大象传媒

On Christmas Day 1941, the 2nd MTB Flotilla made a bold bid for safety and ran the gauntlet of the Japanese invading force in five Motor Torpedo Boats. The original party comprised 15 British Officers, [10 R.N., 3 Army, 1 RAF, & 1 Police] 35 other ranks, several civilians including David.M. MacDougall & Charles Edwin [Ted] Ross, both of the Ministry of Information, and the four members of the Chinese liaison party along with three members of SOE 136. Three were killed and one captured as they escaped from Aberdeen in a motor boat which was machine gunned as they went down Aberdeen South Channel trying to find the MTBs.

Also Commander Hugh.M. Montague R.N. Rtrd escaped with a crew of two officers, and four other ranks after salvaging a Tug and joined up with the MTBs in Mirs Bay.

Their escape was largely due to the courage & resourcefulness of the 50 year old one legged Chinese Admiral Chan Chak, liaison officer between the Chinese & British authorities. The survivors landed on the coast of Guangdong after scuttling the MTBs in Mirs Bay. One of them was 27 year old acting Petty Officer Stephen John Hide, R.N. from Lewes, East Sussex, England. He has written an account of the escape, which started on Christmas Day in 1941. Acting Stoker P.O. Hide was married at Lewes on Tuesday 2nd June 1942, eleven days after sailing into Glasgow after escaping from Hong Kong. On the voyage home he sent a two- worded telegram HOMEWARD BOUND. He had served nine of his twenty-two years in the Royal Navy.

Buddy Hide's account:
We returned from patrol about dawn on Christmas Day, and were told to find a secluded spot. My boat MTB 07 along with 09 went into Telegraph bay and lay alongside a rather short stone pier. We covered our boats with straw and branches of trees. At 15.30 we heard that Governor Sir Mark Young had formerly surrendered to General Sakai of the Japanese Army at Queens Pier in Hong Kong at 15.10. after 18 days of some of the Fiercest close combat of WWII.

We were standing by when we received orders to meet in the bay at the South of Aberdeen Island with the other running boats of the 2nd MTB flotilla. We had lost three MTBs, 08, 12, & 26 in the Battle prior to surrender. Our job was to get away with certain officials, the most important being Admiral Chan Chak. At about 15.45 Hrs Ted Ross and Dave MacDougall, both in the Ministry of Information, went over to the Kings Theatre in Queens Road where Ted had parked his Buick. There they were joined by the Chinese liaison party consisting of Admiral Chan [Chen] Chak dressed in his Army General's uniform. He acted as the Chinese-British-Commander-In-Chief. Colonel S. K. Yee of the Chinese Secret Service, Flag Lt Henry Heng Hsu and his Coxswain Yeung Chuen. Also there were five British officers from Fortress HQ, Sqd/Ldr Max Oxford, Major Arther Goring, [Military Intelligence], brought in from Delhi to deal with the 5th columnists, Super Intendant Bill Robinson of the Indian Police, Capt Peter MacMillan, R.A, and Capt Reggie [Freddie] Guest, of the Middlesex Reg. also Colin McEwan of the SOE. With Henry Hsu driving an old canvas topped Austin car they stormed through the chaos of a defeated city with blockades and went through streets that were occupied by the Japanese. Henry did not spare the horn, he had everybody moving out of the way. They were stopped several times by Japanese soldiers. Fortunately, they were able to proceed because Henry Hsu could speak Japanese, shouting Banzai!, Long live the Emperor, and Chen was extremely calm. On they drove, past the Queen Mary Hospital round to Aberdeen. There they found Commander Montague who said that the MTBs had been ordered to go more than an hour previously. They set off in a motor boat but just five or six hundred yards down the East Channel they were spotted by the Japs occupying Pillbox 12 on the beach below Brick Hill [Nan Long Shan]. The japs opened up with everything they had, rifles, machine guns, and shells.

The boat was riddled and several were killed. The only thing for it was to dive overboard and swim for it. The Admiral's coxswain Yeung-Chuen could not swim, so Chan gave him his life jacket. As Chan waved Yeung-Chuen over the side he took a bullet in his wrist. MacDougall was hit in his tin helmet, then again in his shoe before taking a bullet in his back. Henry helped the Admiral remove his wooden leg, in which he had hidden $40,000. Chan said to Henry, "What should we do!!" To which Henry replied "Pray, Pray to God" (Henry is Christian). Chan, who was not, said "if we make it out of here, I'll convert to be a Christian!" Henry prayed and then carried the one-legged admiral and jumped ship. Then Henry swam to safety, carrying the injured admiral to the nearest island. Ted decided to strip off before diving in. They had to swim to Ap lei Chau [Aberdeen] Island with the water a mass of spouts from the bullets and shells, as well as a mass of Portuguese Men of War Jelly fish. The first ashore was Ted Ross, who scrambled up the rocks frozen stiff in just his underwear . Later MacDougall came floating in on his back fully clothed, and with a pistol strapped to his waist.

The Japs kept firing after they landed, spraying rock splinters all over the place. Henry looked after Chan the best he could, Chan was losing a lot of blood. After dark those who could started off Westwards to get to the protected South side. Henry left Chan who was a Buddhist with a Christian Bible in one hand, and a gun in the other, just in case the Japs got to him first. Later on in the escape Chan adopted the first name of Andrew, and renamed his sons Donald and Duncan after converting to Christianity. He also struck up an intense friendship with David MacDougall.

Holger Christianson was the first to spot our MTB, and swam out to us at 1930 hrs. He was so excited we thought he said "There are ten Japs following with machine guns", so we gave them a warm reception by opening up with the Lewis guns. Holger was shouting wildly "stop, stop". What he actually said was "There are ten chaps following being machine-gunned". We eventually found Chak who had climbed higher up the rocks to shelter. Colonel Yee could not swim and was presumed dead. In fact he survived and made it to Ap lei Chau Island and escaped with Chinese assistance.
Getting Away
At 21:30 we were ready to slip and proceed. We had just three torpedoes between the five MTBs. We started the engines and tuned them up ready to make our get-away, the noise was tremendous and nerves were jangling. The Chinese called the MTB's Wind Thunder Boats with good reason. The Skipper could see his house on fire up on the hill as we sped past, and South of Lamma Island we shaped course for Mirs Bay at 22 knots. Shortly after we were fired upon. Then we encountered Japanese warships but managed to slip them. They could not find us with their searchlights. The five MTB's were line astern making our way to the Island of Ping Chou in Mirs Bay, about 100 nautical miles away.

We arrived at the rendezvous at about 01:30. a Canadian Mr. Frederick Kendall who was the C/O of the Special Operations Executive (S.O.E. 136 Z Force based in Kweiling) a Special Duty Unit of the Hongkong Defence Force went ashore with the Admiral's Coxswain. He then brought the headman back to liaise with the Chinese Admiral who was now dressed in Cdr Gandy's spare uniform. Admiral Chan Chak then advised that the MTB's shape course for the small village of Namoa in the province of Kwangtung on the Mainland that was not occupied by the Japanese. There Commander Hugh Montague and seven others met us who had escaped independently in a Tug boat which had run aground entering Namoa.

Kendall took charge of the whole party of 67. It was here that the Chinese guerrilla's met the Chinese Admiral. The leader had served under Chan's command. They were like long lost friends. Everyone was relieved and felt safe. He agreed to escort us inland to meet up with the Chinese Army, and provide all expenses on the road. We immediately realized the power, influence, and respect the Admiral had. He was the President of the Southern Kuomintang, the Nationalist party in Southern China. We then started to bring ashore everything that was of value to our cause, and to the guerrilla's. Then it was time to burn our bridges, scuttle the five MTB's. Time was something we did not have, as daylight was approaching. We had to use axes on the wooden hulls, and open the sea cocks to let the water in. The Chinese villagers piled rocks on board. The weight of the engines eventually took the remnants of the 2nd MTB Flotilla down. With heavy hearts we eventually landed ashore, and were ready to proceed on foot at 05.30 on the 26th after working all night. An hour later the sun rose, and the full implications of what lay ahead dawned on us all.

We split into three groups; each led by a member of the S.O.E. The leaders were nicknamed Mike [Mr. F.W. Kendall], John [John Talan], & Mac [Colin McEwan]. Lt R. Ashby (07) & Lt A. Kennedy (09) and crews were in the third group under McEwan. The Admiral was near the front, carried on a chair lashed between two bamboo poles. We did two hours forced marching and were told to rest for the day. Here we bartered some excess weight, automatic weapons, ammunition etc. We were told to carry oilskins, blanket, and revolver. Personnel effects were secondary; hence anything else was a luxury. We started off again at 17.30 that evening, and following the coastline along a scenic path we marched 14 miles with ten-minute breaks every now and again. During one break the Chinese Guerrilla's challenged us to a shooting match, but our ammunition was wet. We eventually arrived at the guerrilla's headquarters, arriving there at approximately midnight. The whole party was extremely tired, and the going was tough and slow. We discarded unwanted gear as we went. The following day [27th] we set off at 08.00 after a breakfast of tinned sausages and cocoa. David MacDougall now needed a chair due to the bullet he was carrying in his shoulder.

We had to cross two rivers: Then we were at the Japanese patrol line where we sent out scouts, who returned to say all was clear. We crossed the Jap-patrolled road at 18.00, and carried on marching until 20.00. Arriving at a village we were informed that the Japs came there every morning at 06.00, so we had to continue for another four hours. That day we marched 31 miles and slept in an orchard under trees. It was wintertime, and the coldest night we ever slept out in.

Waichow
The next days marching brought us in contact with Chinese Regular troops, which was re-assuring to us. That night we slept in their local headquarters. The following day we reached the outskirts of Waichow, where we had to wait for the all clear before entering as an air raid was in progress. Bicycles had been sent out to us from Waichow when we were about ten miles from town. Some of us had a ride as pillion passengers as we were suffering with feet problems, I had "Hong Kong Foot" which made it very painful to walk. We fell in and marched to the town centre past the Chief Magistrate, amidst firecrackers and all the noise the locals could muster. We had then covered 80 miles which had cost thousands of $ in bribes through bandit country. That evening we had a banquet laid on by the Chinese Army. The three Special Service agents left us at Waichow and turned back to continue their work in Southern China. They eventually teamed up with Lt.Colonel Lindsay Ride who was an Australian Academic and formed the British Army Aid Group [BAAG] based in Waichow. It was here that the legendary Waichow Photo was taken on the 29th December. After resting two days we left in four sampans. They were about seventy feet in length; two were motorized junks with charcoal/gas 6 cylinder lorry engines. At 18.00 hrs on New Years Eve we headed up the East river. The boats were very crowded, as well as our party there were some Chinese regular troops as well as some of our guerrillas as guards.
After an eventful five day river journey, on a meagre diet of two small bowls of rice per day, we eventually reached Lungchun [Liucheng] on the 5th January. Lt Colonel Owen-Hughes, who was seconded as liaison officer to the Chinese Army, met us just before we arrived at Lungchun. We marched into the town square to a tumultuous welcome. They got a special dispensation to slaughter a cow, and laid on a huge banquet that evening. We left at 04.30 the following morning in five trucks and a car for the Admiral and David MacDougall, to take us through the Nan mountains to Kukong. Owen-Hughes had arranged Chinese Army padded jackets for us, which we were very thankful for as it was winter. On the way we overtook the Chinese Army on the march, mile after mile of them on both sides of the road. We stopped at Namwah, a Buddhist monastery where we were shown three mummies, one of which was Lok Tsu, the sixth reincarnation of Buddha, and about 1200 years old. Two days later on the 8th we reached Kukong. On the approach the locals, who pinned favours to our lapels greeted us. We did a token march into town, and then back in the trucks we headed for a very large sampan on the other side of town. Then it was by rail to Luchow for six days, arriving on the 18th January. Admiral Chan [Chen] Chak was in bad shape, as well as the bullet in his left wrist, he was suffering with ulcers and had to have a blood transfusion. A local doctor operated to remove the bullet from his wrist. Also the party split up here on 21st January, with seven of the Senior Staff and Intelligence officers flying North to Chunking to be debriefed, and us the Naval party numbering 50 carrying on towards Burma under our Flotilla Commander Lt Commander Gandy. We played a seven a side soccer match here against the local YMCA, losing 8-0 to the locals. That night we caught a train at 03.00 on the Canton-Hankow railway, and had five days train journey subjected to bombing.
On arrival at Ichang [Railhead] we embarked upon trucks. On the way one of the lorries overturned and three men suffered broken bones. Kweiyang is the medical centre for the Chinese Army and they attended to our injuries to the best of their abilities and supplied us with Red Cross Ambulances to take us to Lashio, in Burma. This trip was to take us twelve days. The following day we proceeded to travel the whole length of the Burma Road. It was a seven-day nightmare, what with the several inches of dust, the real tortuous S-bends, and the road barely wide enough to pass oncoming vehicles, and the several thousands of feet drop.
RANGOON DESTRUCTION
We travelled from Lashio in Burma to Maymyo by truck, and then by train to Mandalay then on to Rangoon [arriving on 14th February 1942] which was deserted after 2880 miles overland from Hong Kong. We left Rangoon after blowing up the godowns, jetties, piers, wireless station, and all military places. We then proceeded downstream and stopped to blow up the oil refineries, dumps, and works. We left Rangoon on the 8th March 1942. We could see the fires 40 miles out at sea. Two hours after we left the Japanese 21st armoured Regiment arrived in Rangoon.

Of the 67 who escaped, 3 officers & 28 ratings finally arrived in Glasgow late afternoon on Friday 22nd May 1942.

Admiral Sir Andrew Chan Chak was awarded an Honorary Officer of the Military Division of the Knight (Commander of the Order) of the British Empire.
He went on to become the first Post War Mayor of Canton. He died suddenly in 1949, just before the Communists took control.

David MacDougall became the first Post War Assistant Governor of Hong Kong.

Henry Heng Hsu was awarded Honorary Officer of the Military Division of the Order of the British Empire for his exploits in Hong Kong and the subsequent escape, and went on to become an MP in the Taipei Parliament, and also became an International Olympic Committee member.

The epic escape journey from Hong Kong to Rangoon was 2880 miles and took 51 days. The marching part of the China trip was through the jungle, and over mountainous Country 7000 feet above sea level, with no roadways. On the whole, the morale, spirit, and courage of the party were magnificent. The thought of beating the Japanese to get home after three years, four in some cases kept us going.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.