大象传媒

A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
Xmas 1941

I was a private in No. 2 Machine Gun (Scottish) Company of the H.K.V.D.C. with a complement of nearly 100 men, 90% of whom were Scots. We were divided into three platoons, one being for men from TAIKOO Dockyard, one from KOWLOON Docks and the third platoon, which I was in, were those who worked principally for Scottish firms in the Colony.

Training just prior to the war for the Volunteers consisted of one full day per week and a period of fifteen days per year in camp; as it happened, our camp period had been completed only a week prior to the outbreak of war. The training was strenuous, however, we always returned to camp for meals prepared by one of the best hotels in town, so that our cooking knowledge was nil and our quartermaster鈥檚 staff was not tested: this was very evident during the war. Incidentally, should our weekly training day take place in the NEW TERRITORIES it usually just 鈥渉appened鈥� to finish off near the brewery, of which one of our officers was a director and this was a very welcome free house to us all.

There had been various scares in the colony for several months preceding the actual outbreak of war so that to me the bombing by Japanese aircraft of KAI TAK at 8 o鈥檆lock on Monday morning 8th December, 1941 came as a shock but not a surprise. The previous day a few Volunteers had been mobilised and I was due for mobilisation that Monday morning, so was already in uniform and only had to pick up my kit and run. Uniform in those days consisted of khaki drill shorts or trousers and jacket; battle dress was an unheard of luxury for the Volunteers and that winter turned out to be one of the coldest in a long while. Part of our uniform issue was a topee (pith helmet) as used in the Indian Army in about 1900; it was a huge affair that curled down the nape of the neck.

My first problem that day was to get myself and kit over to our H.Q. on the island as at the time I lived in KOWLOON near GUN CLUB HILL barracks. All transport had ceased, but I was able to obtain a ride in a rickshaw to the ferry wharf, so I went off to war wearing a topee and riding in a rickshaw! The ferry had temporarily stopped and it was necessary to beg a lift across the harbour on one of the shipping firm launches.

Volunteer H.Q. was in a building where the Government Central Offices are at present situated. Men were pouring into the H.Q. compound but were being organised with great efficiency by the R.S.M. The Companies were formed up and stores and gas masks issued as were rifles, Lewis guns and, in my case, a heavy .45 revolver, as I was a No. 1 on a Vickers machine gun. I had never seen a revolver before, let alone fired one, and being at the time a youth of tender years, I wasn鈥檛 even able to pull the trigger of this monster. During all this activity, sentries with Lewis guns on make-do ant-aircraft stands were on the roof, as the Japanese were constantly overhead. Luckily, no attack developed, for if it had, the Volunteer Force could have been wiped out from the start.

Later in the morning transport was found, this transport being requisitioned trucks including drivers who, unless they were watched carefully, disappeared with keys, or the trucks, at the earliest opportunity. We were still without our main weapons, the Vickers machine guns and one 2鈥� Mortar and for that matter, any ammunition; so on the transport we proceeded to the armoury in Murray Barracks where we queued up until early afternoon with other Regular and Volunteer units to draw and sign for these necessary items. Again, no bombing - the Jap intelligence certainly slipped up there. We left the barracks as fast as possible and headed for our positions.

To digress slightly, with the arrival of two Canadian battalions in the Colony only a month before, the whole structure of the defence plan had been reorganised, affecting every unit except the fixed batteries. For our Company, instead of heading for WONG-NEI-CHONG GAP, which we knew well and had measured for our fire zones, we were sent to the far eastern end of the island which only the officers had recced for the first time a week before.

My platoon debussed at TAI TAM GAP with all its stores and we were then told to man-handle it all along to POTTINGER GAP. We worked like slaves all that evening and night: men had been detailed to mount the guns as soon as possible, but we found to our horror that the barrels, which were in boxes, were solidly embedded in heavy grease which first had to be chipped away and then boiled off. By 8 o鈥檆lock next morning 鈥� only 24 hours after being mobilised 鈥� we were exhausted and had had the war in a big way already. No food turned up and there wasn鈥檛 even enough water to fill the gun barrels and cans.

A ration party was sent to Company H.Q. which was in a house near BIG WAVE BAY and not only did they bring back food and water but also a cook boy. We cheered up at the latter acquisition, but he was horrified with cooking over an open fire and disappeared after a couple of days. We then fended for ourselves and soon learnt the art of scrounging and living off the land.

Our platoon鈥檚 first task had been guarding against landings on BIG WAVE BAY but we were soon switched to provide cover for SAI WAN BAY and one of our batteries at PAK SHA WAN. On our immediate left in TAI TAM GAP were the Royal Rifles of Canada and in a few pill boxes on the waterfront were some Middlesex. One of our batteries was at CAPE COLLINSON and another at CAPE D鈥橝GUILAR With the CAPE COLLINSON battery was one of our platoons and the third platoon was in the foothills above SHEK O. This remained the position until the morning of the 14th during which time we strengthened positions by wiring and digging.

On one of these days a supply of hand grenades came up from H.Q., at which we all looked askance; a few of us had thrown our quota of one grenade each at the previous camp, but that was where our experience ended. Our sergeant took a look around those present and decided I was the expert to prime the lot, but they sent me round the other side of the hill to do it; presumably being the youngest member, I was expendable! During this period Jap bombers were over all the time. We were left alone, but from our view they were concentrating more and more on the LYEMUN forts.

We had to make several sorties into the hills to chase fifth columnists and also burnt a few huts near our ration route to BIG WAVE BAY from which we were being sniped at. Early on the 14th some elements of the Rajputs, who had retreated from KOWLOON, came into our area, more to rest than to reinforce us. Shelling from DEVIL鈥橲 PEAK which had started the previous day now strengthened on any position the Japs could see, so movement had to be restricted to night time only. The nights were extremely cold and our thin khaki uniform with one blanket apiece was no match for the weather on the open hillside. For signals a telephone and land wire had been rigged up back to H.Q. and we were alerted by that on the night of the 15th, though it wasn鈥檛 needed as the fireworks over LYEMUN PASS were considerable; in fact, an attack had been made across the water, but had been beaten off.

The Jap bombes and artillery stepped up their attacks on the LYEMUN forts from the 16th to the 18th; this was an exceptionally trying period of just sitting and waiting, for the attacks were often switched to the tiniest position and we were not able to retaliate.

The Jap landing on the Island occurred on the night of the 18th principally at NORTH POINT; they outflanked LYEMUN and overran it the same night, their forward patrols reaching TAI TAM GAP by first light on the 19th so we, together with the batteries, were cut off. Their patrols advanced along the catchwater below POTTINGER GAP and we were in action for the first time. It was then that we were introduced to the Japanese mortar which was extremely accurate and it was only because of the high percentage of duds that we were not wiped out. We received our first casualties, including myself slightly wounded, but we gave as good as we got and they withdrew back to the Gap.

The whole peninsula of MOUNT COLLINSON, POTTINGER GAP and CAPE D鈥橝GUILAR was now untenable and the decision was taken to break out. Our Company was the only complete infantry unit so it fell on us to clear the Gap and allow the artillery men through. Fortunately the Japs were not in strength and we were able to hold the Gap long enough to allow everyone through on the way back to STANLEY. Whilst we were operating in this infantry role our machine guns had gone ahead on trucks and our only armament apart from our rifles were the Lewis guns.

By this time we had conveniently 鈥渕islaid鈥� out gas-masks, topees and revolvers and had picked up the more modern arms such as Bren guns and Tommy guns from Canadian sources. Similarly a couple of days later we were completely re-clothed with Canadian battledresses when their stores were thrown open for our use.

Much against our will we, in turn, withdrew from the Gap in the early afternoon right back to STANLEY VILLAGE. These withdrawals were something we had to get used to, but were never able to understand the reasons especially as at no time, except at the very end, were we actually forced to retire. We reorganised in STANLEY VILLAGE and were immediately sent up on to STONE HILL and SUGAR LOAF with our machine guns only to stay the night there. Back again to the Village the next morning, the 20th, to be told that REPULSE BAY had been captured, so our platoon was positioned with our guns either side of the road at the top of the gap between STANLEY and REPULSE BAY, whilst the rest of the Company probed forward. In fact REPULSE BAY had been cleared before they reached it and again that evening we were back in the Village. Rain commenced that evening continuing for the next two days which, with the cold weather and lack of sleep, gave us a pretty miserable time.

On the 21st the platoon was out, this time to NOTTING HILL from which we had an excellent field of fire across the TAI TAM reservoir; we were fortunate enough to knock out one light tank and make another scuttle back when they tried to cross the dam. We stayed in this position for that night and were relieved by the Canadians at midday on the 22nd. Back to the Village where we looked forward to our first night鈥檚 sleep for what seemed ages 鈥� the continuous shelling we took in our stride and it helped lull us to sleep.

We were awakened in the early hours of the morning to be told to retake NOTTING HILL at first light as the Canadians had withdrawn during the night. We moved as an infantry Company and our C.O. had the brainwave of burning the Japs out. The undergrowth was pretty wet but with the help of petrol a very effective smoke screen was formed and we were able, after a stiff fight to retake the hill and drive the Japs down to the reservoir. It was here that I saw the best map of HONG KONG that I had ever seen, on a dead Jap officer; every pill box, defensive position and possible path was marked in. Without being attacked we again retired, this time to the beach and pier on the other side of STANLEY peninsula from the prison. We were now cut off from the rest of the island and a launch came in from ABERDEEN that night with ammunition.

The next day, the 24th, we were well pinned down in the valley by shell and machine gun fire. Our casualties gradually mounted so that the three platoons were getting rather thread-bare. I was transferred to Company H.Q. as a runner and we all moved off that evening. The H.Q. was in STANLEY VILLAGE POLICE STATION, one platoon going on up to the CHUNG HOM KOK peninsula and the others spreading out in the foothills above the village. The Japs attacked in strength all that night but we held our lines until midday on Christmas Day. We were now all mixed up 鈥� Middlesex, ourselves, Stanley gaol warders and elements of the Volunteer batteries, all under control of our Company Commander. The only method of communication we had was by runner so I was on the go all the time. By midday the position was pretty hopeless, the Company H.Q. had been wiped out during one of my absences and control was taken over by an officer who had been in gaol up to a few days before. We pulled back to the hills just overlooking the gaol and then were relieved by the Royal Rifles of Canada who had been in STANLEY FORT. We were exhausted and retired to the Fort to sleep out that night. Next morning we were advised that the Colony had capitulated the previous day and that the STANLEY PENINSULA area 鈥� or what was left of it 鈥� had surrendered early that morning, the 26th. We set about destroying all the arms we had, but when they were all put together it was a pitifully small pile to be dealt with. It was then necessary to contact the Japs and see what we could do about our wounded who had been left in the hills during the retreat. Parties were organised to search and I went on several, but it was rarely that wounded men were picked up; in the majority of cases it was burial parties that were required.

The Company gradually collected together: we had 50% casualties of which half had been killed, including our Company Commander and Company Sergeant-Major. The remainder was a very sorry group to be herded into prison camp. We did, however, have the satisfaction of knowing that the Japs in direct opposition to us had considerably greater casualties than our own, for their funeral pyres on the STANLEY football pitch were extremely large.

FRANCIS CRABB, O.B.E., E.D.
Ex. Pte. No. 2 (Scottish Coy)
H.K.V.D.C.

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