Reflections
by Pat Turcotte
I began to write this year’s Christmas note as I was flying home from Hong Kong – having 16 hours to gather my thoughts.
As many of you know, my father was a POW in Hong Kong for the duration of World War II, having been captured by the Japanese on Christmas Day, 1941. He and the other POWs were the last soldiers to come home after the war was over. My daughter Carole and I have been part of a group involving members of the Hong Kong Veterans Commemorative Association (HKVCA) from across Canada who travelled to Hong Kong the first week of December to commemorate the Battle of Hong Kong which began nearly 65 years ago on Dec. 8th, 1941, as part of the same raid as the attack on Pearl Harbour.
Our journey began on December 1st, with a surprising route across Hudson’s Bay to the Arctic Ocean and down across China till we reached Hong Kong on the other side. We landed at the new airport, since the Kai Tak airport, which our POWs helped construct during their slave labour in the war years, is no longer used.
The hotel we stayed at was in North Point, and, amazingly enough, North Point district was the location of the prison camp in which our soldiers lived for the first few months of their captivity. They were eventually moved to Shamshuipo, their original barracks in Kowloon on the mainland, an area which is now a small park with the appropriate plaques noting the site as a prison camp in World War II. The area bears no resemblance to the old camp, surrounded as it now is by skyscrapers, the common solution to accommodate the 7.5 million people resident in the city and surrounding territory.
Although a large number of the POWs were moved to other prison camps in Japan itself, my Dad was fortunate enough to remain in the Shamshuipo camp for all of the war years. Those moved were in even more difficult circumstances, but all suffered the same privations, little food, hard work, illness, tropical diseases, and dreadful treatment. All that is in the past now, and it was truly incredible to be in Hong Kong with six of the surviving 156 Hong Kong veterans able to make the trip.
Veterans Affairs helped finance this pilgrimage, although the idea originated with Mike Babin, a member of the Executive in Ontario. It is due to Mike’s diligence that the trip became a reality. The objective was to learn as much as we could, to see as many of the battle sites as possible, and to be a part of the special ceremonies which would commemorate the Battle of Hong Kong and honour the war dead.
One
of the highlights of our stay was the ceremony at Sai Wan cemetery on
Sunday, December 4th, our third day there. Our 38-member
delegation from HKVCA was impressed by a number of things. The site
itself is rather spectacular, sweeping down from a hillside location,
through the several hundred grave sites to the cenotaph located at the
base of a series of stairs.
As the guests descended the hill, on each side of these stairs were
stationed Canadian students from seven Ontario High Schools acting as an
honour guard, along with the Hong Kong army cadets in their fatigues on
the other side.
The
students, part of a 210 - person delegation from Ontario, had just
completed a four-city tour of China and were making this their very
special final stop in order to bury a memorial capsule near the Canadian
soldiers whose lives they had been studying in school this past year.
Near the cenotaph a 120-voice choir from the Canadian International
School of Hong Kong was standing by, ready to perform during the
ceremony. In addition, Chinese Scouts, and more students from Ontario’s
Durham Region High Schools, were at each Canadian gravesite ready to
place the flowers and the poppy-decorated crosses they had with them on
each grave.
During the ceremony, many wreaths were laid, and the veterans themselves, including "Flash" Clayton, and George MacDonell from the Royal Rifles of Canada spoke on behalf of the veterans, as did Phil Doddridge, the National President of the Hong Kong Veterans Association. Canadian Senators Vivienne Poy and Larry Campbell also spoke, as did many other dignitaries. A most special time for us all!
It became obvious early on that the people of Hong Kong are very much aware of the part played by the Canadian soldiers in the Battle for Hong Kong. The government has been developing a hiking/walking trail along the various battle sites, and there are now a number of stations where boards and plaques have been erected to note which of the two Canadian battalions, the Royal Rifles or the Winnipeg Grenadiers, was involved at a particular location.
We were privileged to be in the company of the six Canadian veterans for much of our stay, and learned many things from them about the specifics of their personal situation. There were three locations where the plaques had recently been installed. At each site one of the veterans was chosen to unveil the plaque and speak to the dedication of that particular plaque. These were most touching moments because the veteran involved was chosen as one who had fought in that specific location.
The evenings were spent at special events honouring the veterans, and included a reception and dinner at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. This occasion, with wonderful food and speeches reflecting the importance of the occasion, overlooked the Happy Valley racetrack ten stories below, the place where the Japanese advance was halted when the surrender came those 65 years ago.
One thing became very clear as we heard speakers at the various events extolling the efforts of the Royal Rifles of Canada and the Winnipeg Grenadiers in that difficult conflict. The two battalions were determined to fight bravely to the end. In one situation with some of the thousands of Japanese soldiers approaching, one group managed to hold off the advance for three days near the top of a mountain. The Japanese built a statue during the occupation to their soldiers lost in that encounter, claiming afterwards that the defenders must have totalled at least 400 men, as they sustained many casualties. In reality, there were 89 defenders.
A second very special evening event was the Farewell dinner for the
veterans themselves. The veterans and the Veterans Affairs team had
arrived two days before us and were about to leave two days before we
did. It was a splendid affair at the Repulse Bay Hotel, a wonderful spot
facing the South China Sea. We had a reception on the front lawn early
in the evening, with waiters proffering drinks as we chatted with
veterans, Veterans Affairs personnel and dignitaries from Hong Kong
itself, surrounded by cloth-covered chairs and tables in white, and
goodies to munch as we awaited the call to dinner.
Once
inside the Verandah area, which was a dining hall the full width of the
hotel, we were seated at probably 25 tables of ten along the hall, with
large TV screens mounted on the walls at both ends featuring the
pictures that had been taken that day and during the earlier part of the
tour. A most special time, for me in particular, as I had been seated
next to Ed Shayler, the Hong Kong veteran who was my father’s sergeant,
and was with him through all of the fighting . He had much to tell me
about the battle, and his relationship with my father. What an evening!
The next day was our turn to tour the battlesites. Our guide was an expert on the battle itself, a Hong Kong resident named Tony Banham. Tony was able to answer all of our questions about where our fathers might have fought, and to make very clear just what they were up against in facing an invasion force of up to 60,000 men, their own forces being no more than 14,000 soldiers and civilians. The energy expended retracing their steps on this very hilly island, without packs, heavy guns and ammunition, made us appreciate in a very small sense, just how difficult the defence of Hong Kong must have been. In one section, we had to descend over 300 steps to get to the next area of interest, and, without a doubt, even going down rather than up, it was difficult enough to do.
Daughter Carole and I decided to retrace the trek the next day, our one free day before going home, so that we could take more pictures, and found those same 300 steps really exhausting, as we climbed up the steep slopes one more time.
All of those who made the trip have come away with memories which
will never be forgotten. The most special of these has to be seeing the
veterans so honoured, and to know that they are now aware that a growing
number of people inside Canada, and outside the country as well, do
appreciate what they achieved in those difficult years.
Among
their most joyous moments was the lowering of the memorial capsule into
the ground just outside the gates of Sai Wan Cemetery containing the
stories, poems, letters and CDs which were the Canadian students’
creative responses to getting to know the Hong Kong veterans they
researched at school before they arrived in Hong Kong.
The six veterans who were there realized without a doubt that they, and the men so many honoured at Sai Wan Cemetery, and Stanley Cemetery, will never be forgotten by Canadians.
The trip of a lifetime for all of us!
Cheers! Pat
Speech made by Pat at the Veterans' Farewell Event - Dinner at the Verandah Restaurant, The Repulse Bay Hotel
Senator Campbell, Senator Nolin, Mr. Arthur Gomez, Mr. Ron Taylor, Hong Kong Veterans, Commemorative members, and honoured guests.
I’m sure I speak on behalf of all 38 members of the Hong Kong Veterans Commemorative Association’s delegation when I say that the past few days in the company of our Hong Kong Veterans has been an incredibly moving experience.
We have enjoyed their company in the more relaxed moments this week and we have been proud to see the honour paid them, not only by the children of the Canadian International School of Hong Kong in performing for them at Sai Wan Cemetery, but in the heartfelt emotions displayed by the high school students from Durham Region in Ontario as they read from the works they submitted for inclusion in the Memorial capsule.
We are delighted that these six Hong Kong veterans can represent the 156 veterans still living, as well as those who are no longer with us, in being recognized as the heroes they are, no longer the "forgotten heroes" but living examples of the courage and determination of those who fought in the battle for Hong Kong 65 years ago. Their brothers in arms would surely approve.
We are grateful for the willingness of Veterans Affairs, under the leadership of Mr. Derek Sullivan, Director of the Canada Remembers Division, to facilitate the organization of this week’s events in such a caring fashion. He has provided an expert team, financial support and willing partners in Hong Kong itself – the Consular staff and those representing the Royal Hong Kong Regiment (RHKR) The Volunteers to ensure that the week’s events have been as meaningful and pleasurable as possible.
And we must not forget to thank Mike Babin, whose dedication to this project has been unswerving from the beginning. He has kept the Commemorative participants well-informed over the past few months, allaying their concerns and offering well-reasoned and well-organized information along the way - making for a most relaxed and worry-free situation. Mike, we do appreciate all you have done to make this week a most memorable one.
I must tell you that Mike will be taking on my role as Regional Director of the HKVCA in Ontario at the end of this month and members can certainly be assured that the Ontario Region of HKVCA is in good hands.
Finally, on a personal note, I feel that it has been a special privilege to be part of this unique gathering. The six Hong Kong veterans who are present here will always have a very special place in my heart, and the hearts of those Commemorative members and friends who have shared this special week with them.
I have worked closely with three of the six veterans who are present and all three, in very special ways, have been an inspiration to me. My sincere thanks to "Flash" Clayton, George MacDonell and Phil Doddridge….and Ed Shayler – I’m so glad to have had the opportunity to get to know you better. As my father’s Sergeant, you and he had a very special bond, and I am grateful for the opportunity of understanding his situation better through you.
On behalf of the Commemorative members and all those present tonight, may I salute all six of our Hong Kong veterans. They have, by their example, shown our generation and the generations to come, the strength of the human spirit in overcoming adversity. For that we are truly grateful.
Pat Turcotte