"EDNESDAY, "April 20, 1949. My
1
receiver, "Have you heard?” A time honoured phrase, but listen to what follows. "The Amethyst has been fired upon going up the river."
too
THE OF
THE CHINA MAʼL, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1958.
LAST DAYS SHANGHAI
The military were moved
An
announcement CAMO
for the 'Yellow Ox' a sort of widespread gang who seem to be a kind of ‘qply" com- munity. They played the ex- change, they plundered and tricked, war and unrest were heaven to thom. But at their worst, they did in a small way what their mastors had done on a national scale. The shock to the whole European
While the Amethyst in- never surrender" speech of colony was
be fully cident lasted, there had been Sir Winston's. General Chen out from the centre of the But this day the blow fell. severe to appreciated.
were a sort of change of heart on Ta-chin also declared that town, and were hastily a from our civic head that all Chinese Even tho
the part of the Nationalists. he and his army would fight plying themselves to drill foreign currency and all shocked for as they interpreted it, this was it is my opinion that they to the laat man, and that the and a general toughening Chinese silver dollars were the overture to yet another war. Yet the thought that the incident Communist Army should up, such as it was, after the illegal. Now with the best and Shanghai soft life of preying on the will in the world, you could would bring them an unex- not pass, over optimistic community took it in its pected ally, someone to help would not fall. Mr Urquhart, people.
not obey that order. There I went out to see them on was not enough paper going the stride, once the initial shock had worn off. them out of the hopeless soon to become Sir Robert
mess into which they had Urquhart, spoke over
com an exercise and was justifi- around to buy a The next I knew
fallen. But nothing happen- radlo to the British
munity. He told us that the ably pessimistic. They just groceries at the rate of ex- some schoolchildren were into the silence that follow. ed.
General had would not have a go. Their change that existed just marching across the play- ed. there flow a white dove, On Thursday, April 28, Nationalist
arall. A Lieutenant-Colonel order for the simple renson ground chanting. "The boys and settled on the branch of I had to go down into assured him that Shanghai officere obviously had no clue then. Everyone ignored the of the London are on their a nearby tree. And for a the city. All the way I saw would he held. But with a way." A telephone call con- moment I watched it and flags, huge flags, little flags, touch of caution, Sir Robert seemed to me to approximate that they could not obey it. firmed that. Then disaster. believed.
banners and streamers fly added that the days to fol to something like an acting andra Lance-Corporalin black and gloomy. The Lon-
The next day, a Sunday, Ing proudly in the breeze. I low must be difficult,
the reasoned, other armies have don was heavily engaged a Memorial Service was held asked why his proud array that all those surplus to the the British Army. But I
at the Cathedral. It was of the Nacionalist fling of immediate needs of
fellows can get tough packed tight with a sorrow- China, and I was told that community should try to get different ways, maybe these
in out. ing multitude who had come Chiang Kai-shek was
grow, This seems a good place to necessary. to honour the dend. organ thundered out those and in growing became add that although I know missive chords of "The wilder. Chiang had come to very little about British Dead March" from "Saul." conquer or die. Shanghui official circles, I thought
and hnd to turn back.
wax
As night fell, news of the casualties trickled in. There were gross exaggerations. but look at it any way you Hked, things did look blackt. Wavernes were now de cided. "To stay or not to stay?" was the question. Once again the wives with young children decided to pull out, at any rate, in most cases. Those who regarded
Rumour The Shanghai,
The Amethyst Affair
red and white flowers.
But now there was time for grief for
on shek.
no
by
of Justice
wook's
UTTIORITY dermed it neceS- sary that an example should be made of those who flouted their orders. Six of these who had wretched creatures been playing the silver dollar were selzed.
the kerbstones of Shanghai
if
The Communist Army got nearer, and at night we stood
the nearer fringe of on the school roof to watch
I happened to be going past circle that enclosed Shang-
the Race Course at the time hai, I could hear no guns, they were assembled for execu but every now and again tion. They were brought out of could be sean a machine gun a van, their hands tied behind
John Luff
we Were
an merry
the
them, and through the cords which bound their wrists WOB passed a bamboo polo. A twist of the pole and they were thrust in ngany to, the ground. There, hall kneeling, halt lying, they were shot one by one through the back of the head.
Shanghai as their home be. And at the front before the and no further. We have no gan to look around to see aitar and around the choir retreat, no retreat, we con-
who have what was best to do. The we placed our floral tokens. quer or die British Community Interests From the School we sent a retreat. In the morning a hal to plan in the light of shield emblazoned with million flaga flutterd in the these unforeseen incidents, cross of St George done in breeze, by nightfall they British interests were well burat as the tracer bullets but before all, there was
were gone. But more signi- served in their Consul, Sir left their lazy luminous trail duty yet to fulfil for those
no ficant, so hnd Chiang Kai- Robert Urquhart. Both then, behind. There was very little expressionless faces the Chinese
and in the days about to of it; a few minutes and all of their kin who had died a few miles north, and thon- Monday, April 25, the
The last small ship went follow, when things did not the excitement was over.
Meanwhile, back in town sands of miles from home. British and American war- putting up
the river away turn out as dangerous as we Saturday, April 23 dawn ships were ordered away from Shanghai, But still thought, and in those awful a sort of cat, drink, and be mood possessed ed an English April day. The from Shanghai. No reason the planes could leave, and days when air was cool. new washed, was given, in fact none was those who changed their isolated and a seemingly for everyone. The Gold Yuan and the Spring flowers were necessary, for we also learn- minds at the last moment gotten people, Sir Robert now stood at 500,000 to the the and Lady Urquhart were an US dollar, a rate so fantas- the Communist left. For a few days making valiant efforts to ed that
and inspiration to
the whole tic that it was meaningless. thrust toward the Summer. Armies had crossed the town seemed grim
They moved The paper used to make a The trees wore an English Yangtse. If you look at empty as we waited for the community.
about among the people, Yuan note of even a large green, and from the
new map, you will see at a glance, blow to fall.
they got down to a job of denomination was literally clad branches of the trees, that the Yangtse forms a th birds sang a sorrowful natural defence line north of
work. Later their position worth more than the in- was made the more difficult scribed value of the note. dirge as the flag decked Shanghai. Properly defend-
No one pretended to UBO coffins of our fellow
TAY the first was a Sun- in that the Communists re-
The US ex- the
the Leaders
coun- ed, it makes a formidable M day, and as we took fused to recognise us, but them any longer.
on
trymen entered Hungjao obstacle for any troops even Cemetery. The
Amerlen in strength. Had the
Na stock. things did not seem the Urquharts never put a dollar was the bill of Marines had drawn up alionulists intended to make too bad. Our English lan- foot wrong. Avoiding giving change. So also wa
the one hand, silver, dollar, the 'big-head' Guard of Honour, for ht
newspapers spoke offence a stand, here was the place, guage such moments as these, the here was the position,
no optimistically, in fact they but determined and im-Chinese coln. This was 'ple'
Sir stupid quarrels of stupid
a dared not do otherwise. placable on the other, troops could ask for people mattered not. We better defence line. The Huge arrows, even bigger Robert steered were one by common ties of Communists crossed prac and blacker than those course, and brought blood and belief. The dead tically unopposed. Up to that used by the Daily Ex- community through safe and the Nationalist press during World War sound. I should venture to
were our dead,
and
the far
honoured them not martial pomp,' but in names of those who away in England should soon awaken to a hopeless dawn. by Proxy
The crowd looked on with the
seem to adopt on such occasions, I waited for at least one to run to the rescue of these poor crea- tures. It was not a question of justice, but equity. These men were breaking the law, but at that very moment, all Shanghai was being plundered by the very men who ordered in the name of justice and decency, the these wratches. It execution was not the blood that flowed in a dull red trickle along tho gutter that siɛkened me, but that' the whole show was a sicken- ing pared of justice. An order given by one who should soon desert the town after it had rendered up its last piece of silver.