Welcome to Hong Kong War Diary - a project that documents the 1941 defence of Hong Kong, the defenders, their families, and the fates of all until liberation.
This page is updated monthly with a record of research and related activities. Pages on the left cover the books that have spun off from this project, and a listing of each and every member of the Garrison. Comments, questions, and information are always welcome. Tony Banham, Hong Kong: tony@hongkongwardiary.com
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January Images Knocked out cars (courtesy Tim Ko), James McDade (courtesy Robert McCluskey), MTB11's Crew (courtesy Bill Lake) Jackie Anderson (courtesy David Stamp), Banham & Harpers (courtesy Canadian Consulate), 'Roddy' Mayer (courtesy Peter Mayer) Maxwell then (author), Maxwell now (author), RNYP (courtesy Elizabeth Lai)
January News I realised while compiling this month’s updates, that at some point last year this website must have celebrated its tenth birthday. I don’t think I kept a note, but as far as I recall it started as just a one-page site and an email address in 1999. In a related milestone, this month brings the total number of words written in the monthly updates to over 100,000 – so anyone reading since the first (in October 2003) has read the equivalent of a whole book for free! All praise to the Interweb. Interesting that the first month of 2010 should result in finding three more veterans of Hong Kong. A good omen, perhaps. 31 Received a very interesting photo from Rob Weir of expended ammunition he has found on his walks. Two are clearly .303, one is a post war 7.62 blank, one a Japanese 7.7 and one – wait for it – is an American 30 spare six (30 06)! The latter is a bit of a mystery. Interestingly, it is identical – and exchangeable – with the Japanese 7.7. 28 The Seraphina/Borosoff family (Stanley internees) got in touch. 27 Vincent Young’s (RA, BAAG, Force 136) family got in touch with the news that Mr Young is still around and active! 26 Very interesting and useful meeting today with Hong Kong University Press to talk about projects old and new. 25 John ‘Jackie’ Anderson’s (RA, Lisbon Maru) nephew got in touch, with a photo of Anderson and a copy of the last postcard he sent home from Shamshuipo before the fatal voyage. 25 Andre Xavier’s (HKVDC) nephew-in-law got in touch with the news that Mr Xavier is still around. 25 Bill Lake sent two very welcome photos of Collingwood and MTB11’s crew, received from Nigel Collingwood. 24 About 30 people (and a dog) turned up for the first Hong Kong Club walk of the year. We chose the Violet Hill to Deepwater Bay route, and despite the misty weather it was a lot of fun. I was able to tell Jim Hart’s (Royal Army Service Corps, RASC – note the mistake referred to below) story of survival, after he was bayoneted on our path and swam to Chung Hom Kok before walking back to Victoria. 24 Stewart Braga was kind enough to send two pages from the ‘Reports of Proceedings’ of HMAS Mildura (see October 19). This seems to clarify and confirm our conjecture that Mildura was the first vessel into Hong Kong harbour at liberation. 24 Dennis Morley mentioned an interesting article in The Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/6951709/Japan-raises-POW-hopes-by-opening-wartime-archives.html 23 Had an enquiry from Carol Cooper of COFEPOW, about Lt. Cmdr. Hugh Dawes DSO, OBE.23 From the FEPOW community I hear that at a function in Kanchanaburi on the 15th the Queen of the Netherlands (via her Ambassador in Thailand) decorated Rod Beattie with the "Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau" for his years of work in researching and helping all families connected with the Thai-Burma Railway, including the 17,000 Dutch POWs involved, 2,700 of whom died. Good for Rod. My work looks very small-scale and amateur by comparison. 23 The Batgung boys note that their article http://gwulo.com/node/5187 mentions a Mr Forsyth. A little research showed that this was no other than the commander of 2 Coy HKVDC who perished at Stanley Police Station (you know, the Wellcome Supermarket) on Dec 24 1941. 22 Archie Hart pointed out that I had committed the dastardly crime of calling his father (Jim Hart) a member of the RAOC! He was, of course, RASC. Archie notes: “He will be 94 on Tuesday, he is off to Dublin Wednesday, he will be there for 2 weeks.” 22 Was delighted to receive a letter from Taffy Evans of the Middlesex. He’s not getting around so easily these days, but his handwriting is still better than mine ever was! 19 A fellow researcher wants a second try at tracking down Ellen Field’s family. She notes: “I am searching for information on Frank and Ellen Lee (nee Field) and their family. Their daughters were Virginia Jane Lee born Hong Kong about 1934, (known as Junie), Carolyn Janet born Hong Kong about 1936 (known as Barbie) and Wendy Judith born Hong Kong about 1939. Frank Lee seems, (and I presume his family), to have returned to Hong Kong after the end of WW2 as I find him on passenger lists travelling between H.K. and England classified as a Marine Engineer. Frank Lee and his father-in-law William Valentine Field were interned at Shamshuipo Camp for the duration of the occupation and Ellen Lee (Field) was a bit of a heroine over the supplies she managed to get allowed into this camp. She wrote a book entitled Twilight in Hong Kong which was published in 1960.” 17 Walking down to the town today I noticed that the railings around Private Maxwell’s grave outside the cathedral have gone, and a new CWGC headstone has been erected. I always used to joke that if they ever tried to move that grave I would chain myself to the railings, so was a little miffed to see them gone! Let’s see how it goes. If people trample over the area, we can petition Mr Chynchen to have the railings replaced. At IFC, on the same walk, I found the ‘Conserving Central’ exhibition. It is, quite frankly, bizarre. Apparently the ‘Murray Building’ (the late 60s block which becomes obsolete on the opening of the new Government HQ down at Tamar) is part of the conservation. It’s nice to see the French Mission mentioned, but it was never part of the typical look and feel of old Victoria (whereas the Pedder Building, which is the only building left that typifies pre-war Central, isn’t mentioned at all). The exhibition seems concerned solely with buildings belonging to the government – oddly enough, the very organisation that permitted all the old ones to be demolished! 15 Isabella Palmer, daughter of George Palmer, HKVDC, notes: “In December sometime Dad and his driver with Eddie in the back were in the staff car and travelling on one of the Hongkong roads (I have a memory it was on Magazine Gap Road) when a Japanese airplane dived on them and dropped a bomb. The bomb hit the car and Dad and the Driver survived unhurt, but Eddie was closer to where the bomb hit the car in the back and was mortally injured. He died about a week later in hospital and the doctor said to my great Uncle Dolly: This is the saddest day of this war, a soldier of 15 has been killed.” Eddie was Eduardo (Edward) Hyndman who joined up at 15 lying about his age, and – oddly enough – was one of the names corrected on my site by Henry. He was admitted to the War Memorial Hospital on Dec 20 and died on the 31st. They were strafed too, so I suspect the car is the more distant one – more like a staff car - in that well known photo from the Mainichi Shimbun. Tim Ko was kind enough to provide a copy. The hillock in the background looks to me like the spur off Mt Gough where the Japanese War Memorial was later built, in which case this is near the top of Magazine Gap Road. Anyone got ant better ideas? 15 Donald Tait’s (Middlesex Regiment) nephew got in touch. Tait was one of the ‘hard men’ on the first draft to Japan, and is still around, living in Great Ayton. 15 Peter Mayer sent a set of very interesting photos and sketches of his father, who commanded the Hong Kong Chinese Regiment. The sketches appear to have been by Lieutenant Percy John Poole of the 2/14 Punjabis, whose work I have not seen before. 14 Jill Shull, who I met at HKIS, was kind enough to tell me of an experiment that her husband’s uncle – a conscientious objector – was involved in. Clearly this had ramifications for the later American RAPWI efforts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Starvation_Experiment 14 The Canadian Consulate was kind enough to send a fine gift and a memorial DVD and CD from last month’s ceremony. The CD only included one photo of me (pointing out Osborn’s name, with the prime minister and wife), but at least they got my best side. 13 James Whitham’s (HKVDC, Middlesex, Lisbon Maru) family got in touch. Whitham’s widow (maiden name Beatrice Brouwer) is still around. Their son was born just before the war, and being American, mother and son were repatriated from Stanley in June 42. The boy died in a tragic drowning accident, and Whitham was lost on the Lisbon Maru. His widow remarried, and their daughter (who contacted me) is married to the penultimate commander of British forces in Hong Kong. 13 Today I was invited to speak to the combined Year 7 at Hong Kong International School in Tai Tam. They have just started covering the Second World War in history, and although focused primarily on Europe, wanted a little local context. You can learn all you need to know about a school in an hour with 225 of their pupils – and it was all good. 13 Henry d'Assumpcao gave me some useful corrections to typos of Macanese names on this site. I will add these to the bulk correction I intend doing later this year (more on this next month). 12 A lady translating an old Chinese memoir is looking for anything about a company in Japanese occupied Hong Kong called 東榮公司 (probably Dung Wing Company), or two brothers in charge of it: Ho Ban-Gaail 何品階 and Ho Sung-Gaail 何崇階. 8 Received a parcel from George Kelling in the States, with the RASC War Diary, a copy of the Hong Kong News for Wednesday January 14 1942 – the first edition, I believe - and some very useful notes on the Hong Kong Chinese Regiment. It never ceases to amaze, that once I focus on a particular topic, details immediately flow from unexpected sources. 8 Started, today, writing up a short history of the Hong Kong Chinese Regiment. I have had this in mind for a long time, since receiving some photos of the unit ten years (or so) ago, but it is one of the many details I need to sort out before committing fully to the British Army Aid Group story. 6 Good to see the HERO party in the news: http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=4&art_id=92665&sid=26603822&con_type=1&d_str=20100106&fc=4 5 Walked back from work to notice all the doorways (aside from those bricked or concreted in) of the Air Raid Shelters under Mount Parrish open. Stopped at the upper tunnel on Kennedy Road to get a quick photo with the camera phone. The guard had the decency to look the other way, but I was surprised how steeply the floor dropped away (a recipe for disaster if people panicked at the entrance). (Illustrated). 4 Having, sadly, missed the HERO event, at least today I was able to have lunch with Richard Hide, the catalyst and mastermind for the whole thing. The re-enactment was clearly a great success, having done everything that it had set out to achieve. Ted Ross’s (Ministry of Information) son Warrick – himself a well-known film director – filmed the whole thing, so hopefully later there will be a documentary. Two other people on the trip are writing books about their ancestors who were part of the original escape. Local historian Phillip Snow was also present, so my guess is that this admirable venture will be well documented. 3 Robert McCluskey sent me some very good photographs of James McDade (see last month). 2 Set off with a friend on Jardine’s Lookout, to try to establish exactly where Osborn was lost. It’s not something that would stand up in a court of law, but a deep trench (which shows up clearly in an immediately post-war aerial photo) just past the cairn seems a very logical place. 2 Elizabeth Lai sent me two more photos of the RNDYP (again dated from around 1950, and taken on Stonecutters). These showed the entire complement, rather than just the European officers. 2 Frank Molthen’s (Stanley Internee) great niece got in contact. 1 Although I sent my Hong Kong Dockyard Defence Corps history to the RAS on Dec 31, I’m still trying to correctly annotate an immediate post-war photo of the related Dockyard Police. With input from various families, we’re making progress!
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December Images Saiwan with PM (courtesy Canadian Consulate), Osborn grandchildren & Lake (courtesy Bill Lake), Saiwan (courtesy Bill Lake) Wendy at cairn (author), Lunch at Consul General's residence (courtesy Canadian Consulate), Argyle Street (courtesy Bevan Field's family) HERO group photo (courtesy Richard Hide), Thomas Coupar (courtesy Stewart Yohn), Bevan & Butts (courtesy David Bevan)
December News
I don’t think any other battlefield has quite the same relationship with Christmas as Hong Kong. Those who went through the experience of invasion on December 8th through to surrender on the 25th have a different slant on the festive season to the rest of us, and it echoes down even in the 21st century, with visits, memorial services, and recollections which always make this the busiest month of the year.
31 Richard Hide sent some photos from the HERO escape re-enactment, including a group photo taken within feet of where the famous group photo was taken in 1942. (See the top of this page: http://www.hongkongescape.org/Escape_09.htm).
28 With the help of David Kohl and Laura Ziegler, we have this snippet on one of those Americans who survived Stanley but passed away soon after. It is a strange thing for me to read, as I visit Redwood City at least four times a year and never think of it in this context: "Walter Arndt remained in (HK) with the same company (Dollar Steamship/American President Lines) from 1924 until the Japanese took Hong Kong in Dec. 1941. He was then interned in the Stanley Peninsula concentration camp at Hong Kong. In 1942, he was returned to the States on the Swedish Steamer Gripsholm... Mr Arndt's life came to an end on Oct 8, 1943, at Redwood City, CA. He had been severely weakened by his experiences as a Japanese prisoner." - Albert Ziegler, ‘Biographical Sketches of LC-MS Mainland China Missionaries’ 1981, unpublished.
27 A distant relative of the Mitchell brothers (Winnipeg Grenadiers, killed at Wong Nai Chung Gap) got in touch. While looking through Field’s diary of the actions there (he spoke well of the Mitchells) I realized I had never done anything sensible with the various photos of POWs that are included.
24 The HERO adventure started today. We were in the Philippines and thus missed it, but I will report in more depth next month.
22 David Bevan was kind enough to send a photo of his father Ivor (standing) and Ivor’s friend Trevor Butts. He notes: “Regarding Trevor's death my two sisters also remember my Dad saying he was killed in an explosion (nothing left) I suspect as I said in a previous mail that it was probably a shell.” Photos of those lost in the battle are very uncommon. 22 I received an interesting email from a gentleman whose mother was evacuated from Tientsin (where her father served with the Durham Light Infantry). While I now have a fair amount of detail on the Hong Kong evacuation, and the earlier Shanghai evacuation (as the latter was via Hong Kong), I can find very little on Tientsin.
20 Steve Verrals mentioned a new book called Forgotten Regiments: Regular and Volunteer Units of the British Far East by Barry Renfrew. Looks interesting.
19 Dave Manning was kind enough to send me a copy of Major Stewart’s (3 Coy, HKVDC) war diary. I had seen the original many years ago, but hadn’t thought to take a copy.
18 William Campbell’s (HKPF, Lisbon Maru) family got in touch.
17 Michael Palmer, the grandson of George Palmer, Royal Rifles, let me know that the book about his grandfather’s experience in the battle, and as a POW at Shamshuipo, and Omine is now available at: http://www.borealispress.com/darksideofthesun.html. To the best of our joint knowledge, this is the first published work that focuses on Omine. 17 The Stanley Group were all saddened to hear of the passing of Doris Ziegler Hake. Born in 1929, she was one of the few Americans from Stanley (aside from Don Ady and Laura Louise Ziegler Darnell) still in contact. 17 Heard today from Dave Manning, who left that ‘lunchbox’ at the Osborn cairn. I knew the name seemed familiar; we were corresponding a few years ago!
14 Patricia Osborn is out of hospital. I took two hours off at lunch today, and met her and Wendy at the Conrad Hotel to view the Osborn Statue at Hong Kong Park (illustrated). After that, we went to Wanchai Gap. I was trying to think of a part of Hong Kong that Osborn VC would certainly have traversed, and Black’s Link from Wanchai Gap to Middle Gap was an obvious choice. First we saw the remaining Splinter-Proof Shelters at Wanchai Gap, and then I pushed Patricia’s wheelchair (after all, she only left the ICU a few days ago) up Black’s Link. Patricia was of course very badly hurt in an accident just before her father left for Hong Kong, and was a year in hospital. That accident also cost her an eye, and she has had other problems with vision since. Walking up that road, trying to describe the vegetation and views that her father saw 68 years ago on the march to his death, opened my eyes to them in a new way.
12 Barbara Anslow always sends a Christmas 1941 email at around this time. Here’s an excerpt from this year’s: “That day, 'Christmas' was the last thought in our minds; since the attack on 8th December, the days no longer had names and there were no weekends, every one worked every day; that done, you went to your designated cafe for a meal, then back to your billet - mine was in Dina House, Duddell Street, just off Queen's Road Central. My Mother was nursing and living in the Jockey Club war hospital; sister Olive with Food Control Dept in Central and living in Gloucester Hotel; sister Mabel a VAD in the Military Hospital. I had breakfast in the Parisienne Grille about 7am before trotting up Battery Path to work in the administration tunnel beneath Govt House which I entered through the entrance opening into Lower Albert Road. I never spent unnecessary time out in the open because of sporadic shelling from Kowloon. There was nothing that morning to show it was Christmas Day - no presents, no cards: I couldn't even get to Church. We knew the Japanese troops were swarming over the island and getting nearer to us in Central, and that the battle 'front' was shortening all the time, yet somehow seemed to accept it as happening without realising the consequences. During the morning, a male colleague in the tunnel who had a camera with him got a few of us to go outside where he took some snaps; after the war the film was developed and showed us looking serene and happy - I think this was because the men kept light-hearted and made us laugh.” 12 Geoff Emerson today kindly sent me Anderson’s report of the radio affair at Stanley.
11 Through the kind help of Ron Taylor (UK), Hubert Rees’ (BAAG) family got in touch. Here’s an amazing thing: They sent a photo of Hubert and two of his friends standing in front of a building. On the back it said: ‘Tayport S.C.” Within twenty minutes I had found a modern photo of the same building and had it identified; whatever did we do before the Interweb?
10 Lee sent an amazing document, the post-war report of Charles Mycock (headmaster of the Ellie Kadoorie School – see November). Mycock was headquartered at Woodside while Commandant of the Taikoo Braemar Dispersal Area for Refugees (which included the famous concrete rice kitchens which are still there). Now finally I know what happened there, and on the road from Quarry Gap to Quarry Bay. A real find. Interestingly, Mycock wrote it in 1945 while recuperating at Lower Hutt. The Hutt Valley was the first part of New Zealand I ever visited. 10 Still getting Google alerts about the Lisbon Maru song by those damn F—k Buttons. I went to HMV to buy it the other day, but they didn’t have it.
9 Rob Weir notes: “In an Admiralty document I found a report from Cicala on daily activities. In it they passed through the Rambler Channel and anchored in Gin Drinkers Bay, and were in voice contact with PB 414. As I have never pinned down the position of 414, it at least gives me something to work on. The same report gives some detail of the AA defences around the Naval Dockyard, again, interesting reading.” Those AA details were also very useful for my Short History of the HKDDC.
8 The grandson of Sergeant Thomas Coupar, Royal Scots (a Lisbon Maru survivor) sent some fine photos. 8 Had a brief interview today with ‘Golden Age Magazine’, whose target demographic is the retired, and whose focus for the interview was the HERO activity which starts at the end of the month.
7 Having arranged to meet Osborn’s grandchildren (Wendy and Teeay), on Jardine’s Lookout, I arrived there just as a gale started driving rain through the hills. As they had to visit their mother in hospital first, I was a bit damp by the time they arrived! The good news was that Patricia had been operated on and was recovering nicely. They were full of praise for Hong Kong’s medical professionals, expressing the possibility that the treatment had been faster and better than that they might have had at home. We trooped up the hill to see the Osborn Memorial. They asked exactly where Osborn had lost his life, and I described that although the VC citation said Mount Butler, it was all but certain that he had been lost on Jardine’s Lookout, and that there was a cairn marking the approximate place. I also mentioned that the path to it was treacherous, steep, slippery and not-recommended; they set off for it immediately, leaving me floundering around in their wake. We did a bit of restoration work on the cairn, now fully exposed to the wind and rain, when to my horror I saw that someone had dumped an old lunchbox in it. Before I could do anything sensible, they had seen it. But when we opened it, inside there was no mouldy half-eaten sandwich but a waterproof visitors’ book, a pen, and a letter inviting the reader to sign in memory of Osborn, and A & D Coys, Winnipeg Grenadiers. It made the day. After a shower and a change, we all met up at the Canadian Consul General’s official residence for a fine lunch with His Honour the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba. 7 William Wigglesworth’s (RAMC) son got in touch. Being a medic, Wigglesworth was sent to Japan and ended up in Omori at liberation. I suspect he was at one of the other Tokyo-administration camps beforehand, but haven’t yet traced which one. 7 There were some fine photos in the Canadian press this morning. The Canadian Consulate also sent one of the Prime Minister, Dr Dan Waters (who fought in the Western Desert - one of the few regular army WWII veterans in Hong Kong), and Maxi Cheng of the Hong Kong Chindits.
6 At the annual Sai Wan Memorial Service, my ‘special’ role was to brief the visiting Canadian Prime Minister on the battle, and the Canadians buried in – or memorialized at – the cemetery. Not many people realize that only 35 of the Canadians buried in that cemetery under their own name were killed in the fighting. More than 220 of their comrades who died in the hills were left there, and although 100 or more of their bodies were eventually recovered, they could not be identified. The remaining 130 or so named Canadians buried at Saiwan died as POWs. I was surprised that the Prime Minister seemed quite aware of this, and his wife spoke knowledgeably of the diseases that the veterans brought home, and often died of young. There’s an old joke in politics: “Sincerity is everything. Once you can fake that, you’re made”, but if this was fake it was Oscar-winning stuff. I was rather impressed (and was told later that his poor wife had been in tears for most of the ceremony).
5 Today I was invited to join the Annual ‘Witness to War’ prize day at the Canadian International School. This recognizes schoolchildren and veterans who work together to record the latters’ experiences. It was an interesting event, but in part I attended in order to meet the Osborn family. As everyone knows, CSM John Robert Osborn, Winnipeg Grenadiers, received the only VC awarded for the Hong Kong battle. I put his daughter, Patricia, in touch with the Canadian Consulate some time back, and they very kindly arranged for her to visit Hong Kong this weekend (with tickets kindly sponsored by Air Canada). I was surprised to see that his two grandchildren were there, but Patricia was not. I was mortified to hear that she had collapsed the day before, and was in hospital.
4 Arthur Bright’s (RN, Lisbon Maru) grandson-in-law got in touch.
3 Thomas Barclay’s (Stanley Internee) granddaughter got in touch.
1 Bill Lake was kind enough to send me this link to a video bio of Frederick Pollock, Royal Rifles. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFA7ob_ZRZs 1 Reginald J. Schofield’s (Royal Rifles) grandson got in touch.
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November Images Charlie Collard (courtesy Daniel Collard), 'Best in Japan' (Amazon, via author), Chan Chak's bullet (courtesy Richard Hide) .38 Smith & Wesson (anonymous), Annotated Chindit photo (courtesy Frank Young), View from top of Nicholson (author) Author & Elizabeth Ride (courtesy Mo Ching), Ride's escape coat (author), William Sumner (courtesy Ron Taylor, UK)
November News
DESCENDANTS OF WORLD WAR II HEROES TO COMMEMORATE ESCAPE FROM HONG KONG ON CHRISTMAS DAY In a remarkable example of cooperation between British and Chinese that would not have been possible just a few years ago, this Christmas nearly 100 descendants of those who took part in one of the most thrilling episodes of World War II will gather in Hong Kong to commemorate it. The international group hopes that by honouring those of their families who took part in the escape, they will in a small way be able to build a new phase of Sino-British friendship. See: http://www.hongkongescape.org/index_hk.htm
30 Emma Oxford kindly sent me the blurb above, and continued: “This Christmas, descendants of the 68 men will travel from all corners of the globe to pay tribute to their forefathers and the Chinese who aided them in 1941. Members of fourteen families, representing one in five of the men who survived the escape, will attend commemorative events in Hong Kong and take part in a re-enactment of the escape into China. Families of the 1941 escapers live on four continents – Europe, Asia, America and Australia. Most have never met each other until now. They are first, second and third generation descendants of the escape party, and range in age from toddlers to a 90 year-old, Kathleen Collingwood, who is the widow of Lt. John Collingwood, second-in-command of the MTB flotilla. The commemorations are the fruit of a year’s work by the organisation HERO – the Hong Kong Escape Re-enactment Organisation – which was formed by a group of descendants of those who escaped. HERO has already brought together individuals who had long been fascinated by their fathers’ and grandfathers’ stories, but had not known each other. Richard Hide, son of Petty Officer Buddy Hide, began a website ten years ago (www.hongkongescape.org) which has connected many families. In 1997, as a result of an article in Newsweek magazine, Emma Oxford, daughter of Squadron Leader Max Oxford, connected with Chinese-Canadian Anita Li, a daughter of Admiral Chan Chak, the central Chinese figure in the escape. Emma later lived in Hong Kong for two years, and is writing a book about her parents’ wartime experiences. Ann Partridge, Sheena Recaldin and Jane Barclay, the daughters of David MacDougall, Ministry of Information chief in Hong Kong and the territory’s first postwar Colonial Secretary, rekindled a childhood friendship with the Oxford family thanks to Hong Kong historian Philip Snow, whose standard work The Fall of Hong Kong included the story of the escape. Alison McEwan, daughter of Special Operations Executive agent Colin McEwan, met fellow descendants when editing her father’s diary of the escape. These and many other connections spun into a global network, which over the past year has grown to its present strength of 100 members. The events in December will include the opening on December 24th of “Escape from Hong Kong”, a special exhibition which will be hosted by the Museum of Coastal Defence and will be on display for two years. Families have loaned original diaries, letters, photographs and memorabilia to bring the story to life for a wider audience. Often, these personal documents only came to light after the deaths of the family member who had escaped, and they will be seen for the first time in this exhibition. By sharing such diaries and letters, as well as consulting official reports that have recently been declassified, founder members of HERO drew up detailed plans to retrace the steps of their forefathers along a route that had been kept secret for many years. On Christmas Day, close to 100 members of HERO will gather for a private dinner at the Jumbo Floating Restaurant on Hong Kong’s Aberdeen Harbour – at exactly the time and place where, sixty-eight years ago, the escape began under Japanese fire. The following day, the group will set off by boat for the island of Ping Chau and then the coast of Guangdong Province, setting foot on the mainland at the very location of the 1941 landing. There they will be greeted by descendants of the Chinese guerrilla groups that provided food, shelter and invaluable intelligence for the 1941 escape. The HERO group needed special permission to land on the coast of China, which has been granted because HERO is working with Chinese partner organisations to make the re-enactment as accurate as possible – and foster a new phase of Sino-British friendship. The re-enactment will conclude in Huizhou on December 28/29th with a ceremony hosted by HERO, and a group photo of descendants to replicate an iconic 1941 photo of the weary but relieved survivors of the first escape from Hong Kong.”
30 More unhappily, Alan Jordan today let me know that his father Charles (of Lisbon Maru fame) passed away in his sleep on the 28th.
29 Elizabeth Ride came to dinner and we finalised my simple catalogue of her father’s papers in HKU Archives.
28 Alfred Morris’s (civilian internee) granddaughter got in touch. 28 Alex Gerondal’s (civilian internee) adopted son got in touch.
26 Mo Ching from HKU Archives was kind enough to send a set of photographs from my earlier visit to Elizabeth Ride there. Great photos, except that in my new glasses I look just like Ronnie Barker… “And here’s the news…” 26 Murray Doull was kind enough to send two new photos of the Canadian memorial.
25 Daniel Collard sent me some very interesting pages from his father’s wartime diary, and a number of good photos. 25 Richard Hide sent a nice photo of the bullet that hit Admiral Chan Chak during his escape. I last saw the real thing when I visited Donald Chan at his home (a short walk from our house) last year. 25 With the cold weather we’ve had here in the last few days, Barbara Anslow’s words on the Stanley Group today are worth reading: “We did feel the cold at times in Stanley, especially as most of us were sleeping on camp beds, not mattresses. Luckily it was winter when we went in, so most of us were wearing Hong Kong winter clothes, and had a coat or jacket. No bedding was supplied, and most people didn't get the opportunity to return to their homes after the surrender to pick up items suitable for internment. After the surrender but before going to Stanley, the Japs confined most of us in small Chinese hotels around Central. When we were shepherded out of the hotels to sail to Stanley, I (probably in common with many others) pinched the blanket off the bed I'd shared with a school teacher, and wore it bandolier-fashion. I don't remember ever having a pillow or sheets.”
24 I heard again today from the family of CSM John Osborn, VC, who we will be welcoming in Hong Kong very shortly. Looking forward to meeting them! 24 Visited HKU today for a second session with Elizabeth Ride. The guide to Sir Lindsay Tasman Ride’s papers is slowly becoming more complete.
23 Three different people let me know that I am appearing on History Channel in Hong Kong at the moment. This appears to be a documentary I helped ATV with about three or four years ago. I hope it’s not too bad! 23 Bill Lake kindly sent me a CD ROM of photos of the Saiwan Memorial to The Missing. This will be valuable as I am quite often asked for photos of the names of the men commemorated there.
22 Took the Hong Kong Club walkers for their hardest ever historical walk! We started off with 28 people (and two dogs) for the initial walk along Black’s Link, and the trek up Mount Nicholson. The weather couldn’t have been better, and we made good time to the summit. Then down again to Black’s Link, Middle Gap, and Middle Gap Road before trying Cameron. By this time we had already been going for two hours and a few people had to leave, but around 21 of us (and two dogs) made it to the top. Interestingly, not one of the members had ever been to its summit before. Afterwards, Robert Gibson sent some excellent photos he had taken during the walk.
22 Arthur Sully’s (2 Coy, HKVDC) granddaughter got in touch.
21 Jack Pedley’s (RE) grandson got in touch. 21 We now have 31 people signed up for tomorrow’s walk. I admit to being a little nervous, as the path really isn’t up to it. Without doubt this will be the largest party to attempt an assault on Mount Cameron since December 1941. 21 Wilfred Markey’s (RAOC) grandson got in touch. Markey’s wife and daughter were evacuated to Australia pre-war. 21 Charlie Walter Collard’s (RN, Lisbon Maru) sons got in touch.
20 I missed an interesting lecture today, on the history of Union Church. The blurb read: “Union Church in Hong Kong was founded in 1844 by the missionary and sinologist James Legge. This talk will be an illustrated history of the church from its inception to the present day, and will include archive material as well as the personal testaments of people involved in the church, particularly during the Second World War. Dr [Brooke] Himsworth was born in the Hong Kong Stanley Internment Camp in 1943, where his parents were interned. He was raised in Hong Kong and then sent to school in England. After studying at Kings School, Canterbury he attended Sussex University where he read Physics and Mathematics. From there he went to London University and did a masters degree followed by a doctorate in Solid State Physics. He then worked in industry before moving on to higher education. His interest in Union Church was rekindled when he came to Hong Kong in 1987 to work at Lingnan College (now Lingnan University) as Head of the Department of Computer Studies. His parents had been married in Union Church before the war, and he had been christened by the minister in the internment camp. Using the church’s archive material and his own personal material, he wrote a series of articles for the church magazine during 1991 and 1992. This talk will be a pictorial representation of this material. Dr Himsworth is currently engaged in producing a pictorial history of the Stanley Internment Camp. He is married to Patricia and they live in South Cumbria near the Lake District. His hobbies include singing in the local choral society, and climbing mountains.”
17 Visited HKU today to spend a few hours with Elizabeth Ride going through her father’s papers (which I do every time she is in Hong Kong). This time I started writing a guide to them, for myself and other researchers. I also saw the physical artefacts from her father that she had donated – including the coat he war on his escape.
16 Charles Mycock’s (Civilian Internee) grandson got in touch. Mycock was the headmaster at the Ellie Kadoorie School.
12 Frank Young, whose father was in the Chindits, was kind enough to annotate the photo that appeared last month, naming three of those present. 12 I noticed on Amazon today that The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru is their number one best seller in Japan! It took me a few moments to realize they meant the category ‘Japan’ rather than the country…
10 Ron Taylor (UK) kindly sent me a photo of William Sumner, 965 Defence Battery, who was lost on the Lisbon Maru. I believe this is the first photo I have seen of a member of that battery. 10 Ian McNay let me know the sad news today that Brian Bromley had passed away. Brian was a very keen correspondent (I was wondering why I hadn’t heard from him recently) who was evacuated from Hong Kong as a child in 1940 (his father was in the HKDDC). 10 A friend found a live .38 Smith & Wesson round in the Mount Nicholson area. Although occasional .380 automatic and .38 revolver cartridges turn up from time to time, this is the first .38 S&W I have seen. It was found next to a Japanese officer’s whistle.
9 William Anderson’s (BAAG) daughter got in touch. 9 Kung Chong-chow’s (RE) grandson-in-law got in touch.
8 Memorial Sunday. Today Elizabeth Ride had asked me to help her place Osler Thomas’s wreath on the Cenotaph, but fortunately Osler’s daughter flew in from Australia and was able to do this herself with Elizabeth. The ceremony was particularly well attended this year. 8 The Taiwan News ran a short story about Commonwealth War Graves around the area: http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1102573〈=eng_news&cate_img=317.jpg&cate_rss=news_Features
7 Frederick Fooks’s (Royal Engineers) great niece got in contact. 7 James McNie McDade’s (RN) nephew got in touch. McDade is one of just four HMS Hong Kong men in my files. There was a ship under this name in Queen Victoria's navy, and one built in around 1943 for the RN, but nothing in the records in between. I have often wondered if it was a base station - possibly a name for the code-breaking Royal Naval radio facility at Stonecutters Island. Alf Bennett once remarked that he had four radio operators with him at the remains of FECB at Stonecutter’s (after the bulk moved to Singapore). I wonder if these were they? However, to the best of my knowledge Mr McDade and two others were lost on 19 December 1941 in Hong Kong harbour while serving on the Motor Torpedo Boat flotilla. 7 Una Brown, ex-Stanley Internee, passed away today in Melbourne at the age of 95. In Jean Gittins' book "Stanley: Behind Barbed Wire'" she quotes Una as saying: "How I wept for Harold! To think that he had given his life so that we should suffer thus…” . Harold was her husband, Harold Wilson Brown, 4th Battery , HKVDC, who was killed in the fighting.
5 Nelson Mar passed away early this morning. A colourful character who had been a clearance diver for the RN pre-war, he joined BAAG during the war years. The peak of his service was his successful escorting of a shot-down American aircrew from Macau to Allied lines in China. Post-war he lived in Japan for a while, even once playing tennis with the Japanese emperor (he carried a photo of the event as proof). In recent years he was a keen member of the Chinese Recreation Club, and did a great deal to recognize the Chinese rescue of British POWs from the Lisbon Maru. 5 In answer to last month’s query, Dennis Morley notes: “I did meet a Tad Wielandt through Paul Connolly several times. From what I remember he was a great guy but what he did for a living I do not know. I did meet quite a few people through Paul. Happy Days!”
2 Duncan Chan passed away this morning. One of Admiral Chan Chak’s twin sons, he will be greatly missed. His brother and the rest of the family were by his side.
1 George Kotwall’s (HKVDC, BAAG) granddaughter got in contact. 1 In preparation for the next Hong Kong Club walk, I did a reconnaissance of the route from Wong Nai Chung Gap, up Mount Nicholson, then up Mount Cameron. To my surprise, just as I thought surface finds were running out, I found two Japanese 6.5mm rifle cartridges (one illustrated). I had forgotten just how treacherous the path up Cameron is…
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October Images Sprague and friends (courtesy Philip & Jen Burton), Bellamy letter (courtesy Faye Powell), Pillbox (courtesy Glen Swemmer) James Hart (courtesy Archie Hart), Maryknoll, Stanley (Author), Hide letter (courtesy Richard Hide) Poster (courtesy Researching FEPOW History), Evans' book in Japanese (courtesy Tad Hosoi), Sussex Express (courtesy Richard Hide)
October News Needing to find a letter written to me by a member of 2 Coy, HKVDC, in around 2001, I turned to my paper files. Big mistake! I have hundreds of letter sent to me by veterans at around that time, and found item after item that I had not really used or delved into properly. Maps, sketches, descriptions of fellow POWs, of wartime incidents, of people and places which really should not go to waste – but which had arrived at times when I was focused on other things. Perfect motivation, though, for my current ‘secret’ project. 30 Richard Hide sent me an update on the HERO expedition to Hong Kong and China, timed for this Christmas. It seems that everything is going well. I will give as many details as I can in the November News. Meanwhile he included a photo of the 1/24 model of MTB07 which will be featured in the exhibition (illustrated), and a cutting from the Sussex Express of June 5 1942, featuring his parents’ wedding shortly after ‘Buddy’ Hide’s successful escape and return home.For an update on HERO, see here: http://www.hongkongescape.org/Escape_09.htm 30 George Jackman’s (RCOC) nephew got in touch. 29 Elizabeth Ride today passed me the tragic news that Dr Osler Thomas FRACS, DSO, MBE (Mil) (HKVDC, BAAG, Force 136) had passed away due to a reaction to a flu jab. Osler had intended to be in Hong Kong this week, and we were planning to discuss the BAAG history I am working on. 29 Was interviewed today by Associated Press for an article about Sai Wan Cemetery. 29 Received a nice letter from Gordon Fairclough today, who having read Appendix 15 of WSST, reminded me that it was Kane Bush (Lewis Bush’s Japanese wife) who fed him while he was lying wounded in Aberdeen immediately after the surrender. 28 A lucky day in Chinese. Today, Tad Hosoi emailed me to say that: “The Japanese translation of ‘Roll Call at Oeyama’ finally came out in Japan in August. I have attached two photos of the cover. The first one is the frontcover only with a promotional belt at the bottom… The front cover features the Nippon Yakin Oeyama Smelting Plant (and in fact, it also shows the POW camp, if you use a magnifier) and the cover shows the peaks of the Oeyama mountain range. Both the front and back covers have Frank Evans' own handwriting out from his POW diaries. The front cover one is from August 20, 1945 and the back cover one is from December 27/28, 1943 on his way to Japan on the Toyama Maru. The publisher printed 2,000 copies and it has already sold more than 70% of them.” 27 Montague Truscott’s (RCoS, Lisbon Maru) cousin got in touch, From her I learned that although Mr Truscott had been a lowly Corporal at the time of the sinking, he rose to be a Lieutenant Colonel in the Signals! Few people achieved such a rise – especially having sat out the war as a POW, away from the usual fast wartime opportunities for promotion. 26 While going through the old letters referred to above, I found Colonel Kilpatrick’s full War Diary – which concentrates mainly on his experiences in the Taiwan camps. Shame I was too dopey to relocate it while researching WSST!I have offered it to Michael Hurst of the Taiwan Camps. I found this item in my voluminous correspondence with H.W. ‘Bunny’ Browne, CBE, from around 2000, in which were many other great pieces (the funniest, I am sure, being the story of how Captain Harry Badger of the Middlesex – a tough officer, well-respected by the Japanese – was taken one night to their sergeants’ mess just outside Shamshuipo’s wire for a few beers. A ‘few’ beers later, Badger was the only one who hadn’t crawled away to die, and therefore had to break back into his own POW camp!)26 The annual official ceremony in commemoration of those who died in the defence of Hong Kong between 1941 and 1945 was held at the City Hall Memorial Garden. I was invited, but unfortunately could not attend. The Acting Chief Executive, John Tsang, laid a wreath. Senior government officials and representatives from the Judiciary, the Legislative Council and the Executive Council were also present. They were joined by representatives of the various Central People's Government organisations in Hong Kong, members of the consular corps, religious leaders, community dignitaries, former members of the Hong Kong Independent Battalion of the Dongjiang Column, war veterans' groups, uniformed groups and student groups. 25 Was delighted to hear from Garfield and Fran Kvalheim again. Gar is the last survivor of the crew of USS Grouper who sank the Lisbon Maru. He was of huge help to me when I wrote that book. 25 From Gordon Andreassen: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20091029a4.htmlhttp://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20091024a3.htmland (more amusingly) http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20091024b2.html 22 MANDATORY VIEWING: Seriously, you don’t want to miss this. Watch in HQ: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIHTrmz4hTI&feature=channelWe should offer prizes for watchers of this video, perhaps two sets: One for the person who can spot the most sites that still exist (for example, the Cenotaph, the Chinese War Memorial in the Botanic Gardens, the fountain, LegCo, etc.) and one for whoever can spot the most important demolished sites (Eucliffe, Mount Austin Barracks, the old HSBC HQ, the old HK Club, St George’s Building, etc.). It was shot in 1938. Some readers may even be senior enough to recognize some of the people who feature. 21 I have been invited to lead an historic tour of Stanley’s St Stephen’s College grounds in March of next year as part of the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of St Stephens’s Chapel. Needless to say, I will be there! 21 Pete Wilson emailed with the sad news that Lial Colbert (her father, Royal Naval Dockyard Police) had passed away on September 12. 19 An old friend from work noted that his father served on the HMAS Mildura – a minesweeper – which was (as far as we can tell) the first vessel to enter Hong Kong Harbour after the Japanese surrender. Thank you Mr James “Jim” Radburn! There should be a memorial here to you and your shipmates. See: http://home.vicnet.net.au/%7Emildura/ 19 It’s time to plan the Hong Kong Club walks for the New Year. I have suggested doing one old favourite and one new route. I have some ideas, but am holding my own council for the moment. 18 Visited Wong Nai Chung Gap with Larry Brody. Larry is staying at the Luk Kwok Hotel of Suzie Wong fame. In the reception area they have a few good photos of the hotel as it was in those days. It was a pretty massive building, rather different than I had expected. 18 A researcher looking into the war service of his hometown: Widnes, Cheshire in the UK notes that one casualty is buried at Stanley Military Cemetery. This is Petty Officer Telegraphist George Hutchinson, H.M.S. Tamar. Hutchison was actually allocated to the MTBs, so next time I am down at Stanley cemetery I will get a photo of the grave. 18 Ernest John Hosken’s (Lisbon Maru, Royal Corps of Signals) son got in touch. “He wasn't one to dwell on his war, so I just found out scraps from time to time over about 30 years. Eating bits of fish to stay alive, swimming eight miles to shore, having every deficiency disease known to medicine - that kind of thing. And then an epic railway journey across America after being cared for in San Francisco. Then coming home to find a wicked stepmother who took his gratuity and back pay off him and kicked him out, going to sea, then meeting a friend in a pub who told him about the Diplomatic Wireless Service... your usual war and post-war story, really.” 17 Elizabeth Doery, nee Gittins, plans a trip to the Yokohama Cemetery in spring 2010 to visit her father’s grave. I am embarrassed to say that despite visiting Japan once or twice per year, I have never been to the cemetery. Perhaps I should accompany Elizabeth and see the Cherry Blossom where it counts, rather than only outside our Tokyo office. 15 Today I had a wonderful email from Archie Hart – the son of James Hart, RAOC, who has been mentioned on this site many times. Left for dead at the Eucliffe massacre, Hart is still touring the world today. This may be his last such trip, but who knows? Archie says: “Here’s a couple of pics of him on a recent trip to Italy. He took me along, and we went to visit his brother’s grave at the Sangro River Cemetery, he was killed in 1943 during the Italy campaign.” ARCHIBALD SANDERS HOLMES Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 8th Bn. Age: 19, Date of Death: 20/11/1943. We sometimes forget what a terrible battle of attrition that was. The 8th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders alone had lost 156 officers and 1000 men since Operation Torch and from those that landed in Algeria with the 5th Battalion, The Royal East Kent Regiment (Buffs), only two or three remained at the end. 13 A lady who was brought up on Kennedy Road asked if I knew anything of the fighting there in late December 1941. Aside from the few details in NTSC, does anyone have any further info? 10 Visited Stanley today with Larry Brody, a well-known American scriptwriter with an interest in the period. 10 Glen Swemmer sent a nice batch of photos of the pillbox and splinter-proof shelters near where the Tai Tam Road meets the road to Shek O. 9 Was contacted by The War Graves Photographic Project who are writing an article about the Lisbon Maru for their newsletter. http://www.twgpp.org/index.php 9 Had a nice email from Nobby Hunt (MTBs and Lisbon Maru), and realized that I had neglected to send him a copy of WSST. This will be rectified as soon as I return from my current travels. 8 Alfred Keeler’s (Middlesex, Lisbon Maru) great niece got in touch. Keeler died in camp in Japan on the very day that Japan surrendered, and his ashes were carried back to the UK by Sergeant Bill Poulter.
7 I have been invited to the 4th annual International Witness to War Project Recognition Ceremony, December 5th at the Canadian International School in Aberdeen. The invitation also pointed to a photo from the Winnipeg Free Press of the new memorial. I can’t get enough of this, being completely seduced by both its physical beauty and the fact that it commemorates those who survived as well as those who perished. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/hong-kong-veterans-honoured-53342497.html 6 A friend reports meeting Harold Bidwell, and finding him alive as well. Harold and his wife (Elsie, nee Lammert) were Stanley internees. 5 Faye Powell, whose father was in the Dockyard Police, notes: “When my father was ‘fighting’ the Aust Govt to prove he was a returned serviceman - it wasn't until 1952 (before I was born) and a letter from Sgt Bellamy before he was able to be recognised. The exact wording, spelling and punctuation in this letter says: ‘On 8 December 1941 the Royal Naval Yard Police were mobilised into 'A separate Section of the Hongkong Volunteer Defence Force' under its respective Commander who was the Commodore in Charge H.K. (Proclamation by H.E. The Governor under the Emergency Regulations). Other Civilians in the Dockyards were also mobilised and the whole became officially recognised as the THE DOCKYARD DEFENCE CORPS.’ “ This is interesting as the Dockyard Police were certainly mobilized as a military (rather than civilian) organization, but the War Diary of the HKDDC makes no mention of this. Does anyone else have any more info?
4 Richard Hide sent me “a copy of ‘The Letter’ every mother dreaded." (See entry for the 30th as well). 3 For a long time I had wondered about the Carmelite Monastery in Stanley. Surely it must have been right on the frontline on around December 24, 1941, and surely there must have been fighting there? On the walls there are some signs of repaired shrapnel damage, but not a great deal. Today, a friend and I walked in. The nuns there are not allowed to speak to strangers, but after a while my friend made our purpose clear. The recipient of our query retired, noting that she would need to speak to someone older. After at least ten minutes, the wooden contraption in front of us turned, and a written missive was delivered: “The Japanese army entered fighting into Stanley on Christmas Eve, & on Christmas morning the whole place was overrun by them. During the fighting, the Canossian Convent in Shaukiwan was in danger, and their place was evacuated; the Canossian mothers & their orphans were brought to us instead & they were received with great charity. So when the Japanese came into our monastery they saw a charitable institution & left us unmolested.” We also visited Maryknoll School that day, the site of yet another massacre. The place was open to all. We walked through, admiring the building and its decorations, and gaining a great respect for those who maintain it… 3… and, on the other side of the respectability spectrum, Google today informed me that a British duo by the delightful name of ‘Fuck Buttons’ has released a CD with a track called ‘The Lisbon Maru’. It’s actually getting good reviews, so I’ll have to buy a copy. http://consequenceofsound.net/2009/10/22/album-review-fuck-buttons-tarot-sport/ 1 I was contacted today by someone researching Ellen Field for American friends who are her distant cousins. They would like to make contact with Field’s daughters, if they are still around. 1 The Researching FEPOW History Group sent me a poster for their October 2010 event. I hope to confirm that I will be speaking there, just as soon as we sort out the school schedules for that autumn. 1 Does anyone remember Herman Tadema-Wielandt (HKVDC) and his first wife (also apparently HKVDC)? His daughter has been making enquiries. 1 Philip & Jen Burton sent a photo kept by William Sprague of the HKVDC Armoured Cars. Left to right: ?, William Sprague, CQMS Charley Barman, Signalman Fred Latter, Signalman Dave Howell. Who is the man on the far left? I have certainly seen a photo of him before, somewhere. The trigger for sending me the photo, of course, was the book Resist to The End: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Resist-End-1941-1945-Asiatic-Society/dp/9622099769/ref=pd_sim_b_1
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September Images
Canada's Memorial Wall (courtesy Murray Doull), Hong Kong Harbour (courtesy John Black), Pinewood Battery (courtesy Robert Gibson) Chindit reunion (courtesy Elizabeth Ride), Daily Expres (courtesy Peter Clarke), Gordon Clip (courtesy Alexander Gordon) 13mm (author), Evacuee bracelet (courtesy Michael Martin), Plate & Spoon (courtesy Bill Lake)
September News Looking at yourself on camera is never easy, but I confess to being pleased with the seven-minute Far Eastern Economic Review’s video interview (see below). My “60th anniversary of the FCC” book launch requires considerably more stamina! 28 Today I received my invitation to the Researching FEPOW History Group 3rd International Conference, 9 – 10 October, 2010, at the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA), Alrewas, Staffordshire. 27 Was scanning in some images for a piece I’m writing, and took the opportunity of scanning in a Japanese 13mm round at 600dpi! Not a particularly typical use of a scanner, but it’s one of the most impressive pieces of wartime hardware I have yet found in the hills. 26 Murray Doull was kind enough to send me a whole CD of images from last month’s wall unveiling in Canada. It was hard to pick a representative view, but several showed the almost surreal reflectivity of the stone very well, and I chose my favourite of those. Interesting to compare with the original artist’s impression (scroll down the page). The reality is so much more part of its environment. 26 George Kelling was kind enough to send me an article about the trial of the ‘Kamloops Kid’ written by the court interpreter. The majority of the Japanese tried for war crimes in Hong Kong got off relatively lightly, with most of the death and long sentences being commuted. You could - as this author does - contend that compared to the others, Inouye received different treatment. In his case, I am sure it was the fact that he was 'meant to be Canadian' which was at the root of it. Perhaps the most interesting thing for me was the statement that he was married to a Chinese lady who had previously been married to a British policeman! I had not heard this before, and will look into it. 25 Received an invitation to Hong Kong’s Remembrance Day Ceremony, which this year will be on Sunday Nov 8th. 23 Dave Deptford notes that the Appleton medal group (see last month): “sold for GBP1,350 plus 17.5% buyers commission. More than I thought but illustrating the increasing strength of the UK market for anything with a HK connection.” 21 On the Stanley Group Brian Edgar noted: “I've always been interested in the poet and painter William Blake and for a long time the standard edition of his 'prophetic books' (difficult poems that are very unlike the famous ones about the tiger and Jerusalem) was referred to as 'Sloss and Wallis' for short, after the two editors. Annoyingly the first names are never given, but it was D. J. Sloss, M. A., C.B.E., of the University of Rangoon(this was in 1925). I'd love to know if this was the HKU Sloss in Stanley!” I am sure it must be. Hong Kong University includes in its list of Chairmen of Council ’1940 -1949 .. .. .. D.J. Sloss, CBE, MA, LLD’. It's hard to believe there could have been two such men in Far Eastern universities at that time. 20 Took the HK Club Walkers on a new route called ‘Looking Down on War’, which simply skirts The Peak while looking at the city and harbour and talking about the wartime events that occurred in the streets and buildings visible below. Peter Clarke kicked the walk off nicely by bringing a copy of the Daily Express of Dec 20 1941, with its ‘Hongkong Garrison Fight To The Last’ headline. Afterwards, Robert Gibson was kind enough to send me a set of good photos from the walk. Lucky I chose this route rather than the much harder one planned for November 22, as I broke my big toe in two places two weeks ago! 19 Was put in touch with Peter Carruthers, son of Michael Carruthers MC who was in charge of the Volunteers’ armoured cars during the fighting. 18 Henry Danbrowsky’s (HKPF) granddaughter got in touch. 17 HKU have improved their link for WSST, incorporating the FEER video: http://www.hkupress.org/book/9789622099609.htm 16 Roger Mansell was kind enough to send this link: http://bugleobserver.canadaeast.com/news/article/791592 16 Bill Lake sent some interesting photos of a plate and spoon made in Stanley Camp by John Charter for his wife Yvonne from a fan blade.
15 Mike Booker sent me an amazing photo of the harbour which he has been able to date to exactly 1st September 1937 (that’s the Empress of Canada on the right with the white funnels).
12 Mike McPherson was kind enough to contact me: “Some time ago I came into the possession of a drawing done by [Charles Knox and Henry Earley] while they were prisoners at Shamshuipo prison camp in Hong Kong. The nativity scene is dated Christmas 1943. This drawing was given to Captain Father Frank Deloughery who was a prisoner of war… It has often occurred to me that it might indeed be of greater interest to the direct family of these men. You can imagine how pleased I was to find your web site and find that Charles Knox’s son had contacted you with info on not only his father but also his uncle Henry Earley.” I have put the two parties in touch. 11 Nathan Greenfield sent some interesting notes from Lt Col G.W.L. Nicholson (a Canadian historian) on his interviews with Brigadier Wallis and Lt Col Rose. 10 I heard today that Wally Scragg (ex wartime HK police) is in hospital following a couple of falls. He is well remembered by the Hong Kong community, and I sent best wishes via his granddaughter. 8 Win Deane’s (Stanley Internee) daughter got in touch. 7 Elizabeth Ride sent an interesting photo of what looks like an early reunion of the Hong Kong Chindits. 7 Michael Martin sent a fascinating photo of an ‘Evacuee bracelet’ which appears to have been issued in Australia to ex-HK evacuees. Has anyone else see these? 7 David Louis Strellett’s (HKVDC) granddaughter got in touch. 7 Alexander Gordon’s (Royal Scots) son got in touch, sending a newspaper cutting about his father. 6 I discovered today that a video of my launch of ‘We Shall Suffer There’ at the FCC is available on the web at: http://www.viewfromhere.hk/The_View_From_Here/FCCHK2009TonyBanham.html 5 On the Stanley group, I was asked to provide feedback on Janice Lee’s excellent book ‘The Piano Teacher’, With Janice’s permission I did, and one of the points in her book that I had questioned was whether Stanley internees received Red Cross food parcels. Well, they did. This was one of Barbara Anslow’s comments: “How I agree with William Sewell's ecstatic remarks about the Red Cross parcels! After opening mine, my diary says 'Had a spoonful of Nestle's condensed milk - absolute Heaven!' My hungry younger sister Mabel ate her entire tin at one sitting.Some of the cardboard boxes were made into garages, doll's houses etc. for the children for Christmas. In our room we used the scattering of shredded paper among the tins for burning out the bugs in the springs and wooden bits of my Mum's bed.” William Sewell was an internee, and author of the mainly autobiographical ‘Strange Harmony’. 5 John Edmund Richardson OBE’s (civilian internee) niece got in touch. 4 George Kelling, a retired US Army Officer in Texas (and a historian with a particular emphasis on British Empire history of the Second World War), let me know that he met Jim Fallace, HKRNVR (one of the three Lisbon Maru escapees) a few times. He was also kind enough to send me some useful bits and pieces from his researches – including a copy of the letter sent to Fallace in 1996 from the daughter of the man who sheltered him in a cave until he escaped to the mainland. 3 Vincent Lee kindly let me know that: “A Battle of Hong Kong veteran, Sir Harry FANG Sin Yang, of Field Ambulance, HKVDC, died on August 24, 2009 at the age of 86. He was an uncle of Anson Chan, and his autobiography included a few paragraphs about his experience as a dresser/stretcher during the 18-day battle.” On his death, Chief Executive Donald Tsang said: "A man of high integrity and pleasant personality, he served with humility, commitment, professional excellence and enormous energy. He has left a lasting legacy in both Hong Kong and abroad. The community will miss him sorely.” The book that Vincent refers to is “Rehabilitation, A Life's Work, the biography of Professor Sir Harry Fang”, HKUP 2002. 3 I saw today that the Far Eastern Economic Review carried a review of We Shall Suffer There by Jason Wordie. Overall a fair job (in my opinion), though – as I have discussed with Hong Kong University Press before – sometimes I think we need a category sticker on the front of each book (‘Reference Book’, ‘Easy Read’, ‘Popular History’ etc.) so that people know, ab initio, what they are dealing with. http://www.feer.com/reviews/2009/september51/we-shall-suffer-there-hong-kongs-defenders-imprisoned-1942-451Note the video embedded in it! Well worth watching (again, in my humble opinion). 3 Annemarie Evans notes that: ”Liz Chater, a distant relative of Sir Catchick Paul Chater was in town this week to help celebrate Hongkong Land's 120th anniversary. [Liz] let me in on a little tantalising mystery. She's basically researched a heck of a lot of info on Chater's life (and Armenian gaeneology in general). The following pertains to the Chater collection. Some of his paintings were shown at a Hong Kong Museum of Art exhibition a couple of years ago. Many of his paintings, as you're probably aware, disappeared during the war. There were rumours that some were buried below Government House (quite how, not sure) but this has been subsequently debunked by Kim Salkeld, now Lands Registrar, who was in govt house during Patten's era. Chater collected both China porcelain and Japanese bizenware. Some of this can be seen in old photos of Marble Hall, his home. Some of it was not catalogued. It was assumed that much of that china was pillaged in the second world war and sank on its way to Japan. However, Liz has discovered that after Chater's death in 1926, he left much of his estate either to the Hong Kong government or to the Armenian Church, based in Calcutta. She found a document that states that 30 boxes were at Kowloon Wharf (I got this slightly wrong in my SCMP report early this week), six of which were listed as paintings, but the other 24 could have been china. So not all went to Japan. Also slightly sceptical on how the Japanese would have got hold of his china anyway. Those 30 boxes were auctioned in Calcutta by the Bengal Trustee. Obviously documents at the India end are a little more difficult to get hold of.” And now the big question, of course, is ‘who knows where it all ended up?’ 2 Commander Vernall’s daughter confirmed that one of the photos she sent me last month was of HMS Cornflower, the HKRNVR’s depot ship (illustrated). 1 John Black kindly sent me two very interesting old photos of the harbour.1 Michael Pether of the FEPOW Community group notes that he found, in the New Zealand National Archives in Wellington “some 60-80 forms (by men such as Gunner E. Pridham/Pte. Harry Sando/Gunner James Shaw etc.) of men who were in Shamshuipo camp in HK all making specific allegations of collaboration (including the making of Japanese propaganda films) against Major Boon (RASC) and Gunners Bevan and Gunner Tovey/Taubier”, Also “Cpl. Clifford Samuel Rumary, with his statement as being a survivor and the last man off the ‘Lisbon Maru’ because for some reason he was in the ships crows nest”
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August Images
Le Droit article (courtesy Murray Doull), Memorial Wall Veterans (courtesy Murray Doull), Pointing out Maurice Parker's name (courtesy Ron Parker) Owen Griffiths (courtesy Louise Clark), Lial Colbert (courtesy Faye Powell), Commander Vernall (courtesy Ann Pumphrey) Drummer Holdford circled (courtesy Kevin Holdford), POW Postcard (courtesy Hartley Moyes), Prince Phillip's letter (courtesy Richard Hide)
August News
The major event of the month was obviously the official dedication of the C Force Memorial Wall in Ottawa. The project by the HKVCA has been the work of many years’ planning and fund raising. However, they still need further donations for landscaping work to complete the environment around the memorial in a fitting manner.
30 Lial Colbert’s (RNDYP, Lisbon Maru) granddaughter got in contact. Quite a coincidence as there’s a photo of Colbert on the site this month!
29 Dave Deptford notes that Lockdales (www.lockdales.com), at Lot 1873 in their Sept 20th auction, list the six medals to F G Appleton, HK Police. Appleton was born in 1913, the son of a HK Policeman, enlisted in 1934, was interned, and retired as a Chief Inspector: 1939-45,Pacific, Defence and War Medals, Colonial Police Medal for Meritorious Service, Colonial Police Long Service. “Estimate is £1300 + which I believe far too high but we shall see.” Earlier, Dave had also mentioned that at Bosleys sale 2nd Sept 2009 there is a Group to Commander John Graham BINNY R.N: 1914/15 Star, BWM, Vict -1939-45 Star, Atlantic, Africa, Pacific and War Medal. “Reportedly posted to 2nd Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla at HK and POW there. Estimate £200-300 (low, as usual).”
28 Harry Clark’s granddaughter-in-law sent another batch of amazing photos. Top of the list was a snap of ‘Ginger Griffiths’. From his name and cap badge I am 90% sure that this is Owen Griffiths, RCoS, who was lost near the Tai Koo Sugar factory on Dec 19, 1941. Another interesting photo from 1937 showed ‘Jock’ Fox of the Seaforth Highlanders who were stationed in Shanghai at the time. There was also another good shot of the harbour, again from 1937, and one of West Fort (illustrated).
28 Continuing a correspondence from a year ago, Andrew Tuft – whose father served aboard HMS Swiftsure, notes: “Swiftsure anchored off the Dockyard in the early afternoon of 30 August and a landing party of 500 sailors and Marines went ashore under the command of Lieutenant Commander W.L.M. Brown DSC. Operation Lion had commenced. The force, later to be known as 'Brown Force', cleared the Japanese out of the Dockyard by sunset, a few unfortunates were caught by the Chinese mob outside the gates. More troops were landed on 31 August and Brownforce established HQ in the Cecil Hotel. Able Seaman George Bennett Marshall from HMS Swiftsure injured himself fatally with an automatic pistol on 3 September, and was buried in Happy Valley on 4 September. I have a picture of the burial party. Two other Swiftsure Sailors died on 5th September, Able Seaman Samuel Hopkins, and Able Seaman David Simpson Scott, but my reference does not record the cause of death. These may have been the two guys my father recalled as being killed by a booby trap.” The Cecil Hotel was on Kennedy Road, next door to the current Masonic Lodge.
26 George Mose’s (RA, Lisbon Maru) grandson got in touch. Mose’s wife, son and daughter were evacuated to Australia in 1940. I wonder if this spate of Lisbon Maru connections is due to the BBC program mentioned earlier?
26 Harold Sharrock’s (Middlesex, Lisbon Maru) grandson got in touch.
25 Harry Clark’s (Hong Kong Signals Company, Lisbon Maru) granddaughter-in-law got in touch.
25 I see that Discovery Channel Magazine (https://www.rdasia.com/rd/rdhtml/en/discoverychannel/) is carrying a long-planned Lisbon Maru article in its current edition. Unfortunately, I think it’s only available in Asia.
25 Paul Rimmer was kind enough to let me know that the BBC show featuring Fred O’Donnell (ex-Lisbon Maru) had just been shown. There’s a corresponding article on their website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_8214000/8214172.stm
23 Hartley Moyes sent a very interesting postcard. Dated from 1976, but postmarked 1977, it bears many signatures – some clearly identifiable as ex-HK POWs:
Sergeant Bob Manchester - D Coy WG,
Captain Victor Stanley Ebbage, MBE - RAOC
Lance Corporal Albert 'Tooky' Poole - Middlesex Regt,
Arther Ellis - A/Sgt. Albert Ellis, RASC?
Robert H Dunlop - There were three Robert Dunlops, but this is presumably Rifleman Robert Harold Dunlop, Royal Rifles of Canada,
CM Maltby – Who passed away 1980 (which fits the 1977 date on the card).
20 Received a nice letter from Marilynn Armacost, saying that her copy of WSST had arrived. We posted it from Sheboygan Falls, WI, on our holiday!
20 Murray Doull sent a great piece from ‘Le Droit’ with a dramatic photo of his father, and attached a number of other photos from the event.
18 Ron Parker sent two great photos of himself at the Canadian memorial wall.
17 Edith Chan of HKU’s Special Collections was kind enough to send me a big scan of Osler Thomas’ wartime map of Canton and Hong Kong.
17 Mike Babin let me know that the Hong Kong Children’s Orchestra concert in Toronto raised C$20,000 for the memorial. Not bad! He has also proposed another Canadian pilgrimage to Hong Kong for December 2010.
16 The SCMP ran a HERO article today, focusing on the support provided by HRH Prince Phillip.
16 For the first time in several years, I missed today’s Liberation Day Memorial service at City Hall. Unfortunately a damaged foot kept me at home. However, I was very pleased (if a little surprised) to see it featured on the evening news.
16 William Sprague’s daughter and son-n-law sent a few interesting excerpts from his diary, kept while a batman at Argyle Street camp.
16 I have been having an interesting conversation with Mark Huang, ex La Salle College, about what the building was used for during the war. Did it stay a Japanese hospital throughout?
15 Ron Taylor (UK) let me know that his mother’s cousin is Joan Crawford, of HK Electric fame. He adds: “her husband was Sgt George William Kenneth Crawford and I think that it was his brother who was Gnr AK Crawford. Her Father, Ferdinand Duckworth was in Stanley along with the rest of the family. Her sister, Nancy, who is still very much around, was married to James Barron (Field Coy Engineers).”
15 The C Force Memorial was finally unveiled today. The Memorial Wall is located at the corner of Sussex Drive and King Edward Street. The event was well covered by the Canadian press:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/680777
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/testament+veterans+spoken+stone/1898718/story.html
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Gallery+Battle+Hong+Kong+memorial/1897867/story.html
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Gander+Royal+Riflemen+best+friend/1896089/story.html
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/memorial+unveiled+Saturday/1893355/story.html
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Grit+grace+face+horror/1887000/story.html
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090815/veterans_memorial_090815/20090815?hub=Canada Phil Doddridge’s speech is worth reading: “Comrades, ladies and gentlemen, and all you wonderful people.
This ceremony today marks the fulfillment of a dream, a vision that started years ago when we began to realize that many of our comrades who have left this world, would not be recognized for their valiant efforts of so many years ago.
To many, the defence of Hong Kong was a minor event in comparison to the vast conflict that consumed the world in those anxious and dreadful days of the 1940s. It is no wonder that the war in Europe got headlines while our little war was largely forgotten.
And so, as one of the few remaining Hong Kong Veterans, I am honoured and privileged beyond compare to be here today to express the gratitude of all my comrades for this permanent marker of our place in history.
It is especially fitting that it be installed in our Nation’s Capital, the nucleus of the country we pledged to serve seventy years ago.
As I look at my comrades today, aged, as I am, I recall the slender youths who sailed across the Pacific Ocean in 1941, to encounter a well trained and battle-hardened foe.
How innocent of combat we were.
How naïve of the horrors of war.
How far removed from the comforts of home and the good order of peace-time Canada.
How oblivious we were to the many years we would languish in those horror camps.
As I stand before this shrine today, August 15th, 2009, 68 years after receiving our marching orders, all those memories come flooding back; the Canada of the 1940s, the young men in the flush of youth, without a care, completely unaware of what lay ahead.
For this Memorial Wall - our Wall- we have so many people to thank:
The sons, daughters, widows and friends of our veterans who have given so much, who have donated their time, their energy and their money to this cause.
To the committee that made this important event happen, I cannot emphasize enough our thanks for their dedication, their endless meetings, their sleepless nights – all to assure the success of the project. Each and every one has added their wisdom and experience to all matter relating to the planning and construction of this magnificent Wall.
Since the funding campaign started in Calgary two years ago, it has kept rolling without pause.
So many people have listened to our story, so many have helped with money and encouragement.
And now, we are here today. The moment of truth has arrived.
I salute my comrades here today. I salute the memory of my comrades who have left this world.
And so, until this stone disintegrates and returns to dust, we will be remembered.
May we all from our place in the hereafter, be able to look down upon this marble monument and say, ‘My name is written there. I am remembered.’ “
Thanks to Ron Parker, Gerry Tuppert, and others for these items.
15 Annemarie Evans was kind enough to send CDs of her recent radio interviews with me for RTHK. I will have to see if there’s a way (with permission) of getting these sound archives onto this site.
14 Cynthy Gomes is asking what happened to the wives and families of HKVDC soldiers, who were billeted in May Road during the fighting? The only coverage I can find is from Ellen Field, and this implies that they all went their separate ways in the months after – some going to Stanley, and some (presumably) to Rosary Hill. Others, like Cynthy’s mother, clearly made it to Macau shortly after the surrender.
13 Paul Cowan pointed out that Tommy Douglas (the ‘Greatest Canadian of all time’: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Douglas), who introduced universal public health care to Canada, should have been with the Winnipeg Grenadiers in Hong Kong, but was removed from the draft due to health issues. I am also rather proud of the fact that my great uncle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Gooch) was part of the 1945 UK government that introduced the National Health Service. Our family experience of the NHS tells a good story. When my father needed a hip replacement, he was put on a queue that clearly wasn't going to move for three years or so, so us 'kids' paid for him to have it done privately. During the operation (at the age of 77), the anaesthetist didn't like the sound of his heart. That led to him having a heart valve replacement, under the NHS and with no wait, under Dr Wells at Papworth (possibly the best heart combination in the world). Currently my mother (now 80) is in an NHS hospital having her lungs fixed, so we feel we've done well from 'the family scheme'! Old Uncle Ted couldn't have planned it better. A little off topic? Not really, when you consider how many FEPOWs have been treated by both systems.
11 Lawrence sent me the Dec 25 and 26 entries from Barnett’s diaries. Taken with Scotcher’s report (see last month) and the other eye-witness interviews and affidavits, I think we now have a very clear view of what happened at St Stephen’s on Dec 25. Not to labour the point, the padre writes (moments before the Japanese stormed the building): “Heavy fighting going on all around. Everybody longs for daylight.”
10 Ron Parker (son of the well-respected commander of D Coy, RRoC, Major Maurice Parker) let me know that his website has moved to: http://www.battleofhongkong.com/
9 While waiting in San Francisco for our flight back to Hong Kong, I took a moment to phone uber-researcher Roger Mansell. A real gentleman!
7 Lawrence MacIsaac contacted me from Canada, noting that he had access to Padre James Barnett’s wartime diary. I rather foolishly told him that I knew all about it, but he very politely (and correctly) pointed out that I was referring to Barnett’s 1946 report.
6 Faye Powell was kind enough to send another affidavit, this time from Cyril Barnaby, RNDYP. He notes (among other things): “In approximately Aug 43, I was told by R.B. MOORE, RNYP that Bill CURD RNYP HONG KONG was beaten by Sgt KAKUDA and another guard, and that CURD subsequently died in the camp hospital. About the winter of 44, Pte McGRATH of the Middlesex Regt was given numerous beatings by KAKUDA and IKEDA, and by the Camp Commandant. He was sentenced to jail, he had no blankets, nor was he allowed to wash. After a month or so in jail, he lost his toes from frostbite and I witnessed many beatings that he was given. Also in the winter of 44, I witnessed IKEDA beat Sgt SMYTHE, R.A.”
5 Richard Hide of HERO (Hong Kong Escape Re-enactment Organisation) was kind enough to send me their commendation from HRH Prince Phillip. The latter had been in HK for the formal surrender in 1946, and had met Colin McEwan in Hong Kong in the fifties while on a visit on Britannia.
5 Amazon UK today sent me an email recommending that I buy some book called We Shall Suffer There. While they show great taste, they also demonstrate some imperfections in their demographic marketing.
5 David Bellis sent an email mentioning this article (which was also reproduced in the SCMP in a condensed form): http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/2009/08/03/old-hong-kong-lives-online/. He also notes that he has spun off all the history-related stuff from Batgung to a new website: http://gwulo.com/ .
5 Faye Powell was kind enough to send the War Crimes Affidavit of Lial Colbert, Royal Naval Dockyard Police. About Ichioka Hospital he notes: “I was told by PETTY OFFICER ENNIFER, RN, that five men, including himself were taken from ITCHIOKA to the Japanese military hospital and used for medical experiments. He told me that the experiments were made in the cutting of nerves with a view to curing malnutrition disease in the legs and ankles. Some of these PsW died. I was told by various PsW, including LT JACKSON that numerous PsW died at this hospital; in the first three months about 52 died, and up till Mar 43, over 100 had died. As I was merely a visitor, I did not witness any of the major beatings, which occurred, but I was often told of them.” Roger Mansell was copied on this exchange, and sent in reply a statement by an American POW called John Kidd, who was one of those experimented upon. Kidd noted: “Hearing [the Japanese experiment] plan, [our British doctor] strenuously objected. When medical colleagues discuss a procedure, there sometimes may be a difference of opinion. Ordinarily, as gentlemen, they discuss the merits of the matter despite professional ranking, the debate sometimes getting lively. When the ranking power was Japanese, and the dissenting opinion was from a British prisoner, the discussion was short. The Jap guards, representing Jap medicine, merely beat the living hell out of the objecting British officer. The British doctor’s name was Charles E. Jackson. I will never forget him as long as I live. He was a big man, over six feet tall with a Van Dyke beard. Of course, he spoke with a British accent and portrayed the courtly mannerisms. He was quite ‘chipper’ but was often beaten into unconsciousness.” Kidd’s multi-page account of the ‘experiment’ and its aftermath are sobering in the extreme.
4 George Wilson’s (RAOC) granddaughter got in touch.
4 It’s always interesting to be away from Hong Kong (we’re in Wisconsin at the moment) when a typhoon comes. Our phones are set to alert us when the Observatory hoists a storm warning. It’s eight now, of a potential ten, and nine might be raised later…
4 On the Stanley Group, Barbara Anslow notes, of the book 'The Private Life of Old Hong Kong: “Of special interest to me is a paragraph describing how Marie Paterson known as 'Pat', a volunteer nurse (Aux. Nursing Service) in the Jockey Club war-time hospital when Jap soldiers invaded it and raped some of the nurses, bravely escaped and under cover of darkness made her way to the British Military Hospital on Bowen Road and raised the alarm as to what was happening in the Jockey Club. My mother was also a volunteer nurse with Pat, and during the night that the raping was going on, Pat who was a small person, crawled into my Mum's camp bed hoping to be shielded from the Japs by my Mum's then bulk, saying 'Don't let them get me' - which they didn't. In the wee small hours when the soldiers had stopped coming to carry off more nurses, Pat crawled out from the bed, saying she had to go. Next morning, the nurses learned that Pat had escaped from the hospital. Later that day Dr Selwyn-Clarke (with some Jap officers) arrived, and told the Matron he had heard some fantastic tale of happenings in this hospital by an hysterical woman, and had come to investigate. Thanks to Pat's courage, the nurses were spared from further raping.”
4 Walter Spencley’s (Royal Rifles) son got in touch.
4 Justin Kirby notes: “I was sent a photo by Derek Bird of his Christening in Hong Kong in 1939 (see link below) as it had a picture of my great aunt Valda who died in a POW camp. She married Alexander Shepstone Godley of the Royal Scots who is also in the photo, which also includes: Back row. Tony Lomax, Pat Skipwith, Sandy Godley, Margaret Whyatt . Front row: John Whyatt, Godfrey Bird, Daphne Bird & Derek, Valda Godley.” Valda died in camp at Palembang, Sumatra. Godley served in Singapore, rather than Hong Kong, and re-married in 1946. Justin adds: “Funny how there's a web of interrelated connections behind a photo.” Too true!
3 Commander Vernall’s daughter’s next door neighbour was kind enough to send me a number of scanned images from the old boy’s photo album.
3 Elizabeth Ride notes: “I checked in on your Diary, and thought the Life photos were great. The one of what I presume is the stone staircase at HKU leading up to the roofless Great Hall poses a mystery [Life No 76]. There is no sign of the damage caused by the shellburst, which actually can still be seen now as repair work. A good view of Mount Austin Barracks [Life No 56, taken from 'Prof Forster’s garage' at No 5 The Peak], and a close up of damage to the Married Quarters on the left of the building [Life No 8]. By the way, the white bungalow to the left, uphill of the Barracks, was our beloved pre-war home - now blocks of gigantic flats but with the same number, 12. Strangely enough, even though the numbering has been turned upside down (prewar it began at the top and went downwards), No.12 landed up with the same number.”
Hong Kong circa 2009 (courtesy Toshiharu Hori), Hong Kong circa 1933 (courtesy Percy Chittenden, via Ken Blackmore), HK Children's Symphony Orchestra (author) Arthur White & author (Rowena Banham), Marine Police HQ (author), Sakurajima spork (courtesy Faye Powell) Rod Giddins (courtesy Mike Murray), Clock tower damage (author), Advert for Aug 8 concert (HKVCA)
July News A bit quiet over the holiday period (luckily, as we were away for three weeks), but I’ve had several questions about how best to search the garrison records on the site. This site pre-dates Google, so assumed that people would navigate to the required record through the ‘Search Garrison’ page. However, for those not sure which unit someone was in, it is faster and easier to use Google to search the site. So, to find Charles Barman (for example), you would type the following in the Google tool bar:"Barman, Charles" site:www.hongkongwardiary.comand then search for “Barman, Charles” in the page returned. As Roger Mansell now has many POW liberation records on his site, it’s also worth trying the same on www.mansell.com.
30 Archie Hart let me know that his father Jim Hart, RASC: “is off to Dublin on the 18th Aug for a week, and a trip is planned for Italy 9th of Oct, (courtesy of the Lottery) to visit the grave of his brother Archie, killed in the Italian campaign in 1943, so he is still (and long may it continue) going strong.” Not bad for someone who was bayoneted some seven times at Eucliffe! 27 William Sprague’s (HKVDC) daughter and son-in-law got in contact. They are transcribing his diary. As Captain Hamilton’s batman/orderly, he was at Argyle Street and Camp N at Shamshuipo. This should make an interesting comparison with the recently-published Barman account which itself mentions Sprague three times. Sprague, a member of the HKVDC Armoured Car Unit, is also mentioned in the latter’s war diary. 24 Jonathan Moffatt was kind enough to send me Scotcher’s account of the St Stephen’s massacre. It is one of the best I have seen, and clears up some of the remaining questions. Unfortunately Scotcher notes that the list of the dead that he created while moving bodies on Dec 26, was taken by the Japanese. 23 Dig Hastilow, grandson of General Maltby, was kind enough to pass on some useful biographical information on his illustrious ancestor. 23 Charles Holford was kind enough to return a marked-up photo from the cover of WSST, showing his father – Drum Major Holdford. He notes: “He was a regular, soon after WW2 he has deployed to Cologne and then to Korea via Hong Kong, where he was awarded the BEM. After the conflict he retired to become a caretaker in London, Hornsey N8 looking after the Territorial Army Centre, and creating the TA Corp of Drums.Moving to Newbury, Berkshire, in 1965having retired from the MOD police, he died aged 69 in 1982 [and was buried] with the Regimental flag on his coffin and of course a bugler sounding the last post.” 21 Susan Van Andel (nee Anslow) was kind enough to send me her memoirs of the 1940 evacuation and her subsequent childhood in Australia. 21 Frederick A. Booker notes: “Thank you so much for the Hong Kong War Diary. I ended up going to your site because of a request by [my cousin], daughter of Noel Booker, RAF, for any information I might have regarding the family and their war experiences. In so doing, I noticed a recent entry in the July news, item 13, regarding a story on the erroneous report of the death of her father, Noel Booker and so I delved further. In looking over your web site I found 5 listings for Booker family members, one of which was in error (HKVDC, Booker, Daisy Nurse ND3 [91]; is linked to and listed as being married to her son, my father, Neville Booker, SGT HKVDC. Rather, Daisy was married to my grandfather, Booker F.E.E. ASP (51)(103) of The Hong Kong Police Force. I should also note that HKVDC, Booker, Neville John Sergeant 3159 (XD5) was Mentioned in Dispatches for distinguished service, as published in the London Gazette on 4, April, 1946; signed by J.J. Lawson, Secretary of State for War.” The error has been corrected. 21The family of Charles and Ernest Spradbery got in touch. C.W.L. Spradbery, 27, was a Health Inspector at the Slaughter House, while E.J. Spradbery, 40, was a Company Manager. Charles and Ernest were brothers (and Ernest was also my correspondent’s brother-in-law when he married her sister Pansy, although they later divorced and Ernest remarried). 20 Martin Percival tells me that the date of the next Researching FEPOWs Conference – to be held at the National Arboretum again - will be October 9 & 10, 2010. 18 Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Lamb’s (RE) granddaughter got in touch. 17 George Endersby’s (Middlesex) brother got in touch. Endersby was one of those lost when Lawson’s Wong Nai Chung Gap HQ was overrun. 17 Phoned General Maltby’s grandson this morning to check on a few biographical details. 16 Visited Wong Nai Chung Gap with APV Asia at lunch time to shoot a short about the Battle of Hong Kong for History Channel. 16 Faye Powell discovered and was kind enough to send several war crime trial affidavits from Australian members of the HK Dockyard Police. 15 Heard from the BBC that they are shooting a program about housing issues for the elderly, and Fred O’Donnell of the Lisbon Maru (now 89) is one of the stars. 15 Ronald Elliott’s (RA, Lisbon Maru) son got in touch to note that BQMS Elliott passed away in November 2007 at the age of 95. Elliott had turned down an invitation to fly in one of the B24s that crashed carrying POWs. 13 Noel David Booker’s daughter (who is also John Watson’s [HKVDC] granddaughter) got in touch. Noel left Hong Kong to volunteer for the RAF in Burma. His twin brother Neville John Booker (HKVDC) stayed in Hong Kong, eventually becoming a POW in Japan. The twins’ father, Frederick Evelyn Booker, was in the Hong Kong Police and together with his wife Daisy and their two daughters (one other was married and evacuated – and that one’s daughter also contacted me this week) were all in Stanley. Booker’s daughter notes: “When the war ended, the story I have heard is that my grandparents, Fred and Daisy found a grave at Stanley Cemetery with my father's name on it and, naturally assumed he had been killed. This was an error as apparently the deceased had some papers with my father's name and it was assumed he was Noel. When they met him again in the U.K. naturally the shock was enormous.“ Has anyone heard about this story? Noel and Neville spent their post-war working lives with Jardines in Hong Kong until retirement. 12 At the request of the HKVCA, I met the Hong Kong Children’s Symphony Orchestra at their rehearsals at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre today. They will shortly be departing for Canada where they will be conducting a concert to raise money for the HKVCA and the C Force memorial. I spoke to the musicians about Canada’s contribution to the wartime defence of Hong Kong, and the importance of the memorial. Then their director, Dr Yip, was kind enough to allow my son and I to listen to them rehearse one of the pieces they will be playing.Anybody expecting them to be some sort of ‘school orchestra’ will be very pleasantly surprised; the quality was utterly outstanding. See the press release here: http://sc.info.gov.hk/gb/www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200905/02/P200905020042.htm, and the ticketing details here: http://www.hkvca.ca/conv09/concert.htm. 12 Ron Taylor (HK) sent a notice that this year’s Victory Day celebration in Hong Kong will be August 16. 12 Colin Day let me know that he had heard my WSST interview with Annemarie Evans on Hong Kong Heritage the other day. I will have to look for it in the RTHK archives. 11 Jonathan Moffatt was kind enough to let me know that Arthur White, HKVDC, passed away on July first. I was fortunate enough to be able to interview Arthur whilst at the Researching FEPOW conference at the UK last year. I had a delightful chat with him and his family later that day. 10 FEER will be printing a review of WSST in their September edition, and today invited me for a video interview which will also appear on their website at that time. 9 Mike Murray sent an amazingly high-quality photo of his grandfather Rod Giddins, who survived the Lisbon Maru and passed away this April, aged 89. 9 Faye Powell sent several pages from Victor Merrett’s (HKDDC) book, including his POW uniform patch, and an illustration of the spoon/fork combination they used in Sakurajima camp, “with my father’s [Robert Bede Moore] actual spoon / fork that he brought home with him.” On this subject, does anyone know which POW camp Lial Colbert and Neville Cavanagh (Australians from the HK Royal Naval Dockyard Police) ended up in? Both were on the Lisbon Maru, and most probably were in Osaka #1B. 8 I am in touch with Osler Thomas again (Force 136, BAAG), which is proving useful for my current research. 7 I invited everyone to Hong Kong for a team meeting in my ‘real’ job. The meeting was at the Langham Hotel, Kowloon side, so I took the opportunity to photograph the new Marine Police HQ development, and the old KCR clock tower (with the shell and bullet damage still clearly visible at the base). In the evening the team traveled to HK on the Star Ferry, and one of the Japanese delegates took a marvelous photo of the skyline with the lights reflected in the sea. I found a reasonable comparison photo (of around 1933) from Percy Chittenden’s collection. 5 While researching for the HK Dictionary of National Biography, I discovered that General Maltby had his own coat of arms, “Argent on a bend Gules between two cotises engrailed of the second a bugle horn stringed of the field between as many garbs Or.” (Illustrated) 3 Matthew Blampey (Bruce Hoy Poy's Great Nephew) sent me some interesting pages from a book called ‘Dinky Di’ which included an article on Bruce and his sisters’ war service. All born in Australia of a Chinese father and British/Australian mother, the children had been working in Hong Kong at the time of the Japanese attack. Escaping and returning to Australia, one of the sisters then noted of their mother: “She was living by herself and getting on as best she could. You see, when she'dmarried Dad she'd lost her British nationality and become 'Chinese by marriage'. That was thelaw then. She lost her rights as an Australian citizen and that meant she didn't have coupons toget any of the foods that were rationed. She got the Chinese rice ration and she used to swapit with neighbours for things like tea and butter, food that she was used to, because, exceptwhen Dad cooked, we ate European food at home.” 1 Brian Edgar sent this interesting link: http://english.cwi.org.cn/album/04.htm. Israel Epstein (in one of the photos) was of course an escapee from Stanley. 1 While discussing Telegraph Bay with Tan, he sent me this link from Time Life: http://www.life.com/search/?type=images&date=1939-1947&q0=hong+kong. I spent a happy hour going through the 100+ photos they had of HK from the period 1940-45 (mainly taken immediately post-war).
Image:
June Images
Argyle Street sketch (courtesy Tad Hosoi), Arliss Wedding (courtesy Faye Powell), 1 Chatham Path (Author) John Cook, Confirmation of Cook's death (both courtesy Petula Boddy), Estylito Rocha (courtesy Gary Rocha) John Vernall's MiD (courtesy London Gazette), Jack Sharp, Jack Sharp's medals (both courtesy John Warrack)
June News
There is a method to the madness, in case anyone is interested. On the 20th or 21st of each month I write up the blog to that point, basing it primarily on email correspondence (and using it as an excuse to reply to any that I missed), adding in anything that happened locally or arrived by snail mail, deleting the oldest month from the website, and having a first bash at deciding which ten photos to use for the new month. At the same time, I normally decide on a theme or introduction. On the penultimate day of the month I then add the last few days and tidy it up. That way, the work to make the new site live at the end of the month consists solely of a final read-through to ensure that nothing I have written could be misconstrued or cause offence, followed by the uploading of each item. Couldn’t think of a theme for June, so thought I’d describe the process instead.
30 Dave Deptford notes that Bosleys auction on 2 Sept 2009 will include the Defence of Hong Kong M.M., B.E.M (1962) and WW2 group to Charles Douglas Goddard, 1st Middlesex. http://www.bosleys.co.uk/ 30 Tad Hosoi reports that his Japanese translation of Frank Evans’ book (Rollcall at Oeyama) should be out at the end of July. He passed me an interesting sketch of Argyle Street with La Salle in the background by Captain Gidley. Gidley was only a subaltern at the start of the fighting, but I suppose the RASC losses at The Ridge led to quick promotions.
29 Barbara Anslow let me know that Norman Gunning (ex-Stanley, HKPF, author of ‘Passage To Hongkong’) passed away on 26th June in his early nineties. 29 Held the WSST book launch at the FCC at lunchtime. It was well attended and (rather nicely, as they were launched at the same venue in 2003 and 2006) copies of the earlier two books were on sale too. HKUP also gave me a copy of ‘Resist To The End’, the diary of BQMS Charles Barman, HKSRA, which they have finally published. This diary was not in very good shape after the author’s death, but his son Ray tidied it up and I then did what I could to help get it in order. I thought it was important as Barman had a unique perspective on the battle as he traveled around, BQMS diaries are very rare (have you ever seen one?), the HKSRA have been poorly served in the history books, and Barman later became senior NCO at Argyle Street Camp gaining a second unique perspective in the process.
28 Finished around 95% of my write-ups of Fraser, Harcourt, and Maltby for the Hong Kong Dictionary of national biography. Also made a good start at my documentation of the October 29 1943 executions for the next book.
26 Luiz Gosano of 5 Coy, HKVDC, was kind enough today to sort through my list of ‘unallocated’ Volunteers, and mark some 50 or so who were in 5 Coy with him. I will update my main records with this. The last time I refreshed the website ‘Search Garrison’ pages from the master file was 2005, so I will try to do it again before the end of this year.
24 Donald Ady noted that he had a ‘sort of relative’ who served in the HKVDC: “Bill Anderson was the grandson of a Scot who came to Hong Kong, and Bill was Eurasian, 1/4 Chinese. Tall, dark, with only rugged cheekbones to maybe mark him as not entirely Caucasian. Bill had a stellar business career - some or all of it (not sure) with NCR, National Cash Register, ending up as the international president in Toledo (?) Ohio. He'd been called to the post from the upper ranks in an office in Japan to where he'd gone from Hong Kong.” Imagine my surprise about two years ago, when I was presented with ‘Corporate Crisis: NCR and the Computer Revolution], to see that it had a chapter devoted to the author's - Bill Anderson - time as a POW.
19 Finally managed to get down to Crown Wine Cellars today to catch up with Greg De’eb and hand over the Bell diary for display there. Greg was more than a little surprised by the quality and content of the diary, and was enthusiastic to make it part of the Wine Cellars- which, among may other things – is the nearest thing to a living war museum that Hong Kong has.
15 Faye Powell sent me a photo of the Arliss wedding (6 Nov 41) asking if anyone can identify those in it. The known ones are: Back Row: Male unknown, Chinese female unknown, Robert Bede Moore, Chinese male unknown – thought to be brother of Ada Arliss, Chinese female unknown, Male Unknown Front Row: George Arliss, Ada Arliss (Chinese name not known). 15 Over on the Stanley Camp discussion group, there has been a lot of correspondence about a popular American called Gingle or Gingles. Geoff Emerson notes: “In an account by internee Maryknoll Father William Downs and published in the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch Journal, Volume 19, 1979, the following was written: (4 July 1942) ‘Mr Gingle's kitchen is a model of cleanliness and order, and everything is absolutely shipshape. No one is allowed in the galley and he takes great pride in his work. It is easily seen he has had Navy training. His clarion call for meals is 'Come and get it or I'll throw it on the deck!' and that brings us all running with our plates and cups... our ordinary fare seems to be just rice with a think gravy or soup, but every few days we get quite a delicious meal. It seems he (Gingles) gives us a square meal, served in an appetizing manner...he darkens the gravy by the addition of a little burnt sugar.’ ” Gingle(s) was allowed out of Stanley during the war – having avoided the repatriation to the States – and ended up in Ma Tau Wei camp instead. Does anyone know his family today?
14 Got back in touch with Gary Rocha whose uncle Tony (Antonio) was shot and killed when surrendering to the Japanese in Hong Kong. Gary’s oldest brother Louis was also HKVDC, and became a Chindit, together with Gary’s father Estylito, his second brother Edward, his uncle Carlos, and his brother-in-law Tony Souza. Gary also sent me photos of all of these. 14 Bought S.J. Chan’s book ‘East River Column’ today. Haven’t started reading it yet. 14 Had to drop one of our brats off for a birthday party on Tregunter Path, so continued along the road to take a look at Chatham Path along which I had been told was an old colonial pre-war house without road access. Found it. Beautiful place, but must be a monster to reach carrying heavy shopping up the little mosquito-ridden path under dripping trees.
13 Saw WSST and NTSC on Dymocks’ ‘Bestsellers’ shelf today! 13 Today saw that Fiona Bishop of the Royal British Legion in Hong Kong had been decorated with a well-deserved MBE. 13 Richard John Vernall’s (RNVR) daughter got in touch, asking for details of his OBE and MiD, which I was able to supply thanks to the online London Gazettes. She notes: “I was born in HK on 23rd December 1929. In 1936 my parents returned to the UK on leave. They left me here at boarding school and returned to HK, intending, of course, to return for leave again in 1939. However, along came the war with all the dreadful consequences - no need for me to tell you! It was in 1944 (8 years later) that my mother returned to the UK in convoy at the time of 'D' Day. A traumatic meeting as you can imagine when we again met after her stay in Sydney and my experiences here at school!”
12 At lunchtime I was interviewed by Debby Cheng Yi Yi from Ming Pao, about my work with sons and daughters of Hong Kong’s veterans, for an article to be published on Fathers’ Day. We made small talk as we walked into Hong Kong Park: “Did you study history at university?” “No, I studied computer science. Did you study journalism?” “No, I read anthropology.” After this mildly surreal start, somehow we avoided discussing demographic analysis algorithms and instead focused on the task in hand. 12 Antonio Changmine’s (HKRNVR) daughter got in touch.
11 Bill Deering’s (RN, Lisbon Maru) granddaughter got in touch. 11 Dr Dan Waters reminded me today of the Second World War Experience Center (http://www.war-experience.org/). They seem to have come a long way since I last looked at the site.
9 Received a surprise email today, from a professional historian in Canada who I have corresponded with previously, noting that he is the author of the TLS review. It’s not on line, so I’ll see if I can get away with quoting just the first few words here: “By their nature, academic military histories do not usually make for emotional reading, Tony Banham’s excellent history of the almost 14,000 men and women – British, Indian and Canadian soldiers and civilians taken prisoner by the Japanese when Kong Kong fell on Christmas Day 1941, departs from this tradition.” Now, I don’t want to give the impression of critical elitism, but had the TLS stated: ‘Tearing pages from Tony Banham’s latest book would be a decent way to start a barbecue’, I would have been pleased enough…
8 I received a sad letter from Marilynn Armacost, telling me that her husband Robert, the pilot of the B24 Les Miserables which crashed carrying ex-HK POWs in 1945, had passed away. See: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/kansascity/obituary.aspx?n=robert-shaw-armacost&pid=127082836 8 Received a nice letter from Grant Shepherd, Lisbon Maru, who – through reading WSST – has now learned the fate of a Royal Scot who was an old school friend. 8 Received a welcome letter from Peter Nayler containing a photo and death certificate of Herbert Edgar Nayler, Middlesex Regiment.
7 Gordon Fairclough RA, one of those who managed to escape from the POW camps, notes: “I have now read only a third of ‘We Shall Suffer There’ and I don't know if I can read more, I find it most disturbing.” Unfortunately this has been a common experience from those who were there at the time. I fear it was easier for me to write, than for them to read. 7 The HKVCA note that they now have enough to complete the memorial wall, but still need funds for the foundation and the landscaping. Realistically, they still need considerable donations to ensure that this memorial is as lasting and effective as it needs to be. Watch this space. 7 A gentleman reports that Australian Albert Laurence Taylor, who died as a POW on Hainan Island, was temporarily buried in plot A65 at Argyle Street Cemetery after the war, before being finally re-interred in Yokohama. This is the second such case I have come across, so would be very interested to get to the bottom of it. During the war there was indeed a POW cemetery on Argyle Street (south of the road, near the Ma Tau Chung Camp), but I thought it had been emptied in 1947-49, with all remains being reinterred in Saiwan.
6 Today I was shocked to see that WSST had been reviewed in the Times Literary Supplement. When you think of all the books published in English across the world, the idea of your own book being mentioned in the TLS is pretty far fetched. Only problem: I can’t find a copy to read.
5 Today I spoke about WSST for the RAS at City Hall. It wasn’t, officially, a book launch but I was able to explore the POW and Internee experience from 1942 to 45, using – as illustration - many of the unique and unpublished images that I have received via the readers of this site. I spoke for around 45 minutes, and then had a 30 minute discussion with those present. David Bellis (from www.batgung.com) was one of those kind enough to come, but there was also a sprinkling of those who knew the people I was talking about, or who had other specific interests in the period. Afterwards, the RAS was kind enough to take me to dinner at the FCC where the table included Geoff Emerson and Michael Duckworth – the new publisher at HKUP. 5 It’s often forgotten, but a number of Free French took a very active part in the defence of Hong Kong. I have mentioned Egal before, for example, but does anyone know more about Captain (or Lieutenant) Frederic Marie Jocosta who was lost at North Point on December 19? “Lieutenant Frédéric Marie Jocosta, né le 12 juin 1908, engagé volontaire le 8 décembre 1941, tué à North Point le 19 décembre 1941»: officier de liaison et chef du service de renseignement de la France Libre à Singapour, Frédéric Jocosta est de passage à Hong Kong en octobre 1941. Il rejoint le Corps des Volontaires dès le premier jour de l’invasion japonaise, lancée le lendemain de l’attaque de Pearl Harbour. Frédéric Jocosta est tué dans les combats des premières semaines, sur l’un des points d’appui britanniques de la défense de l’île de Hong Kong.” 5 Dave Deptford notes (certainly of interest, though a little late by the time you read this): “The following may be of interest - Dix, Noonan, Webb Auction 24th June 2009: 1. Capt R.R. Davies HKVDC: Efficiency Decoration £250.oo+ 2. Capt Robert Keith Valentine HKVDC late Middlesex Regt. 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal, 1939-45 Star, Pacific Star, defence and War Medals with M.I.D. Reported as POW HK - £320.oo+”
3 Manuel Prata’s (HKVDC) grandson got in touch. 3 Lorne R. McNab’s (Royal Rifles) family got in touch.
1 Elizabeth Ride was kind enough to send me Lt. Col. Ride’s commendation of Douglas Clague after the latter left BAAG. Although I am starting the ‘Hong Kong Irregulars’ research with the Hong Kong Chindits, I am also gathering material on all the escapees/evaders and their interactions with BAAG. 1 Petula sent some photos of, and letters from, John Cook RASC. She is looking for his girlfriend/fiancé Edna (illustrated), who was an American. “I have also found out that Edna returned to USA and kept in touch with my nan until the end of the war and then stopped writing. Apparently, the first letter she wrote to my nan was just addressed to Mrs R Goodhew of Edmonton - but it found her! Nobody knows what happened to her and why she stopped writing. By all accounts, when the war was over and if all had turned out well for them - they would have married.” 1 John Warrack, son of Captain Alex Warrack, RAMC, sent a photo of his grandfather wearing a Japanese decoration during WWII, as a token of respect for Alex who was a POW in Japan at the time. “My mother's Father was a Col William (Jack) Sharp who was a Quartermaster in WWI and was commissioned in the field in 1916 (Lt Quartermaster Sharp) and presented with a Wilkinson sword for leading out horses to recover some of the first tanks used. After the 1st world war he stayed in the army… The irony to all this was that Emperor Hirohito - when he was Crown Prince and visited England in the early 20's and was hosted by the Prince of Wales - presented to my Grandfather [who] was on the Prince's staff as a young Aide, the Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd class. Having retired before the outbreak of WW2 [he] was called up to the General Staff. It was said that he wore the medal ribbon when he was in uniform as a mark of respect for my Father, who he had only known for three weeks before he was posted to Hong Kong where my mother followed to marry him. No one at the WO ever asked the Colonel why he wore it, although my Grandmother used to say he got some funny looks.”
Image:
May Images
The Funeral (author), Bennets, Shouson, and other hills (author), Probable detonator (courtesy Craig Mitchell) Gowland wedding (courtesy Isabelle Clough), Alex Mann's grave at Yokohama (courtesy Dennis Morley), Matilda Hospital (author) Pollock letter (courtesy Thomas Vincent), Diary page (courtesy Bill Lake), Vaugn, Ashby meeting (courtesy Richard Hide)
May News
A lady who works for me in my day job claims that I am good at multi-tasking. We’ll see. For the next few weeks I am going to be focusing on writing up my notes on all the evaders and escapers from Hong Kong, and what they got up to after they left. At the same time, I am continuing to document the 1940 evacuation, while writing that potted history of the HKDDC for the RAS. To that I’ll add the little commission described below from HKUP. She may be right, she may be wrong. Time will tell.
31 AnneMarie Evans’ Asia Specific column today (South China Morning Post) ran a nice little piece about the research behind We Shall Suffer There.
28 Dennis Morley, who just read We Shall Suffer There, notes: “Bill Poulter's account of the fire bombing of Kobe House reminded me that I was on fire piquet on the top floor armed with beaters. After the first few came through we decided it was useless to carry on so we said to hell with it and went down below to our bed spaces. We then evacuated the building on to the Green - which is still there - and watched the B29s doing their job. I hope never to see a sight like that again in my life.” There is a well-known photo taken from a B29, of incendiary bomb canisters falling on the city that day. The site of the Kobe camp (Osaka #2B) is just to the left of centre, in the smoke. It is amazing that any of the POWs survived. At that green, they met many Japanese civilians also escaping the blaze.
27 Christine Loh and Leo Goodstadt very kindly organized a ‘farewell’ lunch for Colin Day, (publisher of HKUP, who recently retired and moved over to Macau), his wife Jenny, and a handful of his authors. Between us, this small group had written twenty books for him – a small fraction of the 1,000 or so that he has personally brought to fruition in his career. During his tenure, Colin doubled the output of the press, and – according to more than one of those present – doubled the quality as well.
26 This afternoon, at Stanley, the mortal remains of our ‘Unknown Soldier’ were laid to rest (illustrated). It was a simple memorial, but well attended by those who didn’t have to be there, as well as those with official functions. The Reverend John Chynchen's remarks, to general agreement, noted that we were there to celebrate not victory but the memory of a man unknown to us who died for simple principles “well described by the lyrics of a song by the band Pink Floyd: Hold on to the dream a place to stay enough to eat somewhere old heroes shuffle safely down the street where you can speak out loud about your doubts and fears and what's more no-one ever disappears you never hear their standard issue kicking in your door you can relax on both sides of the tracks and maniacs don't blow holes in bandsmen by remote control and everyone has recourse to the law and no-one kills the children anymore.” His quote was a surprising, but utterly fitting tribute. The ceremony was followed by a reception kindly hosted by the Hong Kong Sea School.
25 Michael Longyear sent some very interesting extracts from letters to the Governor from Hong Kong’s evacuated wives and families, petitioning for them to be allowed to return.
24 Notch up one more for HKWD: “After 60 unsuccessful years of trying to make contact with my uncle's family you have provided the necessary information. I am greatly indebted to you.”
23 Uber-researcher Keith Andrews tracked down George Arrowsmith’s POW Index Card (see last month): Shamshuipo - 29/12/41 - 3 / 9/42 - Major Boon Shinagawa - 15/9/42 - 21/7/43 - Capt. Badger (MX) Omori - 21/7/43 - 20/7/44 - Cmdr. Mayer (American) Sumidigawa - 20/7/44 - 30/8/45 (American Army) This is proof positive that Mr Arrowsmith – as I thought - was on the first draft from Hong Kong. Harry Badger (MX) was the senior officer, accompanied by Lt James Ford MC (RS, who recently passed away. See below) and Capt. Caesar Otway (RE). Ford and Otway took almost half the men to the Yokohama Stadium Camp, while Badger took most of the remainder to Shinagawa (Tokyo Main Camp at that time). From Shinagawa, the main working party was to construct the new camp at Omori on reclaimed land in the bay. Once Omori was completed, those men moved there and Shinagawa then became the well-known POW hospital. Omori, to some degree, was also used as a transit camp. Although I could trace the POWs there, not all were still at Omori when it was liberated. Now we know that Mr Arrowsmith had been transferred to Sumidagawa (Tokyo #10B).
22 Ron Rakusen sent this very interesting link. If anyone needs a hint, this is how ‘the good guys’ ran (and should still run) POW camps: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8060768.stm
20 It was my pleasure this evening to talk to Hong Kong’s Orders and Medals Research Society (OMRS) about my new book. The first time I met them, I had assumed they would be a bunch of anoraks who played with medals, but after discovering that the medals were often just an excuse into serious research into the lives of the men who wore them, I started to see myself as the ‘anorak who picks up rusty bullets’ instead. Interesting that almost their first question drilled into a point which I never managed to resolve: Why did only one Canadian officer go to Japan, while nearly 100 British officers did? And, why did any officers go, as they were not expected to work in the camps, and working was the entire rationale for the Japanese sending them there?
19 George Watt’s (HKPF, Stanley) family got in touch to say that he passed away yesterday at the age of 93. 19 Bill Lake let me know that he is currently typing up a very detailed diary by an architect (no longer with us) who was in Stanley Camp.
18 Today I received a commissioning letter from HKUP. They, through the book’s two editors, have asked me to write short articles on Maltby, Fraser, and Harcourt for the new Dictionary of Hong Kong Biography. Funny, though, that this little (and enjoyable) job will earn me about half what I earn in a typical year from the royalties on my ‘real’ books!
17 Had a good walk this morning up Old Peak Road, along Lugard Road, down to Pinewoods Battery, down again on Hatton Road, and home along Conduit Road. I was pleased to see that they had done a respectable job of the Pinewoods Battery ‘heritage trail’ (or whatever it is called). 17 Tad Hosoi, who is publishing Frank Evans’ book in Japanese, needs a photo of the harbour (from Kowloon side) taken in around 1980. Can anyone help? If it closely matches any of those taken around 1940, so much the better.
13 The HKVCA is trying to locate the family of the late Lt William Bradley, RRoC, if anyone can help. This is in relation to a drawing of his having been discovered in the Bell diary.
12 Had lunch with Peter Clarke today, to discuss possible routes for the Hong Kong Club walks later in the year. The Peak and Pinewoods Battery, Wong Nai Chung Gap to Middle Gap via the two mountains, and Wanchai Gap to Bennett’s Hill are all looking possible. 12 The Canadian Consulate were kind enough today to send me the final reports on the DNA of the remains. These showed too much variation in the mitochondrial DNA between the two samples (the unknown, and a member of Gray’s family) to be a match. They also noted that “The lower right first molar had been lost for many months, if not years before death and the socket had reabsorbed”, and this did not match Gray’s dental records. Lastly, they discovered that “In life, the individual had retained a glancing injury to either the left or right arm, months to years before death”. So, we are left with no firm idea of who this really was.
11 Interesting correspondence today with old friend Dr Dan Waters. Dan is the gentleman who discovered that Sergeant Major Osborn VC hailed from a family in Foulden, Norfolk (perhaps 15 miles from where I was born). Next time I’m in those parts, I must see if any traces of the family remain there. 11 Michael Longyear sent some scans of wartime and immediate post-war notes from Hong Kong, including one overstamped with “Hongkong Government $1” with which the economy was kick-started in 1945.
10 Today the SCMP’s Annemarie Evans published a story about the finding of the helmet and remains in Kowloon in 2004. This was triggered by the fact that the remains are finally going to be buried this month, but under a ‘Known Unto God’ stone, as the DNA testing did not show that these remains were those of Private John Gray (Winnipeg Grenadiers), as I had believed. 10 Herman Tadema-Wielandt’s (HKVDC) daughter got in touch, letting me know that her father had passed away in 1988. I believe this is the first Dutch HKVDC family to have made contact. Interestingly, nurse ND82 of the HKVDC was also a Tadema-Wielandt, but they are not sure what relation she was. 10 Richard Hide sent a photo of his meeting with Lt R. R. W. Ashby's son Vaughan, his wife Suzy, & SOE agent Colin McEwan's daughter Alison at Vaughan's house in St Gilles. “It was a most fascinating weekend with Vaughan digging out a considerable number of photographs and documents relating to the escape as well as the dog eared ships log for MTB 07.”
8 Michael Longyear sent a scan of a letter sent by Alec Howard in Shamshuipo to his wife who had been evacuated to Australia. Not unusually, it took a year (minus 20 days) to arrive. 8 Craig Mitchell is trying to identify what looks like a detonator from a WWII bomb which turned up near Jardine’s Lookout. 8 I was looking at the statistics generated by this site, and discovered that each day 50-100 people at least look at the home page. Surprisingly high numbers.
7 Today I received a very nice letter from Mrs Betty Beer, the sister of Douglas Chapman, Middlesex, who was lost on the Lisbon Maru. 7 Thomas Vincent let me know of a very interesting envelope and letter he bought at auction. It had been returned to the family of James Pollock, Royal Scots, after he was lost on the Lisbon Maru. 7 Walk Hong Kong is now offering tours of the battlefields (http://www.walkhongkong.com/) led by old friend Martin Heyes. 7 Had my annual checkup at the Matilda Hospital. It was a bright day, with haze in the hills, and I took the opportunity to get a few good photos of the building and views.
6 Wendy Rossini’s (civilian internee at Stanley) daughter got in touch. 6 I heard the sad news today that Oliver Lindsay (The Lasting Honour, At the Going Down of the Sun, and the more recent The Battle For Hong Kong) has passed away. His two first books did more than anything else to get me interested in this subject.
3 Today I was very pleased to receive a copy of a very long letter written by J. A. Morrison to his wife, detailing his escape (facilitated by Sergeant Lo, BAAG) from Hong Kong Bank in October 1942. 3 I finished reading Phillip Harman’s ‘Hellions of Hirohito’. It was a very readable book, surprising in some places, but the occasional mistake (such as knowing the Murray Parade Ground phonetically as the ‘Merry Playground’) actually added credence. 3 Bad news today, though it had to come at some point: http://news.scotsman.com/obituaries/James-Ford.5196854.jp (thanks to Martin Heyes for passing this on). As can be seen from the text, James Ford, MC, was a man of letters as well as a heroic figure in the struggle for Hong Kong and the POW Camps. I was lucky to have his help in completing my most recent book, but perhaps the best description of him is that from Leonard Birchall within. Douglas Ford, GC, of course (James’ older brother, very much of the same mold) is still with us in Hong Kong, beneath a stone in Stanley Cemetery.
2 Today I returned from a business trip to San Francisco to find Dingy Bell’s diary waiting for me. The first thing that struck me is how fresh each of the drawings within were; clearly this work has seldom been opened. My first task was to scan each page at 600dpi to ensure that it would all be preserved. One drawing that particularly took my fancy was by Lieutenant Bradley (RRoC) of a wintry Canadian scene, but there were many others that were equally strong. 2 Dennis Morley (RS) was kind enough to send me an old ‘red Book’ about the part of the UK I am from. In it, he included a couple of photos, including one taken on a recent visit to the Yokohama Cemetery. 2 Isabelle Clough sent me a very nice version of Cuthbert Gowland’s wedding photo (see last month’s report). 2 Wes Injerd was kind enough to send me this story about the recent reprint of Corrigan’s (Winnipeg Grenadiers) diary (I am half way through reading it myself): http://www.prairiepost.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3751&Itemid=28
The Gowland Wedding (courtesy Jan Hollis), Letter from Alec Howard (courtesy Michael Longyear), John Cook (courtesy Petula Boddy) Laureat Bacon (courtesy Yves Chevarie), A theatre in HK, by John Cook (courtesy Petula Boddy), Middlesex Regt. post-war (courtesy Brian Merlock) William Ward (courtesy Derrick Rothwell), WSST in Dymocks (author), The Tucker Wedding (Glynis Tucker)
April News
When I changed to the current website format, which allows me to display nine high-res and one low-res photos each month, I really thought I would have a chance to show or re-show many of the images in my archives. However, I failed to take into account months like this, in which I receive five or six times more good photos than I have space to show! So I’m learning to cheat a bit by making montages when time allows.
27 George Edward Arrowsmith’s (RE) daughter got in touch.
26 A.P. Gray contacted me from Canada, noting that he has the saxophone from Shamshuipo’s Canadian jazz band in his possession. It “was repatriated along with other band instruments about 1947 or so and arrived at Minto Barracks in Winnipeg. It is a Conn vintage 1926.”
24 William Ward’s (RE) nephew got in touch, sending a fine photo. 24 Craig Mitchell sent an interesting image of a detonator/fuse marked “No 8I **** RZRL 1/31 166” which turned up in the Jardine’s Lookout area. Tony Williams in the UK is trying to track down an appropriate expert to help identify it. 24 I received a large cache of photographs from Jan Hollis (daughter of Cuthbert Gowland, Stanley Platoon). Most of these are of her parents’ wedding. No prizes for recognizing the location – the entrance to St John’s Cathedral has hardly changed. 24 Michael Longyear sent an example of a Hong Kong Liberation Day ‘first day cover’. The franking was August 29 1945, and the envelope contained a cutting from a Hong Kong newspaper of the previous day. The cutting “describes the design of the stamps by the PMG (Hong Kong) who was interned by the Japanese. He started the design in 1943 in anticipation of the liberation of Hong Kong. He was helped in the POW camp by Mr W E Jones, Senior draughtsman of the HK Public Works Dept.” Later, Michael also sent a cover celebrating Hong Kong’s centenary.
21 Douglas Vernon Chapman’s (Middlesex) sister got in touch. Chapman had been badly wounded in Dunkirk before being posted to Hong Kong. He lost his life on the Lisbon Maru.
19 While one of HKWD’s major themes is the linking of history to today (especially through family connections), occasionally there is a slightly more immediate call for help. A lady who had lost her engagement ring was apparently told that I ‘was good at finding things’. After assembling a small team of searchers, we gathered today at the popular beach in question. Within 40 minutes, the ring was back on the appropriate finger (illustrated). When told that it had been lost there on March 14, we had to admit that had we known that, we wouldn’t have even bothered looking!
18 Mem Maria De V. Soares’ (HKVDC) nephew got in touch. He has helped correct several of the Portuguese names in my lists, and is doing his best to locate a full list of 5 Coy personnel.
17 I suppose googling yourself is rather a sad pastime, but I did it today to see if any reviews (official or not) have yet appeared for WSST. I didn’t find any, but I did find this interesting link in a blog: http://orientalsweetlips.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!707C1787E97F2563!1314.entry 17 Yves Chevarie sent another good photo of Laureat Bacon, Royal Rifles of Canada. He is wondering if Mr Bacon was one of those who swam from Eucliffe to Chung Hom Kok. 17 From Gordon at the HKHAA: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/eo20090415a1.html. I doubt you would have seen this in a Japanese publication a few years ago.
16 Today Petula Boddy sent a number of good photos of and relating to John Cook, RASC, who died in Japan. One photo strongly suggests that he had ‘another half’ called Edna, who the family thinks may have been American. Unfortunately their post-war efforts to trace her were not successful. 16 Today I was asked to speak at the unveiling of a plaque by the Canadian Consulate at St Stephen’s College. I was quite pleased with what I said, but then the Canadian Minister for International Trade, Stockwell Day, got up. He spoke without notes about his maternal grandfather, who had fought in Hong Kong with the Royal Rifles and returned to Canada in 1945 in broken health, dying the following year, still in hospital. Three times he had to pause to recover his composure, once for a full two minutes – during which he stood without the slightest embarrassment, until he was ready to continue. All I can say is that if you had dropped a neutral observer into the room when we started, and mentioned that one speaker was a professional politician, the other someone passionately interested in the subject, she would have reported: “Well, the British politician wasn’t a lot of use, but that Canadian guy who spoke from the heart - he had me in tears.”
15 Four years ago I received a set of six photos of Americans at Stanley Camp, which I posted to the Stanley Yahoo group today. They were aware of several of these photos, though not all, and managed to identify most of those pictured. 15 Received an invitation from Richard Hide to join the Great 1941 MTB Escape re-enactment here in Hong Kong at Christmas. I don’t yet know when I will be in town, but it certainly looks a lot of fun. The letter and envelope were perfect recreations of those of 1941, complete with censor’s label and 1941 franking! Alas, the letter also contained the news that Henry Hsu, the last known survivor from the escape, had passed away on Feb 3rd. Look for more news from HERO (Hongkong Escape Re-enactment Escape Organisation) as the event gets closer.
14 Nicholas Alexander Tonoff-Zavadsky’s (HKVDC) son got back in touch. 14 Passed through Dymocks in Prince’s Building today and was pleased to see that not only did they have a big pile of WSSTs on display, but they were conveniently placed next to an equally big pile of Solly Bard’s memories, Light and Shade!
12 John Morrison’s (Civilian, HSBC) niece got in touch. Morrison was one of those ‘spirited away’ from Hong Kong.
10 Gerry Tuppert has confirmed where in Canada the Canadian POWs’ Index Cards are held, and how to access them. 10 Michael Longyear sent me an interesting letter from his uncle Alec Howard.
7 Jonathan Nigel (E.J.R. Mitchell’s grandson, and F.G. Nigel’s son) was kind enough to put me in touch with a number of Hong Kong’s pre-war civilian evacuees. 7 Norman Foster Tuckers’ (HKVDC) daughter-in-law got in touch with the Stanley Community. She forwarded a very good photograph of the Tuckers’ wedding.
6 Brian Merlock sent two photos of his father with the Middlesex Regiment post-war. His father (fourth from left, back row) was one of many ex-HK POWs who rejoined the army soon after the war, possibly finding it a useful step in rehabilitation.
5 Two people have noted that I incorrectly referred to Sergeant Major Osborn as Sergeant Osborn in last moth’s blog. Martin Heyes, for one, points out: “There is a world of difference between the two ranks, even though both are members of the Sergeants’ Mess. A Sergeant is an N.C.O. - respectable enough in itself - but a W.O. 2 (and of course a W.O. 1) holds the Sovereign's Warrant, just as a commissioned officer holds the Sovereign's Commission. Woe betide any soldier (or officer) who refers to a Sergeant Major as a ‘Sergeant’, as I well remember from my time in the Army!” 5 Isabelle Clough got back in contact noting: “I see that Cuthbert Gowland’s grand daughter got in touch with you. I would be interested in communicating with her. I knew her grandparents. In fact my brother and I were attendants at their wedding in Hong Kong in 1934. I have photographs of the wedding.” Small world!
4 Anna Rozario was kind enough to pass on a photo of Doc Molthen. 4 A sad byproduct of my email blast to so many people interested in Hong Kong’s wartime history has been the number of responses that have included details of veterans who have passed away: Rodney Giddins, Royal Artillery, April 2009 Alfred Bright, Middlesex, March 2009 Graham Hill, Middlesex, October 2008 Clifford Matthews, Winnipeg Grenadiers, October 2006 4 Ray Pellor’s (Winnipeg Grenadiers) niece got in touch. 4 Richard Lightfoot was kind enough to let me know that: “the Europe agents for HKUPress (Eurospan, based in London) are offering the book with a 15% discount to customers who sign up to their email address. Plus free p&p within the UK. Their web address is: www.eurospanbookstore.com”
3 Following last month’s photos, Henry Ching is asking in anyone knows the story behind the Chinese Memorial Gate in the Botanic Gardens? How was it erected, and by who? 3 Interviewed today by Annemarie Evans for a forthcoming article in the South China Morning Post. 3 I keep the email addresses of all correspondents on HK history, and whenever a new book comes out, I sent a short notice to the whole list. There were about 1,000 on it this time, of which about 200 bounced back – despite the fact that all had been active between June 2006 and today. Interesting that to so many people, an email address is still considered a transient thing.
Elmer Smith (courtesy Frazer Smith), Junior Banhams: Unbridled enthusiasm at new book (author), Brownlow's tomb (courtesy Dorothy Betts) Jubillee Buildings (courtesy TK), Shamshuipo from air (courtesy Wes Injerd), Shamshuipo on modern map (author) Lowe, Claytons, Stebbe at Wanchai Gap 2005 (author), Colleen Stebbe at Wanchai Gap 2009 (author), War-damaged Chinese memorial at Botanic Gardens (author)
March News
We Shall Suffer There is out. Like Not The Slightest Chance before it, this is a textbook rather than a ‘good read’. It is not designed for those who want to be told what to think; instead, it is a summary – as accurate as I could make it – of the basic facts behind the Hong Kong POW experience. My job was to create the most accurate chronology of events, and then simply populate it with the words of those who were there (readers wanting an ‘analytical’ historian who would tell everyone what he ‘would have done had I been Hitler’ should look elsewhere). The idea of such books is that they provide a dependable foundation upon which other research – by myself or others – can be built. Anyone who wants a copy quickly should order via HKUP’s website: (http://www.hkupress.org/Common/Reader/Products/ShowProduct.jsp?Pid=1&Version=0&Cid=10&Charset=iso-8859-1&page=-1&idx=6). No doubt it will be available on Amazon, but based on previous experience, that could be in a month or two’s time.
30 Christopher Caul’s (Middlesex) daughter got in touch.
29 Today I finally finished superimposing wartime aerial reconnaissance photos of the Hong Kong POW Camps onto modern maps. These can be found on the ‘Book 3’ page of this site. The idea is that visitors to Hong Kong who want to see where the camps were, can print these out and take them along. The three good-quality recce photos also included (thanks to Richard Morgan) come with permission from Wes Injerd’s excellent site at http://home.comcast.net/~winjerd/Supply/Encmpmnt/POWE01.html. Interesting that these also label Peak Mansions as ‘Bowen Road Hospital’.
28 Sergeant Robert Osborn’s (VC, Winnipeg Grenadiers) granddaughter got in contact. I have been in contact with her mother for a few years, and it’s good to have the next generation showing an interest.
27 Elmer Smith’s (Royal Rifles) son got in touch, and sent through a raft of very interesting photos and letters. These included details of his father’s field service cap (illustrated), which was found in Stanley in 1942 by Clyde Cook, an American child interned there. Immediately after the war, Cook’s family took the time to return the item to Canada (rather as Percy Chittenden’s diary – found in a Wanchai garden after the war- was returned to him). 27 Received a letter from Taffy Evans today. He’s a favourite of our kids, as his invitation to his 90th birthday consisted of a photo of him in his leathers on his motorbike; you can’t keep the Middies down. Today’s letter mentioned the POW songs and poems that he has been keeping: Kobe House Blues - 1943 Handsome Harry - 1944 Do it all Over again - Cpl Colly, RE, 943 On the Road to USA – Cpl Wright My Passage to the Sea – Alan Potter, St John’s Ambulance To Past Members of 27 Coy RAMC Hell Ship (Lisbon Maru) That Distant Day The Charge of the Rice Brigade What Did POW Years Mean to You – J.J. Walker, HKVDC After the latter, he notes: “The sincerity and depth of feeling with which this was written can never be doubted”. I have the words of these and more – and even recordings of ex-POWs singing one or two. At some point I should document these properly; it would be a shame to lose them.
25 Today my ten free copies of We Shall Suffer There arrived. I’ll have to order more…
23 It seems we may have found a home for the amazing Bell diary, at Crown Wine Cellars in Hong Kong. Stay tuned for more details. In the meantime, we are also looking for more details about the author. SQMS Frederick Walter Bell, 14470945, was born on 03.09.1897 in London. He served in 12 Company, Royal Army Service Corps. His next of kin is recorded as Miss L.L. Bell, 204 the Avenue, London N17. He stayed in Shamshuipo until liberation. Can anyone add more?
21 I hear that BQMS Charles Barman’s diary is speeding towards publication by HKUP. This will be a real treat for those interested in the details of the Hong Kong battle, and of Argyle Street Camp, as Barman features heavily – and uniquely – in both.
19 The Alresford Historical and Literary Society (long may they flourish!) is researching their local war memorials, upon which is inscribed the name of Gunner Cecil Tubb, RA, who died on pneumonia in Kobe, Japan having survived the Lisbon Maru. I have not been contacted by his family, so does anyone know of a photo?
18 Charles Francis Knox’s (HKRNVR) son got in touch. Knox served on the Frosty (see last month’s blog). Uncle David Knox, also HKRNVR, was lost on the Lisbon Maru, whilst aunt Nora Hillon (nee Knox) was in Stanley Camp room 4/26 (she was married to Sergeant Hillon of the HKVDC), and a further uncle – Henry Eardley – was also a POW.
16 Dorothy Betts, a cultural Historian living in The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus says: “I have been asked by the Trustees of the British Cyprus Memorial to create a booklet of the individuals who lie buried in the British Cemetery in Kyrenia. Visit (www.britishcyprusmemorial.org) for more detail about the project and the Trustees. The Memorial project is actually a two fold exercise. The erection of a long overdue commemoration of the sacrifice made by British Services Personnel during the late 1950's, together with a major restoration project of the 'Old' British Cemetery in Kyrenia, where the memorial is to be erected. Those interred in this cemetery represent a repository of British Colonial History. As you will see from the web site there are a number of distinguished military people including Captain Norman Brownlow who was aboard the Lisbon Maru when she was torpedoed. He died on the 30th September 1976, and is buried in the Old British Cemetery in Kyrenia.” She is looking for more information on Brownlow. I of course pointed her to the Regimental museum (which has an oil painting of him, and a description of his decoration for rescuing fellow survivors from the water), but does anyone else have anything to add?
13 Sad to relate, Sergeant Osborn VC’s (Winnipeg Grenadiers) son Garry passed away today. Osborn senior was of course a Norfolk boy, born fifteen miles or so from my own birthplace, and it’s a shame that no one has yet written his biography. His daughter once described to me how her mother and father met (“She saw him rescuing people from a burning house”…), which gives some idea of the man’s character.
12 Len Syke’s (HKVDC) daughter got in touch. She is currently typing up his diaries. Sadly, she notes that he passed away last month (17.2.1913 to 22.2.2009). He was Company Quarter Master Sergeant in the HKVDC Engineers, joining up not long after his arrival in Hong Kong from the UK, in September ’38. His signature is one of those on the drawing of the UK (by Geoff Coxhead, HKVDC) with Winston Churchill superimposed on it in Terence Kelly’s book “Living With Japanese”.
10 The Historic Military Vehicle Forum today published a review of Not The Slightest Chance. http://www.hmvf.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=344:not-the-slightest-chance-by-tony-banham&catid=22:books&Itemid=79. It’s nice to be reviewed by those who understand that history does not need to be embellished and dramatized ‘News of the World’ style. We Shall Suffer There follows this dry (and in my opinion, very appropriate) style. 10 I received a note saying: “I am involved with trying to trace details of Old Worcesters who were lost in World War II and whose names have been omitted from our war memorial in London. One of those is Alexander RAMSAY, who was employed by the Indo China Navigation Co, possibly as a member of their sea staff, and who was thought to have been killed during the Japanese invasion.” However, as far as I can see, Ramsay, and his wife and son (also Alexander Ramsay) survived the war. 10 Rog Mansell, on a trip to NARA, found the Dr Clive report for Shinagawa hospital (Record Group 408 Box 189). This helps confirm many details, including various things that happened at Shinagawa before Dr Clive arrived. 10 Dave Deptford note two items of interest in Dix, Noonan, Webb auction in London of 26th March 2009 (see their website http://www.dnw.co.uk/medals/). Lot 25 - Group 6 to ex Chief Inspector H B Dewar (Lofty) ex HKP, interned in Stanley, retired 1962 and later Chief Security Officer at the Hilton, killed in BOAC crash off Bombay in July 1963. Est GBP800+. Lot 113 - OBE and Great War M.C. group of 11 to Lt Col R D Walker HKVDC, wounded and captured and PoW. Est GBP 1400+. The latter is particularly interesting as two Winnipeg Grenadiers were in turn decorated for rescuing him under fire in Wong Nai Chung Gap. See: http://www.hkvca.ca/historical/Honours/mc/blackwood.htm 10 Richard Hide was kind enough to send me the log of MTB07. 10 Johnathan Moffatt was kind enough to alert me to COFEPOW’s new POW database: http://www.cofepowdb.org.uk/cdb2/Index.jsp
9 Chris Anderson was kind enough to tell me about another book written about Hong Kong by a internee of Stanley: "HELLIONS OF HIROHITO" By Phillip Harman, Narration by Eric Heath, Foreword by General Russell Hearn. I have ordered a copy from the Interweb already.
7 Max Holroyd sent me a very interesting two-page report, an outline of his father’s (also Max Holroyd) escape that was submitted in New Delhi on the 10th May 1943. He notes: “Whilst I don’t know if it was submitted by my Father or one of the others, it does seem likely it might have been my father.”
6 Annelise Connell notes: “I'm updating the St. Stephen's Chapel website, and have been looking into the original Peak Church from where the brass cross came. I've been trawling the Web and have created a page of some info at http://stanleymarket.org/PeakChurch.htm. If anyone has more, I would be interested.” I am a bit surprised as I always thought that the cross originated in the old Stanley chapel at the Fort.
3 So far no luck in tracing the grave of Anna M Fielding (maiden name Martiney), who appears to have died at some point between June 1940 and Dec 41. She had married Leslie Stuart Fielding, Royal Scots Regiment, in 1937. Anna Fielding died of cancer, and her Death Certificate was signed by D. A. Duke, Captain Adjutant, 2nd Bn. The Royal Scots. The family thought she had been buried in the Colonial Cemetery, but this doesn’t seem to be the case. 3 Albert Edward (Buzz) Saw’s (Middlesex) niece is trying to learn more about Albert’s wife and daughter, both called Mona. Albert married Mona in Hong Kong or Singapore. She was of Indian descent, but hailed from South Africa. Albert was killed on 24th December 1941 at Morrison Hill. His wife and child were interned in Stanley throughout the war. Mona was a nurse of Indian descent but came from South Africa. Apparently she went back to S.A. after the war and the Saws in London lost touch with her. Family legend had it that a Japanese soldier hit the baby on the head with a rifle to stop her crying and thus she had a horseshoe shaped scar.
2 Taffy Evans – one of the few remaining Die Hards from Hong Kong, who has just opened his new computer shop in Manila, was kind enough to respond to my question about Ernest Viner of the Middlesex. He recalled that Viner was in C Company. 2 HKVCA got in touch, noting that one of the photos in the December blog is also in their site: http://www.hkvca.ca/galleries/Gallery/Group%20Photos/slides/Shamshuipo2.htm 2 Boris Gellman’s (HKVDC) nephew got in touch. He notes that Gellman died in 1994. This is a shame, as he was on of the last two people to see John Gray (Winnipeg Grenadiers) alive before he disappeared forever Kowloon-side on or around Dec 12 1941. I had always hoped he might have some clues as to Gray’s demise. 2 Courtesy of my sister, today I received the Britain At War magazine for January. This included the very interesting article by Bill Gill on HMS Thracian’s service with the IJN after she was refloated when Hong Kong surrendered. (A very interesting magazine, by the way).
1 Geoff Viner confirms for last month’s photo: “Just thought I would confirm that the man in uniform on the right is indeed Wallace Matthew Wood (my uncle). I am now sure I was told this some years back but when I saw photo again after all this time, for some reason, I thought he was a friend from the Middlesex (last I saw Uncle Wally, I was 14). My Aunt, his sister, confirmed this yesterday. She wondered whether you had any other information in relation to him? She did say that both my Dad and Wally were together floating on ‘some wood’ before being picked up by a Japanese vessel. She also said they witnessed men being shot in the water by the Japanese. Wally was definitely affected mentally by the experience and after learning of Dad's death wrote a letter to us addressed to ‘The Late Mr Charles Viner’ (I mentioned Dad changed his name). The letter from memory was very long and contained much in relation to their internment.” 1 Colleen Stebbe (daughter of Larry Stebbe, Winnipeg Grenadiers) arrived in Hong Kong together with her aunt, and we had a pleasant walk around the battlefields from Wong Nai Chung to Wanchai Gap. I had walked the same ground with her father around four years earlier. 1 TK sent some interesting old photos of the HK POW camps being used as refugee camps again post-war.
Image:
February Images
Middlesex news cutting (courtesy Bruce Waldron), Argyle Street Hut (courtesy Susan Blumberg), Page from the Bell Diary (courtesy Derek Bailey) Hamilton Letter (courtesy Philip Trumble), Herbert Dixon and friends (courtesy Lorna Manson, via Ross Lynneberg), Above Repulse Bay (courtesy Robert Gibson) Dateline Certificate (courtesy Max Holroyd), Viner Wedding (courtesy Geoff Viner), Percy Chittenden (courtesy Ken Blackmore)
February News
This month’s report is so long that I’ll have to keep the intro brief. Suffice it to say that We Shall Suffer There is expected any moment. (Though I would appreciate feedback on the new photo format).
26 In the December blog I mentioned hearing from someone, via Canadian friends, who had found the diary of an RASC man. My emails were not returned, so I let it pass believing it would be a ‘standard’ HK POW diary with little new to add. Today Derek Bailey contacted me and showed me the whole thing. Seldom have I so enjoyed being so wrong! The author, ‘Dingy’ Bell, had a great eye and a steady hand, and the cartoons and sketches that fill this document bring so many forgotten episodes to light. It will take me a while to go through it all, but this is a document that deserves to be seen and celebrated. Derek seems very much of the same mind, so the question is: Who could make the best use of it? 26 Via Henry Ching and Ron Taylor (HK), today I received Arthur May’s provisional list of the Ma Tau Wei internees. Only 100 or so are listed, so it is probably incomplete, but it is the first of the kind I have seen. The only list now still completely missing is that for Rosary Hill. 26 Faye Powell is looking for the family of Victor Robert J. Merrett, HKDDC, who passed away in 1991 in Devon. Can anyone help?
23 It looks like I’ll be writing a short history of the HKDDC for the Royal Asiatic Society. More on that as it develops.
22 Had a good walk with HK Club. It was a misty morning which didn’t bode well, but it cleared up later. The route was around Violet Hill to talk about The Ridge (and subsequent massacres) and the Repulse Bay Hotel, and then back east along the Repulse Bay and Deepwater Bay beaches to talk about pillboxes 17 through 14. Almost 40 people turned up, which was rather more than I had bargained for as the majority of the walk was in single file along narrow paths! Afterwards, Robert Gibson was kind enough to send me some fine photos. Peter Clarke was also kind enough to pass me a 1964 Military Report By Lt Col R.J. Durant, AEC on the fall of Hong Kong, which had been lent by Adam Osborn. There was not a great deal in it that was ‘new’, but there was a very interesting note that Maltby’s intelligence had largely been provided by liaison officers sent by his predecessor – Grasset – to ChunKing.
21 Donald Chan reported that the Mingpao Weekly Publication of 21.2 had included a very good article on the Dec 25 MTB escapees.
20 Had a lovely letter from Bob & Marilynn Armacost (Bob was captain of one of the B24s that crashed just after liberation, while ferrying POWs). In WSST I mention that when they gave me permission to quote for the book they said something like: “Any little kid who can track down someone he doesn’t know half way across the road can use whatever he wants.” I thought they were joking when they said ‘little kid’, but it turns out they were serious and were very surprised to receive a Christmas card from me with a photo of my two sons wearing suits! Arguably this doesn’t say much for the maturity of my letter-writing style…
19 Geoff Emerson sent a fine photo of himself and Mark Huang in the chapel at Stanley holding the cross that was used by the Internees during the war. (Illustrated). 19 Charles and Audrey Evans’ (Stanley Internees) great nephew got in touch.
17 I needed to get photos of Herbert Dixon, the New Zealand POW of radio fame, so I contacted the last of the wartime Hong Kong New Zealanders I am still in contact with – Ross Lynneberg. It took him a few days, but he was kind enough to track one down.
15 Gerry Tuppert has found yet another example of a Canadian POW Index Card on the web: http://www.hkvca.ca/historical/accounts/williambell/chapter5.htm. Can someone please find the mother lode?
14 Found myself in KGV again for the morning, so went to find the original burial place of Mogra and McKillop, two of the badly wounded men from the ‘black hole’ at Wong Nai Chung who made it as far as Argyle Street before expiring. Needless to say, the hillside on which they were originally interred is now a housing estate.
13 Richard Finch’s (RN, Lisbon Maru) nephew got in touch.
11 Following a visit to KGV, I found that Walter John Butler Keates, a schoolboy interned at Stanley, is recorded on the Roll of Honour in the main hall as having lost his life in Korea. I just had time to add this fact into the relevant section of We Shall Suffer There, and then started looking for details. From Henry Ching, via Ian McNay I learned that: “Walter Keates was editor of the China Mail. When the SCMP Ltd bought over the China Mail, Keates came over with it and continued to be the editor. His wife was Eurasian. They had two daughters, Dorothy, the eldest, and Barbara who went to the DGS. John was younger than his sisters. In 1941 they were 12 (Dorothy), 11 (Barbara) and 10 (John). After the surrender the whole family was initially interned in the Matilda Hospital, and from there was moved to Stanley Internment Camp… Keates had a problem in one ear and had difficulty keeping his balance. He was crossing Des Voeux Road one evening, on his way to his home in Kowloon somewhere in Mody Road or Chatham Road, when a tram knocked him down. He suffered quite serious head injuries, but recovered and resumed work after some time in hospital. - Assuming that Sub. Lt. Walter J.B. Keates was our John Keates, you may be interested to know that he was in 801 Squadron of the Fleet Air Arm, serving on the aircraft carrier Glory, and that officially he was missing believed killed after an aircraft crash.” This struck a chord with me as 801 was flying the Hawker Sea Fury at the time. My uncle was on the design team of the engine, my (Dutch) flying instructor flew them in Korea, and my mother was a junior air traffic controller for them in the Wrens. It was also – in my opinion – the most beautiful aircraft ever built (take a bow, Sir Sydney!).
10 Ernest Viners’s (Middlesex, Lisbon Maru) son got in touch. He included a great photo of his father’s wedding day in late 45.
9 Had lunch today at the Repulse Bay Hotel, together with a friend and the property’s management. The subject for discussion was the possibility of including the hotel’s wartime period in the exhibitions currently being installed within. I don’t suppose anyone has photos of the tunnel that the civilians sheltering at the hotel used as a sort of air-raid shelter during the siege? I had always assumed it was to the east of the main hotel block, but the management (correctly, as it turned out when I asked a friend of mine who had been there in the war) told me it was to the west, under the old green house. 9 Today I received from HKUP the final cover for We Shall Suffer There. It’s all done bar the printing. 9 Bruce Waldron sent a nice cutting about the Middlesex in HK from the Daily Herald. This article proved what I had long believed, that the Middlesex were largely recruited from a small area of London.
6 Vladimir Alexander Itenson’s (HKVDC) son got in touch again. He is also related to anther Volunteer Private J. H. Horowitz (both of those gentlemen, of course, originated in Russia). 6 Douglas Haig Hamilton’s (HKVDC) son-in-law posted an email to the FEPOW community noting that Hamilton was in Innoshima Camp and kept a diary. The diary mentions J.M Mackinnon so if Fiona Mackinnon is still looking for details of the old man, please contact me. 6 A little bird tells me that the Canadian Consulate are planning to place a tasteful plaque in St Stephen’s College Stanley, dedicated to the Canadians who lost their lives there in the courageous defence of the village. This is an excellent idea, and is surely something that other Consulates should consider emulating for their own nationals?
5 Max Holroyd was kind enough to copy me on a fascinating email about his parents (father: BAAG after escape from Hong Kong, mother: Force 136 after being sent by the SOE to Singapore, traveling via San Francisco and the Clipper). 5 The Batgung boys posted some great stuff on PB22 today: http://www.batgung.com/node/1824#comment-7701. They also have a video of the interior of the JLO tunnel I mentioned last month: http://www.batgung.com/node/2431
4 Ken Blackmore, nephew of Percy Chittenden of the Middlesex and the Lisbon Maru, dropped into my office with an incredible packet of bits and pieces that the old boy had kept. What made these so interesting was the fact that these were all the sort of ‘uninteresting’ things that families typically throw away. Among other photos and documents there was a great deal about the time from liberation to returning to the UK. These included a magazine fro the USS Joseph T. Dickman, a map and documents from the Fifth Replacement Depot (near Manila), a caution against POWs publicizing their experiences – dated, most interestingly, as early as July 15 1945 – the day that Gadget was tested, and a copy of the ‘Dickman Drift’ (yet another of the daily publications issued by the ships bringing the POWs home).
3 Susan Zachary’s papers arrived. These included interview notes with her mother, Peggy Wilson, about Stanley, and also her father’s war diary (Lt Daniel Wilson, HKRNVR, who was temporarily in charge of APV Frosty). As Peggy Wilson’s wartime experiences seemed to mirror Barbara Anslow’s, I emailed the latter for her recollections: “Tony, Yes I knew Peggy Wilson well, and worked in the same Secretariat Office with her in 1938 before she married Danny Wilson. Her maiden name was McCaw, she had 2 younger sisters Muriel and Dorothy. Muriel also joined the HK Govt. as a stenographer pre-war and at one time also worked at the Secretariat (then called the C.S.O.) while I was there. I'm in occasional correspondence with Muriel in Oz, just recently she moved into a retirement home. Another C.S.O. stenographer, Mary Taylor (who postwar married Douglas Stewart), went to lodge with Peggy and her husband Danny in their flat in Macdonnell Road. During the HK battle, Peggy came to work for the ARP Dept in the Govt. Tunnel, on the same shift as me. I then was billeted in Dina House, but as Danny was away from home with the RNVR, and Mary had a billet in the town, Peggy invited me to lodge with her, which I did, grateful to be able to leave the dormitory accommodation in Dina House, even though it entailed a hairy walk between Macdonnell Rd and the Tunnel. She and I usually were on the early morning shift; in the late afternoons Peggy used to drive lorries or trucks wherever required. She was very good to me. A middle aged friend of Peggy's later joined us in the flat, and for security all 3 of us slept in the same room. He was Sidney Harris, a Gas Detection Officer. When some days later the shelling etc. increased, I moved back to Dina House which wasn't so exposed as Macdonnell Road. We ARP lot were, after the surrender, sent to the Tai Koon Hotel, and a few days later Peggy and Danny were among 300 more internees who joined us there, but on different floors. Danny was taken ill, and on the day we were about to leave for Stanley, he was taken to hospital with pneumonia, Peggy went with him. Both ended up in Stanley. I didn't have contact with them after the war. Danny died not long after he and Peggy retired to UK, electrocuted I believe while using an electric hedge cutter(?). Peggy died several years ago. I may still have a group photo of us stenographers taken outside the Secretariat about 1940. Barbara” 3 Ron Rakusen was kind enough to struggle through problems with email, and answer two points on the January blog (covering Francis Braun and Phyllis Bliss). 3 The indefatigable (I don’t often get the chance to use that fine word) Roger Mansell has now finished adding the Innoshima (Hiroshima #5B) liberation roster to his site. Take a look. There are lots of well-known HKDC names there: http://www.mansell.com/pow_resources/camplists/hiroshima/hiro_5_innoshima/hiro_5_british_roster.html#anchor310274 3 Dave Deptford pointed me to: http://www.aberdeenmedals.com/shop/shop.php (type Hughes into the word search box at upper right). The medals of Lt. Col. Harry Owen-Hughes are for sale. This collection should really be in a museum.
2 Can anyone help me out? I doubt it, as I have already asked the usual suspects. In the years shortly after the war, a Spitfire Mk 24 crashed in the waters of Port Shelter. I have a twenty-year-old memory of seeing a photo of the wreck in shallow waters. Can anyone trace that photo? 2 Donald Chan gave confirmation today that the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence will host the exhibition about the Dec 25 1941 MTB escape at the end of the year. Also, see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7874460.stm 2 had an enquiry today as to the whereabouts of the transcripts of the war crimes trials held in HK. So far, the only one I have found is that of the master of the Lisbon Maru. Has anyone else been more successful? 2 Susan Blumberg, who worked as a volunteer at the Argyle Street Camp when it was a Vietnamese boat people’s camp, was kind enough to send a photo of one of the huts as at early 1991. The hut looks basically original, though it could well be a bit grandfather’s axe. Does anyone have better photos of the old Argyle Street Camp? 2 There was an interesting chat on Michael Martin’s Stanley group on the subject of IOUs for good sold in the camp. After liberation, the HK Gov suggested that all IOUs should be null and void, but in fact most ex-Internees paid them in full on the basis that - profiteering or not – these little extras kept them alive.
1 Went for a look around Jardine’s Lookout again, firstly to check the forward positions JLO 1, 2, and 3 (based on a map by Evan Stewart, commander of 3 Coy). JLO 1 and 3 have certainly fallen foul of post-war development. JLO 2 may still exist, but would need further investigation. Also had a thorough look around PB1 and found one smashed Japanese 6.5mm which had obviously been fired at the pillbox from very short range. 1 Had my first HKWD email from Poland: “I was very happy to found an information about my uncle Wladyslaw Pawel Rudrof (gunner from 1st Battery) in your publication. I live in Poland. Until this moment he was thought to be missing. So I'm writing to ask if you have any other information about him? Would you be so kind and send me confirmation of his death? Maybe you know where is he buried? Do you know where can I found any things which belong to him?” After we had made contact she noted: “He was born in Poland in Romaszowka. Had 3 brothers. We did not know he was married. After 1939 we had none information’s – until I find your book. I found the grave photo. I would like to find more informations about his wife, but I do not know where.” Nor do I. Can anyone help? 1 Kindly responding to questions last month, Dave Deptford sent the following: Gardner Bell BLACKLEY - b 26.5.1911 Scotland. Served with Seaforth Highlanders, then from 1938 to 1942 with Shanghai Municipal Police. On 22.12.1945 joined Hong Kong Police amongst a sizeable contingent of ex SMP Officers. Left HK on Vacation Leave prior to Retirement on 22.4.1947. Joseph Arthur PRIDMORE, born 13.10.1896, served Royal Navy and in 1922 joined SMP leaving in 1937. Married Juanita Elisa Greiner. I have no record of him with HKP, may only have had the briefest of service but I recall that quite a number of ex servicemen, particularly those who had married locally, obtained security related posts in such as the Kowloon Wharf Police and the Tai Koo Dock Police. 1 Also kindly answering a January question, TK sent a translation of the name of the SS Soong Cheong.
