19 Dec 1941, Colin McEwan Diary

This morning the telephone had gone but Mike, on returning from H.Q. came with the news that the landing had been made and bridge heads established in the North Point area. That being the case, we decided to move into town to P.H.Q. From our window we had an excellent view of the M.T.B. raid up harbour. Although we missed the first pair we suddenly saw one – later found out to be Wagstaff’s – come racing up the harbour from Green Island in a straight line for Kowloon Bay. By this time the Japs. Were on both sides of the harbour and both M.G. and T.M. fire were brought to bear on the boat while to add to the strafing she was being bombed at the same time.

Suddenly she stopped, started to drift to the HK shore and while later we heard that one of the crew had swum ashore this was never verified. Later at Aberdeen we heard details of the why and wherefore. The M.T.B.’s had been ordered out to attack landing craft in the Kowloon Bay area. From a base at Green Island the first pair, Collingwood and Ashby, had gone in and by swamping and M.G. fire had carried out that task successfully. Helped by the element of surprise they got out again successfully although having to run under fire and bombing. The second pair, Parsons and Wagstaff who were ready to go were signalled to stop since the sinking had been carried out successfully but Wagstaff, either not receiving or disregarding the order had carried straight on.

In the late afternoon we again hit Aberdeen with a view to taking back some of our stores for use of police and others, and arrived there to find evidence that there was Jap. activity in the hills above Repulse Bay. Reports had been coming in that Aberdeen was taken and with us on the truck we had two police volunteers, Sgts. Watt and Kinloch. We arrived there to find tales of snipers but saw no signs of any activity. After the first load in which we had been willingly helped by some of the Ambulance Unit, Tai and I with the two police returned for a second load. By now it was dusk and rain was drizzling down. We had quite an odyssey, beginning with running flat into a Canadian road block at the Q.M.H. but by able use of a pair of wire clippers by a Canadian sergeant we got out and crawled along missing one and half hitting another at the entrance to Aberdeen village. The return trip was a mixture of narrowly missing road blocks – listening for challenges –finding oneself nearly over the edge of the road and hanging over the side directing Watt who was driving.

Bed that night was in P.H.Q. – in the Gloucester – and just before going to bed we heard  or rather overheard, conversation among the A.S.P.s which explained a lot of the apparent insensitivity of the police and the unwillingness of the senior men to send for volunteers to help the army at any time.

Their arguments were that they were not Army, the army had made the mess, let them get out of it. Their men were tired (as who was not?). It was their duty to preserve civil order – not to defend the colony – and if those views did not please the C.P. they would go over his head direct to the Governor.

And so with the comforting thought that the police were selling out – for the sergeants were more than willing to fight – we got off to sleep on the floor.