In the unlikely event of meeting with
Japanese patrols we were to carry on while some of the guerillas would draw the Japanese away with bursts of Tommy-gun fire.
We had a 5-10 minutes rest every hour, with special warnings about noise when passing near to Japanese lines and particularly when crossing the main road which I later learnt was probably the TAMSUI LUNG HOW main road.
A little time before midnight we met the Advance Guards from our destination, who had come to meet our convoy. Owing to the size of the party, probably at least fifty, these new guards refused to take on anyone except our four selves.
17th January, 1942.
We reached our destination, the village of LO NGAH SHAN, about 0130, and spent the night in the local schoolroom. We had been told that this village was "safe" at the end of "occupied" KWANGTUNG and at the beginning of the No Man's Land terminating with "free" KWANGTUNG at WAICHOW.
Up to this very last day the actions of the guerillas in guarding and convoying us had been worthy of the highest praise but they failed lamentably at the last moment. Contrary to all previous practice the village was raided by Japanese troops and Cavalry; I gathered later that no sentries had been posted by the guerilla's and the alarm was given by small boys from the village with whose help we scrambled up into the hills and worked away from the village towards the Chinese lines which we were told were "nearby". We continued cross-hill for some time until we could see the main road running through the village to WAICHOW. Unfortunately in hurried retreat, Ride's and Lee's haversacks were left behind. The former contained some evidence of his name and some anti-Japanese lectures, while the latter contained the names, in Chinese, of
We various guerillas etc., whom we had met. later learnt that the Japanese had raided the schoolroom and as a result of their finds there had searched and questioned the village until 1600 before leaving.
we
At this point, above the WAICHOW road, parted with our sole remaining guerilla since this apparently was the end of their "beat" and had one of the village boys as a guide for the next stage of our journey.
This really completes our "escape" as we could now travel less furtively since we were near "Free" China. We were still not considered "safe" until WAICHOW so:)- 1700 we reached DAI SHAN HA some miles behind the Chinese out posts through which we were "officially" conducted.
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18th January, 1942.
From the nearby village of SUN HEUI we embarked on the back seats of hired push-bikes
100
which