the day. generally in some bombed
building or under bushes.
When Mrs. Priesthood and the
Englishman reached the coast of
Hong Kong Island, they found a
Chinese boatman who took them to
the mainland. Il can't praise this old
boatman enough" Mrs Priesthood
recounts. "He, was wonderful to us.
He gave me Chinese fishergirl
clothes so that I wouldn't be easily
recognized as a white person"
Aided by Guerrillas.
And by another fortunate chance,
they encountered group of Chinese
guerrillas who helped them run the
gantlet of the japanese lines to
Chungking.
From the Chinese capital, Mrs.
Priesthood flew to India, then came
to the United States by freighter
and plane.
Now, resting and writing the story
of her experiences, she nurses the
hope of returning to her native
England, to see her husband, who
is with the Royal Air Force.