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26
XNOX CONFIDENTIAL (2).
RECEIVE
18 DEC 1939
C. O. RECYj
GOVERNMENT HOUSE,
HONG KONG.
7th December, 1939.
Sir,
2/2
With reference to your confidential despatch of
27th January, 1939, on the subject of the internment of
Chinese soldiers in Hong Kong, I have the honour to inform
you with regret that fifteen interned soldiers escaped
from the Ma Tau Chung Chinese Internment Camp on the night
of 15th November, 1939. No information is yet available
regarding the whereabouts of these men, but enquiries are
proceeding.
2. The escape appears to have been carefully
planned and executed. At 6.50 p.m. on 15th November a
fuse holder in a latrine reserved for European officers
was broken and this resulted in the immediate failure of
the perimeter lights on the north and east sides of the
camp. The officer in charge at once turned out the
external guard and within five minutes of the failing of
the lights two broken ladders were discovered on the
inside of the eastern fence. It was later found that a
total of fifteen internees had made good their escape, by jumping from the top of the ladders to the ground outside the fence, before the ladders themselves collapsed. One internee was found in the camp with injuries which he admitted had been received from falling into the barbed
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
MALCOLM MACDONALD, M.F.,
&C.,
&c.,
&c.