Editor's comments
This is a very interesting, colourful and detailed description of events from December 1941 until May 1943. Sgt Porter was moved to Japan in Dec 1943 and we are not sure if the complete journal is published here, or if there are parts that were lost. According to some entries, Sgt Porter planned to leave this diary in Hong Kong when he was included in a draft to Japan.
In addition to battle details it describes life as a POW including much of the human side. Sgt Porter also provides an insight into his thoughts and dreams that undoubtedly bolstered his morale during these years of imprisonment.
It is a valuable addition to the growing library documenting events of the Battle of Hong Kong.
Have a comment or a question? Use the contact link on any page.
Notes:
- This journal was scanned from a typed paper copy, then optical character reading (OCR) software was used to convert it to digital so it could be searched online. As time goes on we are working on cleaning up the online version you see here, focusing on names of people to ensure correct spelling. This task, including reformatting where needed, will be ongoing for some time. Please note that most of the errors you see are due to limitations of the OCR software and should not be attributed to Sgt Porter.
- Changes made to spelling to agree with
historical records:
- McCarthey changed to McCarthy
- Wunchai changed to Wanchai
- Drawings found in the journal are reproduced as images. Clicking on a thumbnail will display a larger version.
- The journal is divided into several web pages for more efficient page loading and reading. Look for a navigation bar on each page (see below).
- Some editorial comments have been inserted, mostly to correct a name misspelled in the original, but in general the original content has been left undisturbed as much as possible.
- Some minor portions have been not included where there was no contribution to the historical record.
- The journal is reproduced on this site with the kind permission of Sgt Porter's family. HKVCA would like to thank them for their generosity and contribution to the historical documentation of the events in Hong Kong.
Sgt Porter passed away on 14 June 1993.