A voyage to war: an Englishman's account of Hong Kong 1936-41

Hugh Dulley's father (Peter Dulley) and mother (Therese Sander) met in Hong Kong on New Year's Eve 1935.

Four years later at the outbreak of War Peter, a weekend sailor, was called up in the Hong Kong Royal Naval Volunteers.

He eventually graduated to commanding an ocean-going tug of 500 tons, which he took from Hong Kong to Aden.

On route he called at islands still enjoying pre-war peacetime and navigated across the Indian Ocean using a sextant.

In July 1940 Therese, who was eight months pregnant, was evacuated from Hong Kong to the Philippines, where Hugh was born.

She then travelled to Australia after a short stop in Hong Kong, which was to be the last time she saw Peter.

Collected here is six years of correspondence from Peter to Therese.

It paints a unique and often humourous portrait of life in Hong Kong in the run up to and during the early stages of World War II.