1943 – Maj.Gen. M.A. “Two Gun” Cohen interviewed in New York following his release from the Stanley internment camp..jpg

General Cohen in his own words. Dec 8, 1941 – It was no surprise when, at eight o’clock in the morning, I heard the familiar sound of ack-ack fire and bombs as the Japanese air force made their first raid on Kai Tak airfield. I went once more to Mme Sun and told her that she must realize she was a sort of national heroine to the Chinese people. If she stayed here while the fortress fell, a lot of Chinese would take up arms to defend her person to the death. She’d be the cause of a lot of unnecessary slaughter. That was an argument she could appreciate. She promised to leave as soon as a plane was available. That night a few transport planes got in from the north. I took the two sisters across to Kowloon and saw them off. It was a pretty grim farewell. Could I have gone with them? Yes, there was a seat for me on that same plane. Why didn’t I? There were a number of reasons. For one thing, I was sold on the idea of Hong Kong being relieved by an attack of the Chinese armies on the rear of the Japanese. I’d been trying to fix up the liaison for that all the summer. There were a lot of fellows in Hong Kong who’d worked against the Japanese under my banner. I couldn’t very well leave them to face the music without me. Extracts from: Commander Charles H. Drage, “Two-Gun Cohen”, Jonathan Cape, London 1954.