70 years ago: Hong Kong's wartime diaries

David Charles Edmondston, Hong Kong manager of the HKSBC, dies in Stanley Prison of malnutrition, sepsis and medical neglect. He was 54.

He was arrested on May 24 (or May 3), 1943 and interrogated under torture, most probably either about his role in raising money for the British community and smuggling it into Stanley or about his contacts with the resistance or with Consul John Reeves in Macao. He was tried on October 19, 1943  and sentenced to ten years in prison.

According to Japanese medical officer Sato (or Saito) Shunkichi he first entered the Prison hospital in May 1943 suffering from indigestion. He was eventually discharged but frequently returned for treatement for colitis, beri beri and dysentery.

He was finally admitted with a carbuncle that covered the whole of the back of his neck.

Dr. Harry Talbot examined him and later stated that his continual sepsis contributed to his death. Sato, defending himself at his post-war trial, claimed that he'd adminstered various appropriate treatments, but Dr. Talbot stated that Edmondston had received no help from the medical officer, and this is supported by the banker's own statement, two days before his death.

Just before Edmondston died his wife Kathleen and his daughter Mary were called in from Stanley Camp to see him. He was so emaciated she didn't recognise him and his state was such that no meaningful communication was possible. The Japanese refused to allow a doctor to enter the Prison to inspect him, but did allow drugs to be sent in. The injections came too late.

Sources:

Date of trial: George Wright-Nooth, Prisoner of the Turnip Heads, 1994, 180

Age: http://www.roll-of-honour.org.uk/Cemeteries/Stanley_Military_Cemetery/html/e.htm

All other details: Reports of War Crimes trial in the China Mail:

January 9, 1947, page 2

April 3, 1947, page 2

April 9, 1947, page 2

April 12, 1947, page 2

Note:

When Edmondston's body was taken into Stanley, Dr. K. H. Uttley carried out a post-mortem, finding that death was caused by beri-beri and nutritional anaemia. The camp doctors took such investigations very seriously - they refused to come to any conclusions about Vandeleur Grayburn because his body was too decomposed when they recived it - so this is likely to be reliable.

China Mail, April 4, 1947, 2

I'm rather confused about the 'sepsis' at the moment as both Dr Talbot in his brief post-mortem report and Vincent Morrison in his war crimes evidence say the large carbuncle on the back of Edmondston's neck had healed (Morrison adds it had left a star-shaped scar.) Perhaps there had been further carbuncles, More research necessary!

Death D C Edmondston ( ) ((ie MacNider didn't know Edmonston's age and left it blank)) in Prison

20 men sent to town to unload rice

Congee and condensed milk