Stanley Military Cemetery - Francais Libre memorial | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Stanley Military Cemetery - Francais Libre memorial

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Stanley Military Cemetery - Francais Libre memorial
Submitted by harryhktc
Date picture taken (may be approximate): 
Monday, January 1, 1990
Gallery: 
1940s Hong Kong
Connections: 
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Submitted by gary john liddell on Thu, 2013-08-29 15:49.

Hello Henry

On an early morning visit to the war cemetry two years ago I also took a similar photo & on closer inspection I noted that three "Free French" members on the list of names died at the hands of the Kempai Tai.

Are you aware of the circumpstances of their arrest & subsequent deaths?

I assumed at the time it may have been a result of the 1943 round ups of the BAAG operatives

Could you shed some light on the circumstances of their demise

Thank you

Gary Liddell

Submitted by harryhktc on Fri, 2013-08-30 02:59.

Sorry, Gary, I have no details at all of the Kempai Tai victims. Perhaps David, if or when he sees this can shed some light or at least point in the right direction.

Btw - are you any relation to Eric Liddell - the KBGC bowler -who represented HK in the Commonwealth Games all those years ago ?

Harry.

Submitted by gary john liddell on Fri, 2013-08-30 05:33.

Good Morning Henry

Eric Liddell was my father

He passed away 25 years ago on the Gold Coast in Australia

My mother(Joyce) who represented Hong Kong in the first womens world championships passed away this year..May I say what a pleasure it was to have you remember him

Eric represented Hong Kong in every Commenwealth games & world championships from the 1950s to the 1980s & was Hong Kong champion of champions on several occasions

Once again thank you for remembering him

Kind regards

Gary Liddell(garyliddell8@mail.com)

Submitted by gary john liddell on Fri, 2013-08-30 13:07.

Good afternoon HARRY

I appologise for addressing you as Henry

I allways relate the name Ching to Henry of SCMP fame& may I say it one of the unsung heroes of the Japanese occupation.

Would I be correct in assuming he was your Fathef?

King regards

Gary Liddell

Submitted by David on Fri, 2013-08-30 18:03.

Sorry to say, I don't know anything about them. If you can let us know their names, I wonder if Brian Edgar or Tony Banham would know their stories?

Regards, David

Submitted by gary john liddell on Fri, 2013-08-30 19:25.

Good evening David/Harry

Its a tad inconvenient for me to pop out to the Stanley war cemetary at the moment to check out the names(considering I am in Australia)

One of the names that stood out was Jacosta but only because of his involvement in tha defence of the power station with the Hughes group

As the text on the memorial is in French it clearly states the names of the deceased &  date of death & in most cases where(ie Shum Shui Po & in 3 instances "Mort Kempai Tai)

Once again we have another HK WW2 enigma

Surprisingly there are about 30 to 40 names on the memorial

All the best

Gary Liddell

Submitted by harryhktc on Sat, 2013-08-31 04:20.

Hi Gary -

Have scrutinised the original photo with a magnifier but can't make out the names any better than on here even when 'zoomed'. Perhaps a fellow 'gwulo' can take a better close-up of the plaque when in the area and post it, as like you, Stanley isn't just round the corner from me at present ...and although I would be quite proud to be related to Henry Ching, I'm afraid not.

Best wishes.

Harry. 

 

Submitted by moddsey on Sat, 2013-08-31 04:43.

Further info here and here (in French) and translated version and from this blog

Submitted by gary john liddell on Sat, 2013-08-31 07:30.

Thanks Modsey

excelent material

regards

Gary Liddell

Submitted by Admin on Tue, 2013-09-03 18:36.

By email from Henry Ching:

I believe the original inscription had only six names. These were:

  • Capt. Frederic Marie Jacosta of the Hughes Group, HKVDC who was killed in action at the North Point power station; 
  • Pte Henri Belle who served under the name of G.Baladin (also in Hughes Group) and who died as a POW in Japan; 
  • Pte Armand Delcourt of the ASC Company, HKVDC who was captured by the Japanese and executed at Repulse Bay; 
  • Gnr Pierre Benjamin Mathieu of the 2nd Battery, HKVDC who was killed on the electric fence at Sham Shui Po POW Camp while gardening; 
  • Capt Jacques Roderic Egal who was in Hughes Group and was a POW in Argyle Street Camp, who died some years after the war; and
  • Paul de Roux, a civilian who was a director of the Bank  of Indochina – he was arrested by the Kempetai and killed himself by jumping out of a window.

Submitted by fdremeaux on Fri, 2014-04-18 00:47.

Dear All,

I am glad to see such an interest for those men. I spent a lot of time since 2008 looking for information about them. There is few pages about them in the book I edited last year: "Hong Kong, French connections" (in English). You can order it in any Hong Kong bookshop!
In the SCMP archives, you can read an interesting article about Armand Delcourt and his daguhter Monique Westmore. "Daughter of HK's war", 8 Dec. 2011. The journalist came to one of our ceremony in the Stanley cemetery. The "Souvenir Français", that I represent in Hong Kong, is organizing a Remembrance ceremony every year (the nearest Friday afternoon of the 8th of December). All are welcome by the way...
I have been too lazy to translate yet all my researches about the Free French Forces. One sure thing is that they had more casualities than what is written on the monument but French archives just opened on the period and there is still a lot to do...
I will try to keep you posted if I have some fresh news... Enclosed, a picture of Paul de Roux's tomb in Happy Valley. His name is mentionned at the bottom of the Stanley cemetery monument.

Best regards,
François.

Paul de Roux's tomb

Submitted by Philip on Fri, 2014-04-18 07:39.

In the personal account by the Hon Major J J Paterson commanding officer Hughes Group he mentions there were 2 Free French Officers (Captain Jacosta and Captain Egal and 6 Other Ranks) at the Power Station as part of Hughes Group.  Captain Jacosta being killed at the Hong Kong Electric Power Station at North Point on the night the Japanese landed (18th/19th Dec). I have seen his surname spelt Jacosta and Jacoste  - not sure which one is correct ?

Best regards, Philip Cracknell