70 years ago: Hong Kong's wartime diaries

2 false alarms, 1 last night and one early this am, and 6 more throughout the morning.  Not much damage, mostly propaganda leaflets dropped, which means I fear that we may expect heavier raids in due course.  Tonight misty.

Mabel is at Women's International Club in town  ((for wartime billet, not far from CSO)).  Olive staying overnight on 4th floor of Gloucester Hotel  ((her Food Control Office nearby)). Olive phoned me and I rang Mabel, she heard there is one Royal Scot in Military Hospital. 

Japs are said to be at Taipo, according to the London news.  Also some Japs were ambushed and mostly annihiliated on Castle Peak Road - where the boys are. Can't properly imagine it.

Wrote to Arthur, though have little hope of his getting the letter, expect they're too busy to see about such things.  Topper called at flat but none of us in.   Mr Bendall also called, and Mr. Hall came home for a few hours.  ((Mr. Hall was a colleague of my Dad's; his wife, evacuated to Australia, had written and asked Mum if he could lodge with us, which he did. We left a writing pad on the table in our flat, so that any one calling while we were out could leave a message.))

Libya and Moscow news brighter.

Singapore/Malaya news not good, and raids at Manila.

I am up before daylight and map out a programme for another busy day. The Aldershot ovens have to be dried out, and it is late evening before we can manage the first batch of bread. It turns out really good considering the inexperience of the Chinese bakers who have not much practice at this type of work. The Queens Road Depot bakery has now been completely evacuated, so my staff consists of Sgt. Hammond, Pte. Edwards, Sgt. Tuck, Cpl. Bonner, Leung Choy No. 1 baker, and 34 Chinese bakers. We get another five Aldershot ovens built and fired making a total of 15. As the soil is very sandy, sandbags have to be used as insulation round the ovens.

The Supply Depot is also being set up using part of the Clubhouse as offices. As tents cannot be used all the stores are being stacked in amongst the trees on each side of the Golf course. It is a big operation and some chaos reigns at times. It is a bit crowded in the clubhouse as it is being used as a bread store, rum store, offices, etc. and the upper floor to be used as sleeping area. But it is not bad for active service conditions. Everything is very quiet around here, the sea is calm, the beach deserted, it looks inviting for a swim as it is quite warm. But that is not possible as the Sappers have mined the beach. Some small naval gun boats are anchored in Deepwater Bay. It is a sheltered spot.

I remember on the night of the 9th six lorries were required to proceed to Wongneichong Gap to collect some Canadians and take them to the Yaumati Ferry – it took almost three quarters of an hour before six drivers could be located.

On 9th I was sent up town to try and get the keys for the APC and Texaco petrol pumps situated at Happy Valley, but on calling on the offices no one knew where they were and no duplicates could be found.  We were filling up lorries from gallon tins and a small hand operated tank which was of course a very slow and tedious business.  I noticed most shops had their doors and windows barricaded and there was a tense atmosphere in the streets.  However, on looking in at the Hongkong Hotel I found the lounge doing a roaring business and what surprised me in particular was the large number of Army Officers present.

That afternoon, I went over to Kowloon with Capt. Strellet HKVDC to get some stores for Stanley Fort from the Hongkong & Kowloon Wharf godowns.  These stores, cigarettes, tinned milk and chocolate, could have all been moved weeks before and thus our lorries could have been much more usefully employed.  We were engaged on this work also on the 10th.

Up till this time there had been very little sign of enemy activity, barring two or three air raids a day, which I must say were all directed at military objectives and the bombing was very accurate, largely due no doubt to the fact we had no planes to send up against the Japs and the very inaccurate aim of our anti air gunners.

Our troops were established on the Kowloon line and we heard everything was going well when suddenly news came that the Shingmun Redoubt which was the strong point in the line had been captured.  Some say a phoney message which the recipient failed to check back was the cause of this.

The road blocks which had been so carefully prepared from Fanling to Kowloon along both the Taipo and Castle Peak roads and which were expected to hold up the Japs for many days were either not blown or proved quite ineffective for they advanced along both roads, meeting it would seem very little if any opposition, till they reached the main line of defence in the neighbourhood of Shatin on the Taipo Road and the Hongkong brewery on the Castle Peak road.

They advanced through the mountain paths, empounding the peasants to drag their light field guns up seemingly impossible hills so that all our carefully placed pillboxes were overlook or outflanked, and we knew the end of the mainland defence was fast approaching when we heard they had scaled down Lion Rock above Shatin which was considered impossible, and had reached Tsun Wan on the Castle Peak Road.

There was thankfully a heavy fog and drizzle to-day, which reduced visibility; but there were seven air raids. 

The rice shops closed. The Government ordered them to reopen. The rush to buy food continued, with prices rising steeply and shelves becoming mysteriously empty. There were complaints of shortage of currency. There were many $100 notes about, but the nimble tens and fives were scarce and the shops would change the large denominations only at a heavy discount. To help the poor, communal food kitchens have been opened everywhere.

The Chinese newspapers caused some hopeful excitement, announcing that Canton, lost to the Japanese in 1938, has been retaken!

The morning saw us up early and after redistribution of stores and ammo and a clean up in the water which, in our particular quarters , was laid on, we slipped down to the main cave for breakfast and discussion as to what was to be done. Being a miserable misty morning, we could move with freedom and, about tiffin time, we had our first view of the enemy as they came over Lead Mine Pass to Grassy Hill and, in fact, we had our first thrill as one of the shells landed directly among a group of them on the skyline. During the afternoon Mike had explained the set up to us and had given us the news – at least to us – that Monia Talan was still in HK trying to arrange the final details of the Shataukok guerrilla attack. It was decided then that Mike and I should return that night to the Royal Scots HQ with news of what we had seen of enemy activity  in an area where, it had been said, “they would never come”, and, if possible, give help in mining the paths in that area – Mike then to return to HK and I to come back to No.2. Other four, Teesdale, Holmes, Day and Gardner were to accompany us as far as Half Hour Pass, thence to Nam Fung Tao to collect the remainder of the gear including the radio.

Setting off just at dusk, we made good time down the trail to a point just below Half Hour Pass where we split ways – the others moving off to Nam Fung Tao.

Proceeding on down the catchment above the Royal Scots lines and realising that we were on fixed lines of fire we started at intervals giving our pre-arranged Morse signal by flash. To these, however, we received only one half-hearted reply and, not feeling very happy about being shot up by my fellow countrymen, not to mention our own land mines, we started through the lines. Crossing the catchment bridges was amusing despite the seriousness of the situation. Mike crawled over it on his hands and knees feeling for any possible trip wire while I, waiting a discreet five yards or so behind, suddenly realising that an explosion might smack me, retired behind a rock and remained there coyly peeping at Mike’s backside slithering across the concrete. Having crossed the bridge we fought our way through the undergrowth to the road, halting every few yards for me to call out “Friend, can we come through”. Still no reply and we walked up the road talking and smoking, hoping that our noise would proclaim us as friends. We finally contacted Lt.Fenwick of the Royal Scots and while having a drink with him and his platoon sergeants, Arnott and Whippy, we heard the news of Japanese passing over Kaplung and Telegraph Pass and along the roads to Taipo on the east and Castle Peak on the west. During this time, a telephone message having been sent, a runner had been sent from the redoubt to escort Mike up to that point. As he entered Arnott had just opened a second bottle of beer and insisted on it being drunk. While this was being polished off the news came through that the redoubt  (we were on the left flank) was being attacked – the runner having the key in his pocket (Capt.Jones orders). Out the platoon tumbled into trenches overlooking the valley in front of the redoubt and anticipating a flanking movement by the Japs. covering Bungalow Hill. It was dark and windy and as the battle continued with almost continuous M.G.fire and explosions of grenades, shouts of men and sharp orders came across. Although only gunfire and torches could be seen one could easily envisage the actual scene. Visible too – were the Japanese officers leading up among the barbed wire entanglements (by the platoon on our right) – using torches and waving swords in feudal manner. Shortly after this, orders came to withdraw to B.Coy. HQ at the foot of the Shing Mun valley and back we went to find extra men moving up in the direction from which we had come. Since it was impossible to retrace the path to Taimoshan I decided to stay the night with Fenwick’s platoon and return the following evening or rather the same day as it was now after midnight and a wet miserable morning. Mike meanwhile had got on to a phone and was off reporting to G.H.Q.