Notes of a conversation on the 7th April with
Mr. T.J.J. Fenwick
Mr. J. .D. Morrison
}
of the Hong Kong Banking Corporation.
who escaped from Hong Kong on the 18th October 1942.
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1. Personal experience. Messra. Fenwick and Morrison were interned in
the Sun Wa Hotel. Up to June 1942, they were marched under guard from the hotel to their offices. After June they were given passes to be used directly between the hotel and the office. Actually they used the passes for wider freedom. At the office, they worked under a Japanese supervisor who made no attempt to help them.
2.
3.
Japanese attitude.
(a) to Europeans. Unpleasant but no physical violence.
Japanese Gendarmerie were particularly unpleasant. A few Europeans were slapped in the early days by the Gendarmerie but there was no trouble later on. The
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The
Japanese did not unduly interfere with the free neutrals. Japanese soldiers took no notice of Europeans on the streets. On the day of escape they had got mixed up with 15 to 20 drunken Japanese who luckily took no notice of them. (b) to Chinese was atrocious. Fenwick and Morrison saw do zens of Chinese shot by the Japanese, shooting indiscriminately from the quayside into Sampans. The Japanese would collect Chinese in the streets to beat them up. Later they got tired of beating them and let them alone. The oppression of the Chinese was deliberate and calculated to drive them out of Hong Kong. At one time free passes to leave Hong Kong were offered to the Chinese.
(c) to Germans and Italians. The Japanese did not allow the
German and Italian military missions to remain in Hong Kong.
Chinese attitude definitely pro-British and looking forward to British
coming back. They did not take any interest in the general war or even in the war in China.
4.
Supplies.
5.
6.
Business
Japanese seized all Army medical supplies but there was a . small stock of medical supplies in the Chinese chemists shops and dispensaries. Food prices very high. Cattle and pigs were being brought in from outside. The stocks of supplies were becoming exhausted.
was at a standstill. The shops which were open were just disposing of the stocks they had on hɛnd. The ritish, American Tobacco Factory was being run by the Japanese.
International Red Cross Committee delegate.
(a) Zindel. They knew M. Zindel, the International Red Cross
Committee delegate. They were not very impressed with him as they did not consider that he ad much Dersonality, but he was just simple and honest. On the other hand, Father Joy was a spendiä man with a forceful personality and if he was behind Zindel and stimulating him, then things might get done.
(b) Egler. They had no opinion of Egler who visited Hong Kong. He spent most of his time with the Scandinavians. They had asked him to visit the people interned in the Sun wa Hotel but he did not trouble to find the time for that.
7. Atrocities.
They did not see any instance of atrocities committed against Foreigners.
8. Dr. Selwyn Clarke and Mr. Gemson. They were full of praise for
Dr. Selwyn Clarke. Hewas doing grand work and had worn himself to a shadow. He stood up to the Japanese and was untiring in his efforts. They hoped that the ritish
/Government