In s. Sandro Sandri The following Arstshand account of @ trip down the Yangtze on an Kattan ship carrying members of the Sino-2alian Aviation Works and others twas written by a forcion resident of Nanchang, who left after Japanese bombing raids speeded the departure of most foreigners living im the city.
PER a lull of six weeks, duri which we had had no air raids, we were beginning to feel a little happier, and to anticipate spending Christmas in Nanchang, when the "Japanese: resumed their bombing raids on the town.
'Nanchang has not} the very decided advantage of having a: foreign concession' nor even a foreign residential quarter, bit all the foreign residences are mixed up with Chinese official residences; military clubs, governor's "Kung Kwans," ete.
Even the missions are scattered, and one of the first buildings to fall a victim to bombs was the American Ladies' residence attached to the Methodist. Episcopal Mission.
This was in a moonlight raid on the night of August 26, and it is possible; the hit was not intentional, but it shows that no part of the city could be of destruction during a raid.
'On December 9, 12 and 14. we had thsee visits from' Japanese bombers, Which rained bombs on and around the two airfields, demolishing many houses in the neighbourhood. We had no dugout at our house. Though we Could have taken shelter in one in the park beside the house, this park bristled with soldiers" and machine guns go. we felt It was not healthy. hose three raids we. watched from the tiver a mile or two from the city. got a junk to take us to the other side of the rive There roids "and tie continuous threat of more began to get us down, go. that we never felt at ease, and there did not seem to be any likelihood of abend to them because of the Chinese air base there. he hhavoe wrought by the war, and ity effect on the populace too, all helped to unnerve us, so we agreed the time had come for foreigners to leave. We decided to leave on the morning of the 17th by train to Klukians Ale Raid Alarms the first and second class cars were reserved to accommodate the sixty Ballan' men and two British women who made up our party. We were only about ten miles from Nanchang when the word went round that the it ale! alarm had been sounded in The train, however, did not stey for that, but a couple of hours later, while the train was in a station, we were told to get off and to take cover In. the fields, as an urgent alarm had been received. We had hot Been sone five minutes when we were called! back, and we resumed four journey.
On getting to Kiukiang, after a six hour train Journey, we found the city very busy and full of troops. The: oreign community there Isa very cheery one and ix apparently. quite "There had port Japanese planes and very few Vombs dropped. up to the date of our visit, but the day after we were there the port had a raid. when over 100 bombs were wail to have: been dropped.
"the summer resort of Kuling had several hundred foreign nationals when we passed through, The Ameri can school was still functioning, with bout fifty pupils, but Kiukians businessmen thought it was not a 'tood place to stay, ak they prophesied 8 shortage of both food and fuel on mountain before the winter ed. Indeed we heard. that the Aehool had only, three weeks supply of coal on hand.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.