Wai-kay WU [1911-????]

Chinese-British subject, born Hongkong 16.12.11, Teacher, BAAG 22.2.43 – 31.10.45.

“This man left Hongkong early in 1942, and after a short period of service with the Lingnam University, joined the service of the BAAG, as a member of the translator section.  There, the work of long hours extending repeatedly far into the night under most exacting conditions had an adverse effect on his health;  after recovery, he was transferred to the Security Section where he was responsible of work of a most highly confidential nature for over two years.  Conscientious, capable, and an indefatigable worker, this man performed most valuable and loyal service in our cause;  he is of an outstanding and unimpeachable character, and in difficult times, his example and devotion to duty was of inestimable value in dealing with the Chinese.”

From a taped converstaion with EMR, Hongkong 1977:  

Got out in 1942, went via Macau to Kwangchowwan.  “From Kwangchowwan to Kweilin – there were no cars at that time, most of the time I sat on a sedan chair and it took me about four days from Fort Bayard to Liuchow. ………  When I got to Kweilin I went to see him (LTR) and he sent me to Capt George Jack and I was taken on as a member of the BAAG. …… I was in the “S” Section Security at the headquarters, all the confidential papers.  ……  When the Japs came on 1944 I went down to Liuchow with Col. Mill (Milne) to meet your father’s close friend Marshall Cheung Kwat Kwoy, because he was the commanding officer in that district, to get information as to what the situation actually was, was there any help (to be expected) from the Chinese government, how big an army he had, and so on.  Then after we went back to Kweilin we assessed the situation, that the Marshall said he couldn’t defend it with his troops, he would have to have help from the central army. Your father decided to start evacuating Kweilin, but he didn’t go with us.  We started in portions.  We went to Ishan and then to Tushan, where your father joined us and from there we went up to Kweiyang.  I do not know when our headquarters was started in Kunming because someone went there to organise it first, so when I got there it was almost Christmas.  They chose Kunming because it was quite near to India and also French Indo China, airplanes from there visited Kunming.  But it was also a very long way from Hongkong, and it made the contact route very long.  It took many days for runners to get through.  We had posts in Hoiyun, Hennang and Waichow, some in Canton even.  It was difficult to pass the messages by runner.  We were not allowed to communicate with them by radio.  I know that our HQ had a special kind of machine that was operated by a sergeant, an Englishman.  I did see some private codes that came through my section.  They could contact India and different places.”

The BAAG:  “Although there was good discipline during the war we were just like a family.  I attended the Church and he (LTR) went with me to sing in the choir in the Chinese Church.  Because there were a lot of Hongkong people there, some sang in English and some in Chinese to the same tune.  He enjoyed it very much …… (his good friends were) the Chinese Generals, Marshall Cheung Kwat Kwoy and Lee Chai Sin (he was third or fourth to Chaing Kai Shek) and he wrote a scroll to Sir Lindsay.”

“About my work, we had all sorts of reports coming from Hongkong about who were the enemy and who were the spies, so when we evacuated from Kweilin there were so many documents – some we had to destroy before we left, some we sent to India.  Some of these were sent back to Hongkong.  The police got most of them.  When we came back we worked very closely with the police.  I was sent to look after the Japanese criminals in Stanley Jail under Major McEwan”.