Hong Kong War Diary

Welcome  -  July 2008

Welcome to Hong Kong War Diary - a project that documents the 1941 defence of Hong Kong, the Garrison, and their fates until liberation.

This website acts as a repository of information about the garrison, including a complete listing of each individual defender, together with a monthly record of research and related activities. It also contains pages, added to over time, of other resources for researchers and the wider community of interest.

So far this project has spun off two books. The first, "Not The Slightest Chance" is a reference book detailing the fighting and the fatalities. It was published in 2003 by Hong Kong University and the University of British Columbia, and is still available.

The second, more narrative in style, documents the fate of all aboard the Lisbon Maru from the fall of Hong Kong through to death or liberation - and for many of the survivors, beyond. An associated website, the Lisbon Maru, documents that ship and its fateful voyage. This book, "The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru", was printed at the end of March 2006, and is orderable from Hong Kong University Press and Amazon.

Further books are now in development - the next being hopefully the definitive textbook on the Hong Kong POWs and Internees. This is titled "We Shall Suffer There", and the final draft was finished in February 2008; publication is expected towards the end of the year. Work now starts on the fourth and final book in this series, which will follow the experiences of Hong Kong's escapees and evaders and the regular and irregular units in which they served. Meanwhile, this site will continue to be updated at the start of every month.


If you have questions or information on any of these topics - especially the POW and Internee experiences - please don't hesitate to get in touch.

HOME

This site is evolving to better support the needs of the community interested in wartime Hong Kong, whether researchers, students, families of those who lived or served here at the time, and those veterans themselves.  As always, all comments, suggestions, information, and requests for information will be gratefully received.

June News

If anyone is interested, on June 28^th it was confirmed that this is now officially the wettest month since records began in Hong Kong some 125 years ago. On the 29^th we had a further 50mm or so of rain, and another 30mm on the 30th, so it’s not a small margin. When it’s dry again, I’ll go up and see what’s been washed out of the hillsides…

 
30 There was an article in today's SCMP about Crown Wine Cellars' hopes to convert the old Lye Mun Ordnance Store bunkers into wine cellars too. Good luck to them!

26 Rob Weir believes that the buildings I visited north of the road from Park View to Tai Tam Reservoir (reported in a 2007 update to this site) is the Stanley Gap 3.7” howitzer position. This makes sense as the HKSRA gunners from the position of that name were sent to the defence of the AA position just to their west when it was attacked on the morning of Dec 19.

24 Received a second CD thanks to the kindness of Roger Mansell, of POW records from NARA. These seem to have answered most – if not all – of my outstanding questions about the causes of death of the ex-HK POWs in Japan.

23 Heard from Gordon Fairclough (RA and escapee) that he is planning a new edition of his book “Brick Hill and Beyond”.

22 Received this interesting link from Richard Hide: “there is now quite a lot of interest in the re-enactment of the escape taking place at Christmas 2009 in HK: http://www.mwadui.com/HongKong/Escape_09.htm”

22 John Peacock points out that I am incorrect in saying that Graham Heywood was the first person captured on Dec 8 as the Japanese marched across, and in fact his colleague Leonard Starbuck (also of the Royal Observatory) beat him by a few minutes! Does anyone know about Starbuck? I have him listed as a Volunteer Lieutenant in one scrap of paper I found in the HK archives, and that’s all.

20 Heard from Jack Etiemble, RA, & Lisbon Maru for the first time in ages. Must think of some more questions to ask him!

16 Ron Rakusen sent me an envelope he had come across, addressed to John Varley, Royal Rifles. With this sort of thing and Volume IV of David Tett’s work (which covers Hong Kong), I can understand why people get so interested in this!

14 For the second time, the third in my annual trio of historical walks with the Hong Kong Club – this time to Stanley was cancelled. This is turning into a very wet June…

12 I saw in an obituary today in the South China Morning Post that David Roads passed away last month. Although I had lost touch with David in the last few years, when I first arrived in Hong Kong he was one of those who most helped out with pointers on research. Although mot a member of the Hong Kong garrison (he served with the US Marines during the war, in all five of their major campaigns in the Pacific), he became one of the founders of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, and was himself a newspaperman for many years. He always denied involvement in any other kind of intelligence work, but as I knew him for three years before he would even tell me his surname, I have my doubts!

12 A researcher in Canada is asking where the old ‘Reliance Garage’ was on Hong Kong Island. I know that it was subsumed by Dah Chong Hong post-war, and I had a feeling it was in Wanchai, but I can’t put my finger on it.

11 Heard today from a Lisa Gyselman from Brisbane, Australia.  She noticed the name of Harry Gyselman, Winnipeg Grenadiers, on this website, and wondered – as it is a rare name – if he could be related. She notes that her family is originally from the Netherlands, from where her grandparents moved to Australia around 1952.

10 Joined a small party at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, organised by Annemarie Evans to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of RTHK’s “Hong Kong Heritage” radio show. Nice to see the majority of Hong Kong’s ‘historical community’ there!

7 It’s going to be interesting to see what turns up in the hills in the next few weeks. We had twelve inches of rain this morning including six in a single hour (the heaviest rain ever recorded in Hong Kong).

6 The stanley_camp@yahoogroups.com group is still going strong. In recent correspondence, Barbara Anslow mentioned: “We were at the Garrison School by the Peak Tram Lower Station, and on weekly bathing trips on the Dockyard launch, the OC409.” I am always surprised that I hear so little about that school, which presumably so many of the pre-war garrison kids attended.

3 Carol Cooper passed me a few more photos from the pre-war album mentioned last month. In return, I have promised her the individual files I have built up on each unit that fought and were captured in HK, for their archives.

3 David Tett let me know that Joan Lee, who was a VAD (maiden name Sahn), and was in Stanley with her mother, sister and brother, passed away on 23rd May 2008.

2 Michael Hurst (http://www.powtaiwan.org/ )sent more information on the non-Hong Kong Garrison internments at Sai Wan. I think I now have enough information to remove the last incorrect names from my lists.

1 Robert Tatz’ (civilian internee) son got in touch, putting me in touch with his father in Canada.

1 Donald Chan (son of Admiral Chan Chak) organized a meeting in London today, of relatives of men on the Xmas 1941 MTB escape, who are interested in conducting a re-enactment of their adventures around Xmas 2009.

1 The month kicked off with the second day of the Researching FEPOW History Conference (illustrated) at the National Memorial Arboretum. My slot on the HK POWs and Internees was on the first day, which also included excellent presentations by David Tett (FEPOW Postal History http://www.fepowmail.com/ ), Rod Beattie (The Railway http://www.tbrconline.com/ ), and others. On the second day, I was able to conduct short video interviews with the two ex-HK POWs who attended, Jim Wakefield – who had been a Lieutenant of the Royal Engineers at the time and is now 93, and Arthur White of 2 (Scottish) Company, HKVDC. Arthur had been 18 when he was captured, making him one of the youngest of the Hong Kong POWs. At midday, though, we had to depart and start on our journey home via Heathrow. I believe the conference site (http://www.researchingfepowhistory.org.uk/) will later have an update relating to this conference, and that planned for two years hence.

May News

Apologies for the late update this month, but my wife and I didn’t return from the Researching FEPOW History Conference in the UK until June 2^nd. A little off-topic, but the biggest news for me this month has been upgrading to one of the new super-fast 24-inch iMacs. That big screen is a God send, as it allows me to have old documents open – and fully visible - as I write

31 Today was the first day of the Researching FEPOW History Conference in the UK, but I will provide a full report next month. http://www.researchingfepowhistory.org.uk/

30 Fred (Avery) White’s daughter got in touch to tell me the sad news that her ex-Lisbon Maru father had passed away. Fred was one of the attendees of last year’s reunion, and the two of them flew all the way from Australia to London for it.

29 Hugh Glen Cooper’s (HKVDC) great nephew got in touch.

28 Harry Gray sent me a photo of Private Henry (Harry) Patterson 2 Royal Scots, while he was still with the first battalion.

27 Heard from Ross Lynneberg of the Lisbon Maru today. Nice to have these old boys still around to chat to!

24 Stephen Robins, Jack Rich’s (PB14) nephew, sent an image of his uncle’s roll of honour at the Jewish Military Museum in London.

24 John Zinko’s (Winnipeg Grenadiers) daughter got in touch.

23 James Lawrence Murphy’s (Royal Signals, Lisbon Maru) son got in touch. At Kobe Mr Murphy survived a fall into the hold of a ship which broke his hip. He died in 1992. His son continues: “One incident relating to the Lisbon Maru that Dad did tell us was about his friend John Scully, also a signalman who was in the hold with him. John was very sick but Dad managed to get him up the ladder and on deck. He sat John against a bulkhead and ran to find him a life belt, when he returned with it, John was gone, Dad presumed someone thinking they were doing him a favour had pushed or thrown him into the water. John was far too weak and sick to swim for it and Dad never saw him again. Many years later in the 1970's when we had moved from Liverpool to Durham, Dad was driving through a little village outside Durham when he saw a shop with the sign 'Wilf Scully Electrical Goods'. Dad remembered that John, a Durham lad used to talk about his brother Wilf, so on the off chance he went into the shop and asked to see the owner. It turned out it was John's brother. The family had never really known what had happened to John and so Dad was able to let them know.” He also notes: “the [Chinese] fisherman who pulled him out of the water had a hatch cover that was so heavy his little boat was almost swamped. When Dad literally bumped into him and looked up, the fisherman instantly threw the hatch cover overboard and hauled him in. My Dad was always grateful for his life being saved in that way, if he had not been pulled out of the water he would not have lasted much longer. He had great respect and affection for the Chinese and had greatly enjoyed his time in Hong Kong before the war.”

22 Doug Langley-Bates sent an amazingly glamorous photo of his mother, as she was during the war years – even though she was struggling to bring up three children through sheer hard work and will power - with her husband lost to the Lisbon Maru.

17 Elizabeth Ride sent me her father’s notes on the medical conditions within Shamshuipo Camp immediately after the surrender.

15 A while back I was asked to speak at a medical conference in Hong Kong, ‘something about Hong Kong during the war’. To be honest I didn’t pay attention to the details, but over the next month or so I put together as much as I knew about the medical ‘challenges’ the POWs faced. When I turned up at the event today to register and speak, I found that the program was 250 pages long! The event was the Conjoint Annual Scientific Congress 2008, of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and The College of Surgeons of Hong Kong. There must have been several thousand surgeons there. The speaker before me was Dr Peter Stanley (National Museum of Australia), who gave a very interesting talk on surgery in the late 18^th century, and the speaker following me was Professor David Watters (University of Melbourne), who gave a very interesting account of our very own Surgeon Lieutenant Commander John Allison Page. (I should note, of course, that Chuck Roland in Canada is the expert on the HK POWs’ medical experiences). http://www.surgeons.org/Content/NavigationMenu/ExternalAffairs/ConferenceandEvents/casc2008/Default.html

15 Carol Cooper of COFEPOW (http://www.cofepow.org.uk/) was kind enough to send me several images from the photo album of Herbert  'Joe'  Hughes    a  Warrant Officer in the Royal  Artillery who was in Hong Kong prior to the  war, but was  either  in Sumatra or Java when captured and sent  to Japan.

13 Richard Hide, of the Dec 25^th MTB escape website fame (http://www.mwadui.com/HongKong/Ref_hk.htm), is looking for more information on some of the ‘mystery men’ on the escape. Does anyone have information about Major Goring, or Commander Yorath?

11 At the risk of appearing to blow my own trumpet (being flattered by the kind words of the Canadians) would anyone care to comment on this useful page from the HKVCA? Their aim is to ensure that visitors to Hong Kong with an interest in the war, get the most from their trips: http://www.hkvca.ca/hkvisit/index.htm

7 Keith Brown got back in touch. He is the son of Private Donald ‘Topper’ Brown, Middlesex, and sent some interesting photos. Apparently his ex-Lisbon Maru father left Japan rather unconventionally at the end of the war, on a Greek ship with a number of other – mainly Lisbon Maru – men, who wrote their names on a fan (illustrated). Naturally, he would like to know more about this if anyone can help. The names of the ex-POWs on the fan are:

Taylor, Frank               Private              6202243                                              (LM)

Palmer, Herbert. G.            Sapper             2136247          Stanley                         (LM)

E.V. SMITH                R.A.F

Mitchell, Herbert C.            Gunner             883934                                                (LM)

R. VAUGHN               Sapper

Greensall, Henry   Sapper             1874126          SSP                             (LM)

Stoddart, Hector  CQMS             3050713                                              (LM)

Wells, William J.          Sapper             1873763          SSP                             (LM)

Melvin, William            Sapper             5335655                                              (LM)

Pitcher, Wilfred            Signalman            2323200                                              (LM)

JOHN P. CAREY            A.I.F.               2/30 Battn     NX51660

Chesham, Cyril            Gunner             872127                                                (LM)

Palmer, Walter John     Gunner             860297                                                (LM)

McHattey, Stanley Private              3053696                                              (LM)

L.R. CAREY               Private              2/30 BATN             NX10661                    AIF

Middleton, Ray W.       Sapper             1973255          SSP                             (LM)

J. TAYLOR                 Private              A.A.O.C                     AIF

GRESON                    L/Sgt.               R.E.                             IKEY

A. G. MOLES             Sgt.                  A.A.P.C                     VX27180

Martin, Peter J.            Sapper             2010781          Stanley                         (LM)

He would also be grateful if anyone could identify the men on the beach with his father in a photo, or even identify the beach itself!

6 The question of St Theresa’s hospital came up today. Does anyone have a pre-war or immediate post-war photo? It was only founded in 1940, so little chance of the former. I contacted them today, but they said that they didn’t have the original of a small photo of the original building on their website.

6 Doug Langley-Bates sent me his mother’s ID card from their evacuation to Australia. I had not seen one of these before.

4 Jason Wordie had an article about Clifford Matthews in the SCMP today. Ex-3 Coy HKVDC, Matthews was one of the first to suggest that the earliest biochemicals on earth (i.e. the precursors of life) might have come from space, and was in HK for a conference on the subject.

4 Today I started contacting (or re-contacting) people I know who were on the 1940 evacuation of families from Hong Kong to Manila, and then on to Australia. I have recently received perhaps 700 pages of details from various archives, and am packaging up what I can for a possible future book project.

3 Henry Paterson’s (Royal Scots, Lisbon Maru) nephew got in touch. Said nephew also served in HK post-war with the Black Watch, and his grandfather – Farrier Sergeant Herbert Gray, RA – died in service here in 1939.

3 Had an interesting email concerning, Arthur McGeorge, and Australian soldier captured in Ambon and interned in Hainan where he later died. Oddly, amongst his records is a Reburial Record showing the place of reburial as Argyle Street War Cemetery, Hong Kong.  There was indeed such a cemetery, where those who died in the camps and hospitals along Argyle Street were buried, but I have never heard of a non-HK fatality being buried there. The Argyle Street remains were reinterred at Sai Wan post-war, but McGeorge today lies in Yokohama Cemetery. A bit of a mystery.

2 Steve Bezant sent several photos, including a recent one of his Middlesex/ Lisbon Maru grandfather Alfred Bright, and one in uniform with fellow sergeant Graham Ruck.

2 Met Russell Joyce, the grandson of Les Barker (MTB011), who is over here looking at tracing the route that the Dec 25 1941 escape party used. He is doing at least some of the trip with Duncan and Donald Chan (Admiral Chan Chak’s sons), so should have a good time!

1 Had a question from Tad Hosoi, who wants to know what RYFHH might mean. The term is used in Frank Evan's book (Roll Call at Oeyama), in which Chapter 3 (page 10) has the title "Destination R.Y.F.H.H." Their kit-bags were stamped with the same letters, so he is wondering if all international war-time military movements (Evans was going from the UK to Hong Kong) had similar codes.

April News

Apologies for the rather weird behaviour of the photo section in last month’s report. Hopefully it is fixed now. Both fortunately a and unfortunately, the software with which I maintain this website is upgraded regularly, and sometimes the new features are hard to turn off…

29 Alice Opre Campbell’s family have placed an interview with her on the web. Recorded in 1981, it is very interesting as her husband was Major Duncan Campbell (2ic HKDDC), she was evacuated to Australia but only got as far as Baguio before being asked to return, and of course after that she was in Stanley. The website is very new, and thanks to John Peacock for alerting me. (Update - this link has been removed while the family finds another location to host it.)

28 Had an annual health check at Matilda Hospital (illustrated). This was of course one of the war time hospitals, being struck by 97 bombs and shells during the fighting – including a particularly heavy attack just before surrender, the Japanese probably realising that large stores of ammunition were nearby. When leaving the Department for the Painful Extraction of Credit Cards, I was delighted to see a large portrait of Sir Vandeleur Grayburn.

26 Chris Bilham has acquired the medals of L/Bdr J.A. Kerruish 8 Coast Regiment RA. Does anyone have any information about him? He was lost on the Lisbon Maru.

25 Managed to spend a couple of hours with Elizabeth going through her father’s records. Looking at the BAAG, it is very difficult to decide on the right way to approach a ‘Unit History’. My current feeling is that it will be around four years’ work, as there are such a vast number of documents to read and condense.

23 Private Alexander Buchan Burnett’s (Royal Scots) family are looking for a photo of him, if anyone can oblige.

23 Joy Carroll (see last month) found a letter from Selby, HMS Redstart’s commander, which read in part: “On the morning of Sunday 21st December 41, we were attacking a bungalow which was in the possession of the enemy. After a little, I got knocked out by a couple of bullets and a bit later pulled myself together and began to crawl away. As I did so, I became aware that SPO Young was lying alongside me seriously wounded. He was in a drowsy state from loss of blood but managed to recognise me and then, with the most marvelous unselfishness, he said ‘I've got some rum and water in my bottle sir, wouldn't you like to take a swig?’”

22 Greta Dickens (nee Charles, civilian internee) son-in-law got in touch. Greta is the daughter of V.458 Robert Harper George Charles HKVDC and was interned in Stanley together with her sister Mavis. Their father was an Australian living in HK and the girls where born here.

22 Tad Hosoi sent a couple of photos of Oeyama, noting: “The range of mountains with four major peaks from right to left with some small peaks make up the Oe-yama mountain range. The highest peak is the second one from the right. Immediately below this peak (specifically called Senjogatake) was the nickel mine site… The [photo] shows a little close up of the mountain range with the mine site almost dead centre of the photo. Today, you can only see three concrete-built smokestacks at the site. The smokestacks were for drying the nickel ore before shipping it to the refinery. The nickel ore is not rocks, but it is red, relatively wet, clay. That is why they first dried at the mining site to increase the efficiency of refining process. The small river is the Noda-gawa River (kawa or in this case gawa means river). From near the mine site, it flows out to the Sea of Japan after about 10 kilometers and that is where the nickel refinery was (and is still) located. The POWs were kept at the facilities at the refinery and ‘commuted’ or was transported to the mine site via a dedicated private railway line.”

21 Joan Harrison was kind enough to follow up on a conversation (via email) that we had about Ralph Shrigley. Shrigley was taken out of Argyle Street twice for interrogation, and didn’t return the second time. Whether he was killed outright, or killed himself to prevent further interrogation, doesn’t seem certain. His family have confirmed that one of his belongings was associated with the failed Shamshuipo tunnel escape, and the interrogations began after that (which is very much how Lloyd died, after the Water Torture). Joan also included two small pictures of Shrigley and wife.

20 Elizabeth Ride came to dinner. Hopefully I will be able to spend some time with her at HKU library at the end of the week, as I will be in Tokyo from tomorrow till Thursday 24^th.

18 Ian McNay was kind enough to send me a copy of the Argyle Street Christmas Day menu for 1942, which bears - on another page - his father’s signature together with those of three others (Allan, Fogg, and Selway).

13 Kenneth Henry Capindale’s (RASC) niece got in touch.

13 Michael Martin, grandson of artist/policeman A.J. Savitsky, sent one of his grandfather’s superb sketches to the Stanley group. Apparently Savitsky produced some 200 of these, and the family – naturally – would be very interested if anyone has copies of others.

13 Reginaldo Cesario Rocha Baptista’s (HKVDC) nephew got in touch, pointing out that Baptista and others – such as Alberto Gustavo Xavier – are missing from the lists on my site. This is true, as my lists were originally based on the POW lists from Shamshuipo, and the above two gentlemen escaped from that establishment (along with about 100 others) before things had settled down and anyone thought about compiling lists. I have these names, and will add them to my site as time allows.

13 Alfred ‘Nobby’ Bright’s (Middlesex, Lisbon Maru) grandson got in touch, with the rather amazing news that Nobby himself is still with us. Every time I think that I know of all the survivors, someone proves me wrong. Long may that continue!

11 Leslie Barker’s (RN, Christmas MTB escape) grandson got in touch, letting me know that he will be visiting HK next month and hope’s to retrace the party’s footsteps. He will be maintaining a blog: www.russinchina.blogspot.com

10 Today I was happy to receive a nice letter from Grant Shepherd, one of the Lisbon Maru survivors who was kind enough to help me write that book.

9 Tad Hosoi let me know that he and a friend, both from Kyoto, have recently started a project to translate Frank Evans’ ‘Roll Call at Oeyama’ (1985, Gomer Press in Wales) into Japanese.

9 Over the years, Michael Hurst and I have exchanged a number of emails trying to nail down exactly where each of those buried in Saiwan actually perished. There are remains there from Taiwan, the Philippines, and of course Hong Kong, but also a number of others yet to be identified. Michael pointed out this small group of immediate post-war fatalities that neither of us can yet explain (although the dates and the single unit, rather imply that this was an accident of some sort):

BUTT, HENRY C. 14598239 L/CPL. RCoS 29.10.45 II G 19

DAVIES, JOHN O. 2580376 SGT. RCoS 29.10.45 II G 18

SPINKS, GERALD H.14412158 SGMN. RCoS 29.10.45 II G 17

RILEY, LEONARD 14322847 SGMN. RCoS 31.10.45 II G 20

9 J. Garnier in Canada sent me these links to the Canadian Military History magazine published by the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies

based at the Wilfred Laurier University. There are some interesting examples amongst the primary materials (and Copp, for that matter), of the sort of required contextualization that came up in the HKU discussion described below.

http://www.wlu.ca/lcmsds/cmh/back%20issues/v10n4contents.html

http://www.wlu.ca/lcmsds/cmh/back%20issues/v3n1contents.html

6 Colin McEwan’s (Z Force) son-in-law got in touch.

6 Agnes (Nancy) Grady’s and Herbert ‘Jack’ Vanthall’s (civilians at Stanley) son got in contact.

5 Ron Parker let me know that the Armoury in which the Royal Rifles of Canada were formed and trained had burnt down: http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=4e383c16-5e13-4382-a82c-b56d03769b05

4 Ian McNay shared a large number of photos he received from Andy Wanstall’s very interesting collection.

4 My older son and I today met with Fuyuko Nishisato of the POW Research Network, Japan, and what a nice lady she turned out to be. I was able to supply her with something they valued – a list of the Yokohama graves belonging to the Lisbon Maru survivors. As is well known, the shock and exposure – to disease as well as the elements – led to the survivors dying from the moment they were rescued. 200 or so died in Japan – the vast majority in the first couple of months after the sinking.

4 A gentleman named after Malcolm Kenneth Ross (HKPF) got in contact. Sergeant Ross was one of those from the Quarry Bay police station, who was never seen again after the night of December 18^th.

4 TK in Canada reckons that the Shelter photo referred to last month is indeed a pre-war construction. He provided a photo of Japanese troops marching past a similar one, and notes of it: “The location of this shelter is in the intersections between Nullah Road, Prince Edward Road West and Tung Choi St. of Mongkok. I could still see that Mobile Gas Station in the 80's. It was a plot of land which was triangular in shape.”

2 It was confirmed today that the ex-Lisbon Maru POW referred to in last month’s report was in fact William James Smith, 6202336, a dispatch rider with the Middlesex. Interestingly, he was one of those who was left at Shanghai, and who eventually ended up in the coal mines at Hakadote #2B.

2 Had a very interesting afternoon discussing practical oral history practices with a group of history students from Hong Kong University. While discussing the various – and different – ways that primary and secondary sources have to be ‘contextualised’ in order to be correctly interpreted, I began to realise what a lot I’ve learned over the years. I should write a book about it!

March Images
Jeffery letter (courtesy Angela Kersey), Cecil Freeman, Relics from Violet Hill
Bennet’s Hill relics (courtesy Keith Hemshall), Trevor Roberts and friends (courtesy Robbo), Freeman's grave (author)
Japanese sword (courtesy Angela Kersey), Deloughery letter (courtesy Yves Chevarie), George Allan (courtesy Tim McGinnis)

March News

The discovery about Anderson (see below) set me to wondering which POW made the biggest mark on society post-war? Anderson became chairman of NCR, Clifford Matthews (HKVDC) came up with the theory that life on earth started with organic compounds from space; Clague, Pearce, Bevan Field and Ronnie Holmes all came home to stellar careers in Hong Kong; William Allister became a superb artist, John Harris a famous architect; Albert Rodrigues, Lindsay Ride, and Michael Kadoorie (a baby in Stanley), were all knighted. And yet, for those too young to have had a pre-war career, and too old when they left the camps, doing ‘normal’ thinks like settling down, getting married, holding down a job, and having kids were in themselves success enough.

31 Thomas McConnell’s (RA) grandson got in touch. He mentions that family lore states that Mr McConnell was beheaded in Japan, though camp records claim he died of cardiac beri-beru.

28 The Batgung bloggers in Hong Kong would like to know where this photo of an air- raid shelter was taken: http://www.batgung.com/life-in-hong-kongs-ARP-tunnels#comment-4116. Am I the only person who doesn’t think this is likely to be a 1941 photo?

27 Mike Martin is wondering if anyone has copies of his grandfather’s (A.J. Savitsky) drawings done in Stanley? He reckons there were 200 in total – including one of the camp’s commandant – and they would like to collect as many together as possible.

27 Joyce Van Langenberg sent me a very interesting piece she wrote about Alex Alves, and his experiences at the Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank after the surrender, and in Macau later.

26 Robert Stock’s (HKRNVR) son got in touch, mentioning that he has a copy of Prisoner’s Pie. He says: “[My father] made a contribution to the book - the drawings are just originals in pencil which must have been redrawn for each of the 18 copies (14 to each of the huts and 4 for sale at 5 yen per copy). It runs to 54 pages.”

26 I am glad to be back in touch with Ron Bridge, who is now also studying the Hong Kong POWs (having previously spent a great deal of effort on perfecting the list of those interned in Stanley).

24 Elvina Buckland’s (Civilian) cousin got in touch.

24 Andrew Chu pointed out that the Breakthrough Films documentary ‘Hour of Darkness’ about the Canadians in Hong Kong – which I helped with extensively many years ago – is now on YouTube at http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=HZukA-TBPWA.  I get a thanks at the end, but don’t blink or you’ll miss it.

22 Fellow researcher Rob Weir is trying to pinpoint the exact location of the Stanley Gap and Tytam Hill HKSRA 3.7 inch howitzer positions. As far as I know, the Stanley Gap position was roughly where Parkview is today. Does anyone know where the Tytam Hill position was?

19 The American Consulate in Hong Kong today contacted me asking if I could tell them anything about Felix Russell Engdahl, a US Consul who passed away in Stanley Camp in early 1942. Unfortunately I couldn’t give them much help.

18 Heard the sad news today that Ian Forsyth, who I believe was the last surviving officer of 2/14^th Punjabis, had passed away at the end of last year after a short battle with cancer.

17 Local researcher Stephen Sin sent me this message and links. Although the majority of the architecture here is post war, there are some interesting pre-war details. Nice to see the RAF remembered! “My name is Stephen Sin living in Kowloon City. Recently I've been visiting Kwun Tong area & discovered some of the old RAF sites which are still here today at 2008.  I hope the pictures taken can be added to your website & tell people of these great history of RAF at Hong Kong. RAF HQ at Kwun Tong:  http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/hkoutlander/article?mid=4736

RAF HQ at Kai Tak :  http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/hkoutlander/article?mid=9160

RAF airfield at Shek Kong: 

http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/hkoutlander/article?mid=1375”

14 Today we had to cancel the third in the series of Hong Kong Club historical walks (which would have covered Stanley and the end of the fighting) as we had all forgotten this was the Rugby 7s weekend! As this is arguably the highlight of Hong Kong’s modern social calendar, we only had one registrant. The walk will be postponed.

13 Cathy Thomas in the US, whose father was an employee of Standard Oil and was interned in Stanley, has been kind enough to let me know that some Standard Oil employees who I list on this site as British were actually American. I will make the changes when time allows.

13 Had time today to look at a book that Annemarie gave me yesterday. It is called ‘Corporate Crisis: NCR and the Computer Revolution’ Publisher: William Anderson, Landfall Press, Incorporated (January 1991). It turns out that HKVDC POW William Anderson rose up to become chairman of NCR, leading them through their difficult merger with AT&T. The book has a full and interesting chapter about his experiences as a POW  in Hong Kong and Japan.

12 Had lunch with South China Morning Post journalist Annemarie Evans. We discussed the infamous Water Torture (equally infamously renamed ‘waterboarding’ by the CIA so that they could continue to inflict it), and the various Hong Kong POWs it was used on. Bird described it as not the most painful, but certainly the most effective, torture in the Kempetai’s repertoire. Walking home that night, it occurred to me that somewhere I had heard of a Japanese guard in Hong Kong being executed post-war for killing one of the POWs. Used Google to search the web for it when I got home – and got the one and only hit on my own site! (embarrassing how often that happens). Oddly enough, he was found guilty of killing Lloyd, and by pure chance Lloyd was one of those whose graves I had photographed on Sunday.

11 James Smith’s (Middlesex, Lisbon Maru) son-in-law got in touch. Now we are trying to work our who this was, as no one of this exact name appears in the Shamshuipo records! This happens sometimes, as people change their names, or enlist under an assumed name, or the records are just plain wrong.

9 Went to Stanley to photograph Cecil Freeman’s grave for a medal collector. While there, as my memory card wasn’t full, I took the time to shoot the other ten or so gravestones in that row.

7 Trevor Roberts’ (RAMC) nephew posted a question on the Fepow-Community list. He also posted a very good photo of Roberts with E Stanley, J James, B Gosney and E Wordley. More sadly, he notes that Roberts: “died 07 Dec 1948 [at] Peel Hall Hospital, Little Hutton Wosley of TB”.

5 Reginald Jeffery’s (RAOC) daughter got in touch, sending many very interesting photographs, including several of a Japanese officer’s sword that her father ‘liberated’ at war’s end.

5 Met the publisher of ‘We Shall Suffer There’ today to discuss illustrations. This is the last item to square away, before they start work preparing the ms for publication.

5 Today I discovered the first serious error in ‘Not the Slightest Chance’. The daughter of William Young, Stoker Petty Officer of HMS Redstart, who was killed in Hong Kong Dec 24th 1941, got in touch, asking for details of her father. Unfortunately, however, he is not mentioned in the book as another P.O. Young from Redstart was killed that day, and I had previously thought they were one and the same. Not so, unfortunately. So why were two Petty Officers called Young, both from the same ship, killed that day? Now I have to do some research…

4 Thomas Henry Gorman’s (RNYP, Lisbon Maru) niece got in touch.

4 Robert Maximo da Silva’s (HKVDC) son got in touch (he is also the nephew of Robert’s younger brother, Ricardo Domingo Silva).

3  Another friend sent a photo of a number of finds from Mount Bennet, including what looks like the inside of a type 88 fuse from a Japanese type 89 mortar.

1 A friend sent me a photo of a remarkable set of relics found on Violet Hill. In what was clearly the wreck of a Japanese Type 92 machine-gun position, he had retrieved a vast number of 7.7mm cartridges, Nambu ammunition, .303 bullets fired in return, and many other items – including a Rajput shoulder flash (illustrated). Quite what the latter was doing there is open to question, but it was more likely a souvenir picked up by the Japanese in North Point than evidence of a Rajput attack on Violet Hill.