Kowloon Eurasians arrested in 1944
Primary tabs
Henry Ching writes:
My father’s diary entry for 1st July, 1944 records a telephone message from his niece Florrie Wong to say that her brother Freddie was “not home since last night”, and the entry for 14th August, 1944 records another telephone message from her to say that “Freddie, Benny Randall and others home”.
My memory is that the Eurasians arrested in Kowloon at that time included Freddie Wong, Benny Randall, William “Dot” Low and Bertie Guest.
I wonder if you (or your contacts such as brianwindsoredgar) are able to ascertain the date of arrest/release of these four Eurasians, and where they were held as prisoners?
My father’s diary also records, in August, 1944 that “enemy nationals on relief like Guests called in to Ma Tau Chung (should be Wai) Camp”, and in September, 1944 that “Benny Randall permit to go” and “Dot Lo interned”. The Guest family, comprising Bertie, wife May and five children, and the Low family comprising Dot, wife Ethel and daughter were certainly interned in Ma Tau Wai Camp. What I am uncertain of is the date of arrest/release for Bertie Guest and Dot Low themselves.
I have a memoir written by May Guest which says that her husband Bertie was under arrest at Stanley Gaol and was brought into the Ma Tau Wai Camp with two others, to join her and her children who were already there. And Dot Low’s family also seem to remember that he joined them in Ma Tau Wai Camp after they were interned. This is puzzling, as I thought that they were under arrest for only a couple of months, and it somehow seems strange that their families should have been interned in their absence from home as kempetai prisoners. I should be most grateful for any light that can be shone on this.
Greetings, Henry.A. E. P.
Greetings, Henry.
A. E. P. Guest was arrested at his home on June 22, 1944, by George Wong (a Chinese who worked for the Kempeitai) and a gendarme called Moriyama. He was taken by car to 69, Kimberley Road, a house used by the Kowloon Kempeitai for initial interrogations.
He was questioned by the Japanese-Canadian interpreter Kanao Inouye, who first asked him if he knew H. R. Sequeira. This suggests that one reason for his coming under suspicion was that he was connected, or thought to be connected, with a group of Portuguese who were under investigation at the time. However, he's described in the records of Inouye's war crimes trial as a 'Government Wireless Supervisor', and after some brutal questioning involving Moriyama designed to find out if he knew 'certain persons', Inouye accused him of operating a radio transmitter and being a British spy. He also said he was planning to get himself smuggled out of Hong Kong, and threatened to bring in his family if he didn't confess. Mr Guest was eventually taken to Stanley Prison.
On June 23 Wilfred Lawrence, also a radio technician, was arrested and taken to 69, Kimberley Road, where he saw Guest and 'Dot Lo'. He was taken to Stanley Prison after ten hours, and while there saw an 'unknown Eurasian' being interrogated.
Source:
China Mail, May 24, 1946, page 4
With regard to Eurasians in
With regard to Eurasians in Ma Tau Wai:
Tony Banham, in We Shall Suffer There, reproduces a BAAG document dated December 22, 1944 whcih states that the Camp was being used for the internment of 'third nationals' who tbe Japanese considered 'undesirable'. The job of deciding who came in to this category was given to J. J. Richards, a Eurasian who'd been working for the Japanese since before tbe war, and an Indian-Chinese man called O. (?) S. Lam.
It seems possible that the relatives of those who had aroused the suspicions of the Kempeitai were considered 'undesirable' for that reason.
I know it's a different set of circumstances, but there was a big amnesty on December 8, 1944 to celebrate the anniversary of the start of the Pacific War and as part of this Hilda and Mary Selwyn-Clarke were moved from Stanley Camp to live with Dr. Selwyn-Clarke who was transferred from Stanley Prison to Mau Ta Wai.
In any case, I hope to be able to read Mr Guest's full evidence to the war crimes trial at the UK National Archives later this year and perhaps this will produce more information. And many thanks (Henry) for allowing the continuing publication of your father's fascinating diary.
1944 arrests
Henry Ching writes:
I am most grateful to brianwindsoredgar for his very full reply. I hope we will hear from him again should he come across any more information of interest.
It looks as though there is no doubt that Guest’s wife and children, and Low’s wife and daughter, were interned in Ma Tau Wai Camp while the husbands/fathers were imprisoned by the kempetai, and that the men joined their families in the camp following their release from prison. I was not fully aware of the move against “undesirable” third nationals led by Richards. I still think, however, that the families’ internment must have been triggered off by something, and I suspect this may have been the result of the men seeking to change their passes from “third national” to “enemy” (or British) before their arrests. I am fairly certain there was talk amongst the Eurasian community at the time of the desirability of making this change, as it enabled some financial aid to be obtained (not available to third nationals), and internment, if that came about, was thought desirable because of a rumour that arrangements were being made for an exchange of internees. I think Randall’s family had already left for Macau, and so they were not interned.
Guest, incidentally, came from Singapore. His mother came from the then East Indies (now Indonesia). He became a Wireless Operator with the HK Government in 1921, using the name Bertram Guest. But strangely his name no longer appears in the staff lists from 1939 onwards, and it may be that he resigned from the Government and joined Cable and Wireless. But I am unable to verify this.
Albert Edward Peveril-Guest (known as Bertie)
Albert Edward Peveril-Guest was my maternal grandfather. I have just put a short segment up under his name.
His mother was Dutch - maiden name Jane Catherine Vij. His father' was English - name George William Peveril-Guest. He was born 21 November 1901in Singapore.
Did the Gov't operation become Cable and Wireless? My Mother Rosemary (known as Joyce) - Bert's daughter seems to think their was some relationship between the two. I have a copy of a 'last Pay Certificate' for Albert Edward from the Hong Kong Government dated February 1946 and another one for his wife May dated 9th October, 1946. Would a scan of this be useful?
It seems that Bert's family, as well as a number of other wives and children headed to Australia just prior to the Japanese Invasion. They got as far as the Phillipines, who were not expecting them and accommodated in cheap hotel accommodation (it was suspected to be a brothel and quite unsavoury). Due to the White Australia Policy they were returned to Hong Kong as they were considered to be Eurasian (despite the fact that both their grandparents were Australian albeit grandmother was Australian Chinese) and spent time interned in Ma Tau Wai Camp.
After the war the White Australia Policy was relaxed and the family came here as refugees on an aircraft carrier called the Striker. Most of the family settled in Lithgow after a brief return to Hong Kong for the War Trials.
Did the Government operation became Cable and Wireless?
Henry Ching writes:
I think this question may have arisen because I had earlier recorded that her grandfather Bertie Guest no longer appeared in the government staff list from 1939 onwards, and I wondered if he had transferred to Cable and Wireless. I was entirely wrong. His name is in fact in the 1939 civil establishment list. The 1940 and 1941 lists were not published, but he remained a civil servant until some years after the war. From the time he joined in 1921 until 1927 he was listed as Bertram Guest. This changed to Albert Edward Peveril Guest in 1928.
Cable and Wireless was separate from the Government. But Carolyn’s mother is right in saying that there was a connection. Under what was referred to as the Technical Services Agreement, Cable and Wireless was under contract for the provision and maintenance of telecommunication services for the Government.