The Rawsons who lived sixty miles away at Iriga owned the Sloop Looban and they sailed with us often at weekends, and after a days sailing we'd sit around the verandah listening to the radio news. It was 1941 and we heard of nothing but disaster in Europe, and my thoughts were always in England and particularly I thought of my mother and father living near Birkenhead and how glad they were that we were unable to leave the Philippine Isles and so were safe from the horrors at home. We seemed so remote from them all until we switched on the radio, and reality flooded our little world and both Ren and I wished with all our hearts we were home there with them. England was our country, not this paradise. After the fall of France it was almost with horror that we turned the knob for the London news. Ned, one of our American friends, could never understand why England was so unprepared. It was unbearable to listen to him. One night, standing on the verandah in the dark looking down the moonlight bay, he said, "You know, Kay, one night a Japanese Admiral will be standing here instead of us".
What a foreboding!
Soon it was December 1941. The Filipinos appeared unaware of the war in Europe; it was too remote and it would not touch them. Few of them knew much about England, and still less why she was at war. Ren and I didn't give much thought to a possible Japanese invasion of the Philippines. He filled out a form volunteering for service in his Majesty's Navy which was sent off to the Consul General in Manila and I made the first preparations for Christmas by hanging our paper Star of Bethlehem on the verandah for Paddy to admire before he trotted off to bed, and baby Stephen who was six months old liked to look at it too.
And then Pearl Harbour was attacked. Poor Ned. Could America be unprepared as well as England? Now the Filipinos in the town and in our little barrio were nervous. Would there be a Japanese invasion? Should they leave the town and go to the mountains? What did the English living in the big house think? Are they afraid too? Will they leave the big house because it's too near the sea; they have two babies to think of. These were some of the questions asked and answers guessed at in the market, and I was questioned about it by the old women at the stalls, was the Senora afraid? We tried to calm our servants fears, they were afraid of the beach and said enemy bombers couldn't miss the big old house standing so white against the coconut palms.
Li Sai returned to his family in Manila the night after Pearl Harbour was bombed and Mari and Auri decided to leave on Dec. 12th to join their families far away in the north of Luzon at Appari. I went on with the Christmas preparations, ordered a turkey from Manila and wrapped up toys and presents I had bought in November at the British War relief bazaar in Manila. I sorted the decorations for the tree and the house and made puddings and a Christmas cake. Paddy played with the decorations and made his little parcels ready for the day. Stiffy crawled around his playpen and grabbed at all the baubles within reach.
December 9th was my birthday and we went to the airfield to see the daily plane because Ren said he had a present on it for me. It was a pearl necklace. We did not know that this was to be the last friendly plane to land in Legaspi for years.
The American troops stationed in Albay went north towards Manila in late November. Major Jones and Captain Carlos came to say goodbye and we sat on the cool verandah and talked of sailing boats, climbing mountains, the highlights of a visit to Manila; anything except the probability of war was discussed.
Each morning an American plane flew down from Manila and passed over the house on its' way out to San Bernadino Straits to reconnoitre; returning northwards the Pilot always flew low over us and Paddy and I waved gaily, and just for a little while I did not feel we were so utterly isolated if we ever needed help. Ren and I cheered each other up by saying that if anything did start in Northern Luzon we would have time to escape in the "VIXEN" and sail her down to New Zealand or Australia.
During the evening of December 11th we took some friends who were staying with us, Brown from our Manila office and Mrs Sanson whose husband had gone up to Manila to bring their little boy home from school, to the Mayon Hotel to say goodbye to another friend who was going back to Manila the next day. I envied her going back there and wished that our missionary friends and the Rawsons lived nearer to us. The possibility of invasion now seemed to have become a probability. All of us sat in the Hotel lounge talking of Manila and people we all knew there. About midnight we all said goodbye and returned to San Rogue. In the moonlight the white house could be seen clearly and we had no difficulty finding our way down our unlighted drive-way. There were no small fishing boats out that night because of the full moon, but after Brown and Mrs Sanson had gone indoors Ren and I looked for a while at the moonlight sea and the lovely outline of the bay. The black palm trees silhouetted in a fringe on the edge of the beach were very beautiful. Our home had never looked so beautiful and so peaceful. Glancing out to sea once more we turned into the garden and climbed the wide stairs into the dark house.