70 years ago: Hong Kong's wartime diaries

The British want to follow the Americans and 'sail away' from Stanley:

Petition to C. S. started asking him to recommend repatriation.

((C.S. = Camp/Colonial Secretary, Franklin Gimson.))

At about 7.10 a.m. the Lisbon Maru, which is not bearing any marks to identify it as a ship carrying POWs, comes under torpedo attack from an American submarine, the Grouper. The fourth torpedo strikes home and blows a hole, two and a half metres across, in the ship's hull. There are over 1800 Hong Kong prisoners squashed into three filthy holds. The vessel will not sink for 25 hours.

At first they wait for a Japanese recue mission, when it becomes clear this will never arrive, they ask permission to go to the latrines on deck, but this isn't granted, and they're not even allowed to empty the toilet buckets - many men have dysentery and soon the holds are fouled (lathough a Japanese-speaking Lieutenant in the St John's Ambulance Brigade does persuade the guards to pass two petrol tins and a twwo buckets of unclean water into the second hold.) Breakfast was being prepared when the torpedo struck, so there's no food. After about 12 hours the men stuck in the filthy, dark holds with sea-water rising around them hear hopeful sounds above - but it's the Japanese and only the Japanese being taken off the ship. At about 9 p.m., in spite of the objections of Captain Kyoda, the holds are fastened to prevent escape - the Japanese fear a POW revolt:

From this time on the air became absloutely foul and together with cries and mnas from the sick all night the situation became unbearable.

The Japanese are towing the ship westwards, but at some point the POWs become aware that it;s starting to list. It seems likely it will sink, and they're locked in the holds. Meanwhile, the first deaths have occurred and the survivors are living a nightmare:

The air had now become very thick and even the fittest of us were sweating and panting, while several of the sick who had been sent to our hold were raving mad and were screaming out for air and water alternately.

Sources:

Petition: Diary of M. L. Bevan: IWM, 523.1 (Bevan)

Lisbon Maru: Tony Banham, The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru, 2010, Kindle Location 1352, 1439, 1483, 1556

Notes:

1)  C. S. = Colonial/Camp Secretary Franklin Gimson

2) See also entry for September 10, 1942