Nationality or Ethnicity?

For the sake of argument, I mean ethnicity as referring to one’s race or ethnic origin, such as Caucasian, Asian, Indigenous etc and nationality, meaning one’s country of citizenship, either by birth or by naturalization.  

An example would be an ethnic Chinese, born in the United States would have an American nationality but still be ethnically Chinese. Likewise, an ethnic caucasian born in China to English parents who had been born in China, would always be of caucasian ethnicity but could be Chinese by nationality. 

Emma Hunter

James Hunter

This brings me to my case in point. I have three separate death certificates; father, mother and daughter, all members of the same family. Under the heading “Rank or profession and nationality so far as is known” we have a father and mother listed as British and their daughter as Chinese. Note,  they ask for nationality and not race or ethnic origin. 

Ellen Hunter

Both parents had passed away prior to WW2 so neither of them were on the rolls of the Stanley Camp internees, but neither was their daughter. She died at the family residence, 11 Shelley Street in November, 1944. Hong Kong was under Japanese occupation and control from Christmas of 1941 until almost a year past her death. Why was she not interned during this period? Was she exempt because she was ethnic Chinese? If she was caucasian and  was born in 1899 in Hong Kong she’d have “British” status, especially if both her parents were British. Even if her grandmother ( Anne Hunter/Kot Choy ) was full Chinese, she’d have only been 25%. If her father was like his brother, one quarter Chinese, then she’d only have been about 12%. Would this amount have been enough to save her from Stanley Camp?