30 Jun 1943, Chronology of Events Related to Stanley Civilian Internment Camp

With the Camp still 'in turmoil' over the arrests two days before, George Wright-Nooth, Alec (or Alex) Summers and George Merriman are almost arrested.

Wright-Nooth is with Summers and Merriman in their room, where another hidden radio is concealed. A group, including three obvious members of the Kempeitatai, fling open the door. Wright-Nooth leaves swiftly, and later receives a visit from a 'very white and worried' Summers and Merriman telling him that, if questioned, he must tell the same story as them: they did have a radio, but when a notice was issued banning them, they broke it up and threw it into the sea near the hospital.

The radio was buried that night and probably never used again.

Summers was head of M16 and Merriman worked for that organisation. Perhaps unbeknown to Wright-Nooth, they also had a gun hidden in the Chinese- style kitchen next to their room. R. E. Jones records a prohibition on short-wave radios on November 1, 1942.

Through his spy-hole in Stanley Prison's 'G' Block, William Anderson sees the arrival of the 'military party' - soldiers arrested for resistance activity in the Kowloon POW camps.

Sir Vandeleur Grayburn, E. P. Streatfield and Dr. Harry Talbot are taken to court and tried. Streatfield wrote later:

(T)he three of us were taken out of our cells at 8 a.m. and, having been given a bowl of rice to eat, were handcuffed togther and taken under an escort of Japanese and Indian warders in a small covered truck into Hong Kong to the Supreme Court.

Although no charges are specified, the proceedings relate to smuggling money into Stanley. They deny attempting to cheat the Imperial Japanese Army and plead they saw no harm in trying to alleviate the situation of Bank and other dependants, especially as most of the intended recipients of their aid weree women. They are sentenced to three months in prison, time already served not to count.

E. P. Streatfield testifies:

Grayburn from the start commanded the respect of the prisoners and most of the warders, not only on account of his age, but because of the cheerfulness and dignity with which he bore the unpleasantness of his position.

Sources:

Almost arrested: George Wright-Nooth, Prisoner of the Turnip Heads, 1994, 150-151

MI6: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stanley_camp/message/1364

Revolver: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stanley_camp/message/140

Anderson: Statement of W. J. Andserson in Hong Kong Public Records Office, HKRS163-1-104, page 8, point 68

Grayburn et. al.: E. P. Streatfield, Account, page 8 (trial) and page 10 (Grayburn's respect), in Hong Kong Public Records Office, HKMS100-1-6; Frank H. H. King, The History of the Honkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, Volume 111, 623; Maurice Collis, Wayfoong, 1965, 227