She remembers how the schoolchildren would watch the Japanese at bayonet practise. They called it "Ya" practise because that was the sound made by the soldiers as they charged towards each other.
The school had become a prison and Mary - then just nine - was a prisoner.
The young girl and her siblings were also cut off from their parents, who remained in unoccupied areas of China throughout the war.
The children stayed at Chefoo for a year, until the Japanese decided to turn it into a military base. The pupils and their teachers were transferred to a larger camp at Weihsien, set up to hold civilians from Allied countries who had been living in China.
Mary, who was then called Taylor, said she would never forget the day they were all marched out of the school.
"That was the end of Western domination of China," she said. "They had crowds of Chinese along the roadside as these white people were carrying whatever they could in their hands - no servants were helping them now - marching off to concentration camp."
'Rat-catching contests'
Life in the new camp was more difficult than in Chefoo. The Japanese guards were strict, although they would occasionally show kindness.
Mary praised Chefoo School's teachers who turned problems into games.
If there were too many rats, the teachers would set the children the task of catching them. It was the same for flies and bedbugs. There were small prizes for the winners.
The school had become a prison and Mary - then just nine - was a prisoner.
The young girl and her siblings were also cut off from their parents, who remained in unoccupied areas of China throughout the war.
The children stayed at Chefoo for a year, until the Japanese decided to turn it into a military base. The pupils and their teachers were transferred to a larger camp at Weihsien, set up to hold civilians from Allied countries who had been living in China.
Mary, who was then called Taylor, said she would never forget the day they were all marched out of the school.
"That was the end of Western domination of China," she said. "They had crowds of Chinese along the roadside as these white people were carrying whatever they could in their hands - no servants were helping them now - marching off to concentration camp."
'Rat-catching contests'
Life in the new camp was more difficult than in Chefoo. The Japanese guards were strict, although they would occasionally show kindness.
Mary praised Chefoo School's teachers who turned problems into games.
If there were too many rats, the teachers would set the children the task of catching them. It was the same for flies and bedbugs. There were small prizes for the winners.
