A different view altogether in China, straight across China...Peking. Yes, it would be about 1910. They don't tell you what's going on, you've got to read it in the papers. We went from Johannesburg across the water to China we landed in Peking; we were stationed at Peking, Shanghai and the other places - there were nine of them.

The people were all right, if they hadn't been as friendly it wouldn't have been so nice. I think myself, 'cos that's me, I'm a bit suspicious of people. I liked them (the Chinese) I got on very well with them. They wouldn't let you hit the children. They'd got their own place, they mustn't come into our part. Only those you'd got, if you'd ordered a cook for the duration. I had a four room bungalow - two bedrooms, sitting room and a dining room, all furnished.

You could watch them...but you mustn't go into the gate, Peking's gate...it's all gated in. You can see them do marching and they were cruel. They'd got these boys...my husband said they were twelve years old...just time to go out riding on horses and if any of them fell off they put the whip on them, it was like a cat-o-nine-tails, leather on the end of a stick. They were in Peking, a different part...they buried the Prince down there when we were there. The Prince, the son died, a young fellow 

of about 25 I think he was. He died and they had this black thing put across the railings so no-one could see the mourners I suppose.

Only one parade - I think it was the day my girl was christened - and the royalty came and that was a little while after the son, the heir to the Chinese throne, he died. Bags of flowers, people in their cars, and I don't know how many trying to walk behind...it just looked like coming from a football match, whole crowds of them.

Oh yes, it was a marvellous place (The Great Wall). You wouldn't think they could ride a car on it. Motor cars - on the top - I don't know if they do it now. You'd got to watch out though, they were a bit of a careless lot.

We used to go into the church - well, what they call a church. They used to have animals in there, mixed up with people, it used to stink like anything. I said, 'I'm not going to church today.' I got out of it - I went twice.

A medical officer said don't let the children go near the Chinese children 'cos any disease he says they'll only take it, keep them away. So the children would run over and I'd say, 'No! No!' Our children would have played with them nicely, I said, 'No you mustn't, they are sick and you don't want to take pills. No, well you mustn't go near them.' That's the way we used to stop them from going 'cos otherwise they used to sneak out through the legation, get out in amongst the Chinese town. They're all singing and dancing there and of course our kids would do the same.