When war arrived on 8th December, 1941, Heywood was working at the Observatory on Nathan Road. Heywood set off with a colleague to the New Territories to collect several instruments. Instead he was captured by the Japanese, and began three years and eight months of life as a prisoner of war.
His account of his wartime experiences has been published in the book, It won't be long now. You can read an extract here on Gwulo. <Read more ...>
Charles Gesner van der Voort had started his career in Rotterdam, at Holland-China Trading Company (HCHC). In 1938, he went to Shanghai for the firm. The Japanese interned him, and most other Dutch nationals, from 1943-45. In camp, he met his wife Nancy and they married after the war. After a leave in The Netherlands, they returned to the Orient, where Charles continued to work for HCHC in Hong Kong.
