The Hongkong and Shanghai Bank
P O Box 227 Central
Osaka Japan
Dear Mum Dad and Alan,
Many thanks for your letter - have been busy over the quarter and other odds and ends which have cropped up. Won 11/- on the pools being two 3rd prizes - perhaps it will really come up one day. Last weekend took a trip in to Kyoto, the old capital of Japan. Full of temples and things. It was very cold and not too attractive. Probably better later in the season but then the crowds are out and it is then equally disappointing. But it was a day out and a change. The girls colds have gone and the last coughs are clearing. It was a bad season for them and I am pleased it is over as nights were pretty restless. The weather is odd, it remaining cold long after it should do and the famed cherry blossom has yet to appear, but the garden is full of things just starting up and will be very beautiful as soon as the warmer air comes through. Hope Alan's firm does not move him too soon, it would be a lot to start a 3rd home going in such a short space of time.
Thank you for the news on K L rubber - not much good in the market just now and must wait to see just what the budget will bring forth. The girls will be on holiday for Easter soon though we do not get a holiday ourselves, time soon goes round. The pictures of the centenary were very good - I have paid the bills during the last week and they were quite large - I wonder what they were throughout the bank.
Cheerio for now and love from us all. Peter.
Monday, August 18, 2014
13th March 1965
The Hongkong and Shanghai Bank
Central P O Box 227
Osaka,
Japan
Dear Mum Dad and Alan,
Many thanks for your letter and the cheque for Susan and Elisabeth. We had lots of presents for Elisabeth and today had her small party with the little girl Jeanette Sayer from next door. Went to the Oji Zoo in Kobe this afternoon with them and on many of the moving things in the amusement park there. It started very fine but snow came at one stage but not enough to spoil it and they had a fine time. Susan and Adrienne stayed at home because of tempertures - flu has been going the rounds but the worst if over. Cannot thin of anything for my birthday at the moment - Christmas has just passed and I more or less stocked up on leave. We have a library for books at Margo's Women's club so they are no problem. I don't know which child is the most musical but we no longer have the mouthorgan or flute at home - perhaps they have been lost - I hope. Glad you saw Con he is between 55 & 60 so will have a few years more to go yet as far as Eagle Star are concerned.
I find it hard to believe that anyone told the Home Staff that the Bank was run for the Foreign Staff. What is difficult to make them understand is that under present conditions as opposed to those of pre-war the Home Staff are materially better off, whereas it should be the other way round, in compensation for some of the bad postings one has to put up with. However, the least said the better and Ian is not doing so badly. I don't think I heard about the pub - unless I let it go in one ear and out the other as just "one of those things". I hope it turns out OK as there have been so many schemes. Thanks for the horoscope - rather than do too much there is a tendancy to sit back in the quiet periods rather than stir things up. Still no union meeting but they are hatching something and that can keep us busy if they really got cracking. They don't have that bother in London office.
Well all else is well - this cold snap must go soon and we will see more of the countryside. Look after yourselves.
Love from us all Peter.
Central P O Box 227
Osaka,
Japan
Dear Mum Dad and Alan,
Many thanks for your letter and the cheque for Susan and Elisabeth. We had lots of presents for Elisabeth and today had her small party with the little girl Jeanette Sayer from next door. Went to the Oji Zoo in Kobe this afternoon with them and on many of the moving things in the amusement park there. It started very fine but snow came at one stage but not enough to spoil it and they had a fine time. Susan and Adrienne stayed at home because of tempertures - flu has been going the rounds but the worst if over. Cannot thin of anything for my birthday at the moment - Christmas has just passed and I more or less stocked up on leave. We have a library for books at Margo's Women's club so they are no problem. I don't know which child is the most musical but we no longer have the mouthorgan or flute at home - perhaps they have been lost - I hope. Glad you saw Con he is between 55 & 60 so will have a few years more to go yet as far as Eagle Star are concerned.
I find it hard to believe that anyone told the Home Staff that the Bank was run for the Foreign Staff. What is difficult to make them understand is that under present conditions as opposed to those of pre-war the Home Staff are materially better off, whereas it should be the other way round, in compensation for some of the bad postings one has to put up with. However, the least said the better and Ian is not doing so badly. I don't think I heard about the pub - unless I let it go in one ear and out the other as just "one of those things". I hope it turns out OK as there have been so many schemes. Thanks for the horoscope - rather than do too much there is a tendancy to sit back in the quiet periods rather than stir things up. Still no union meeting but they are hatching something and that can keep us busy if they really got cracking. They don't have that bother in London office.
Well all else is well - this cold snap must go soon and we will see more of the countryside. Look after yourselves.
Love from us all Peter.
6th March 1965
The Hongkong and Shanghai Bk
PO Box 227
Osaka
Japan
Dear Mum, Dad and Alan,
Thank you for your letter which Margo answered for me. We are a lot more settled now that two months have passed since our arrival. It is still on the cold side with snow again this week but still not settling. Afterwards I read of your severe spell which is a lot worse than ours. The children continue to like school - and that is where the car goes daily. Even if I used it to go to the office it would take twice as long as the train as the roads are so cluttered up in the city. So I go to the station in the car - wait for the train then half an hour to Osaka then the office car to the office. A complicated business compared to the last fifteen years when the office has been in easy reach - but it only takes getting used to and already it appears normal. However, I rarely drive now except at weekends and the road sense of the other users is so non-existant that it is a frightening experience.
We went to George Washington Ball last Saturday as the guests of an American couple and had an unusually interesting time. However, it was spoilt by the lateness of the affair and we did not get home to bed until 3.30 am on the Sunday. I feel fine at the time but the next two days are spent in recovery. The Americans here are in some force in oil, textiles and engineering. Many Germans & Swiss in Dyestuffs and in fact every other nationality one can think of seems to be around. The train carries the speech of most of the east and europe together.
I still have not met the Union but there is a strong undercurrent and things are sure to boiling up. Unfortunately we have one or two reds - well trained. Fellows who must prove their worth or lose their following and this spells trouble, but it is unavoidable I am afraid and part of the job. This morning I had my monthly Saturday in Kobe office whilst the manager had his morning off. We have been open there since 1868 but business is not what it was and things are not too busy. It makes a change too when I pay a visit. The servants, the cook & maid are with us at the moment and appear happy - one never knows how long this will last as they are liable to go off at a moments notice - but all seems well at present. Elisabeth is swimming daily in a hot vibro bath which has helped many people and least gives her daily exercise. She has been inclined to be naughty at physiotherapy as she needs a firm hand and no one will treat her this way let alone Japanese; plus the language barrier so she tends to play up a lot. However, it is a great deal better than nothing. Still working towards the centenary and have fixed everything we can think of at the moment - just a matter of hoping for the best now. The Osaka Grand Hotel reception for 350 should be attractive. Have no arranged for flowers in the bank colours of red and white. Three flags on display and a block of ice encasing a miniature bank flag with ice 100 on top (a picture is drawn here on the letter).
The local staff dinner - chinese food- on the day before has been arranged with a magician's show to go with it. Apparently Japanese het tight on one drink and go puce so I hope they do not break up the place. Again we can only hope for the best. Am in the process of selling the office car and getting a new one. This should happen on Monday. Nothing can go wrong here except that the buyer will not turn up. The trouble is one is so indoctrinated to expect the unusual impossible and unexpected that the simplest transaction assumes difficulties it just hasn't got. If I could only get it all down on paper some of it would be very funny.
Cheerio for now and love to you all from us all in the land of the rising sun. Peter
PO Box 227
Osaka
Japan
Dear Mum, Dad and Alan,
Thank you for your letter which Margo answered for me. We are a lot more settled now that two months have passed since our arrival. It is still on the cold side with snow again this week but still not settling. Afterwards I read of your severe spell which is a lot worse than ours. The children continue to like school - and that is where the car goes daily. Even if I used it to go to the office it would take twice as long as the train as the roads are so cluttered up in the city. So I go to the station in the car - wait for the train then half an hour to Osaka then the office car to the office. A complicated business compared to the last fifteen years when the office has been in easy reach - but it only takes getting used to and already it appears normal. However, I rarely drive now except at weekends and the road sense of the other users is so non-existant that it is a frightening experience.
We went to George Washington Ball last Saturday as the guests of an American couple and had an unusually interesting time. However, it was spoilt by the lateness of the affair and we did not get home to bed until 3.30 am on the Sunday. I feel fine at the time but the next two days are spent in recovery. The Americans here are in some force in oil, textiles and engineering. Many Germans & Swiss in Dyestuffs and in fact every other nationality one can think of seems to be around. The train carries the speech of most of the east and europe together.
I still have not met the Union but there is a strong undercurrent and things are sure to boiling up. Unfortunately we have one or two reds - well trained. Fellows who must prove their worth or lose their following and this spells trouble, but it is unavoidable I am afraid and part of the job. This morning I had my monthly Saturday in Kobe office whilst the manager had his morning off. We have been open there since 1868 but business is not what it was and things are not too busy. It makes a change too when I pay a visit. The servants, the cook & maid are with us at the moment and appear happy - one never knows how long this will last as they are liable to go off at a moments notice - but all seems well at present. Elisabeth is swimming daily in a hot vibro bath which has helped many people and least gives her daily exercise. She has been inclined to be naughty at physiotherapy as she needs a firm hand and no one will treat her this way let alone Japanese; plus the language barrier so she tends to play up a lot. However, it is a great deal better than nothing. Still working towards the centenary and have fixed everything we can think of at the moment - just a matter of hoping for the best now. The Osaka Grand Hotel reception for 350 should be attractive. Have no arranged for flowers in the bank colours of red and white. Three flags on display and a block of ice encasing a miniature bank flag with ice 100 on top (a picture is drawn here on the letter).
The local staff dinner - chinese food- on the day before has been arranged with a magician's show to go with it. Apparently Japanese het tight on one drink and go puce so I hope they do not break up the place. Again we can only hope for the best. Am in the process of selling the office car and getting a new one. This should happen on Monday. Nothing can go wrong here except that the buyer will not turn up. The trouble is one is so indoctrinated to expect the unusual impossible and unexpected that the simplest transaction assumes difficulties it just hasn't got. If I could only get it all down on paper some of it would be very funny.
Cheerio for now and love to you all from us all in the land of the rising sun. Peter
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