Mark, Shing-cheung TSUI (aka BAAG No. 56.i) [c.1918- ]

Mark Tsui entered HKU 1938 and graduated with a War Time BA Degree 1942.  He was at Ricci Hall.  He was the younger brother of Paul Tsui Ka-cheung (BAAG No.65).  Mark was 6th son of Peter Tsui Yan-sau, founder of the Wah Yan colleges.  Mark's younger brother Mathew Tsui Man-cheung as well as their eldest sister, Mary Tsui Mui-ying, also served the BAAG AHQ Rear.

Mark Tsui was a Confidential Clerk of the Field Intelligence Group (FIGS) at AHQ Wai Chow, working closely with Paul under Ronald Holmes as the INtelligence Officer. He was despatched to Forward Area Post-2 at Sam Fou (Kaiping) twice, working in similar capacity under F.W. Wright (SHINAH) in 1943, and then Colin McEwan in 1944 when they were OC.  One of his major tasks was to collect intelligence report from the outstanding Group J headed by Au Fai (BAAG No.2).  Group J focused mainly on enemy shipping and military intelligence. Group J switched their courier route from Wai Chow in the East River region to Sam Fuo in the West River region. From Wai Chow, Mark had to travel to Taam Shui for this; and at Samfou, he had to travel to Toishan, to debrief agents at Cut-out points.  Group J was very productive and suffered no loss.  Au Fai became a Preventive Service Officer in HK after the War.  Mark also drew quite a few of the site plans & maps for the agents; those marked 'M.T.' in the Lindsay Ride collection.  As he was born in Mainland China circa 1918, he was not a British Subject and thus received the King's Medal for Courage for his BAAG service.

Post War, he maintained his interests in military activities by joining the HKVDF and was a Staff Sargeant.  For the most part of his career, he was Headmaster of the Chung Him Primary School in Fanling. 

It is not clear to me when exactly did he join the BAAG in 1942.  He was left behind in Fanling with another younger brother, Stephen Tsui Sai-cheung, to take care of the family estate when Paul went to Free China where he joined the BAAG in March 1942 at its inception.   Yet, when Paul took his advance FIGS from Kukong to Waichow in June 1942, there was one by the name of Tsui Man.  Tsui Man-shing was the Nom de plum of Mark Tsui (as Tsui On-shing was used by Paul Tsui).  Yet in other early reports, it was mentioned that there was an agent in Fanling giving directions to transiting FIGS agents.  Also, the Mr. Cheung (?) sent to approach Fr. Casey SJ in June 1942 for the 'MILKERS & CALVES' scheme, met up with No.56 (Mark Tsui) in Fanling to go to Wah Yan College at Robinson Road, Hong Kong to see the Jesuits.  My speculation is that Mark would have gone to Kukong when the BAAG was formed; travelled to Wai Chow with the Advance FIGS team led by Paul Tsui; sent to Fanling to serve as an Advance Post behind the line; helped in the MILKERS & CALVES scheme; then recalled to Wai Chow AHQ in the Autunm of 1942; and posted to FAP-2 once in 1943 & once in 1944 to assist Wright & McEwan respectively.  

You might be interested in my father´s postwar citation for an award for Mark Tsui, who joined the BAAG on 1.8.1942.

“After his escape from Hongkong in 1942, Mr. Tsui joined the BAAG as a clerk.  He rapidly established a reputation as a reliable painstaking and efficient worker and on the formation of a new intelligence Group he was made responsible for the AHQ side of their work.  As time passed, this group became our main source of accurate and most valuable shipping intelligence and this attainment was in no small measure due to Mr. Tsui.

For security reasons early in 1944, it was found desirable to transfer the direction of this group from Waichow in the east to Samfou, West of the Canton delta.  Mr. Tsui made this trip of some hundreds of miles, re-established his contacts so successfully that the continuity of the flow of this intelligence was maintained with no interruption whatsoever, and operation which at that time was of the utmost value to the 14th USAAF.

There can be no doubt that the efficient and rapid forwarding of the most valuable and accurate intelligence was in no small way due to the organising ability and the untiring efforts of Mr. Tsui.”

Mark was also responsible for drawing many of the BAAG maps and sketches, including the well-known sketch of Stanley Camp:

Best regards,

Elizabeth.

Thank you Elizabeth. Much appreciated.  Someone was jeering that he only got one medal - the King's Medal whereas my father Paul had five.  I told him that Uncle Mark should have three others of the service medals my father wore had he been commissioned also as a military officer during the War.