12
-6-
December 18th. The Engineer-in-Charge at Cape D'Aguilar, Mr. F.K. Garton, telephoned to say that the military forces manning the guns there were "running off the station", and he asked for information. The Postmaster General telephoned to Military Headquarters who said that D'Aguilar was being evacuated but they had forgotten to tell us. They said that our staff should obtain trans- port from the military people there. This information was passed on to Mr. Garton. He telephoned again a little later to say that he could not get any assistance at all from the military people, but that he had obtained a car and, after destroying as much as possible of the plant, he would proceed to town with his European assistant (Mr. A.V. Harbottle), nis wife and a female Chinese servant. The Chinese staff were told to disperse. Mr. Garton had no information as to what route to follow or to avoid. His car was ambushed at Wongneichong Gaþ、, his wife was killed, and the Chinese amah badly wounded.
On the loss of the D'Aguilar transmitters, two small ship-type transmitters were found in a local depot, and a quick search made for a suitable central location in which to instal them. The telephone company agreed to let us have a supply from their generators if required and the adjacent building of Marina House was therefore chosen. The transmitters and receivers were installed and on or about December 20th communication was re-estab- lished with Chunking and Manila. Aerials again proved an awkward problem, for anyone going on the roof during daylignt was promptly shot at.
These transmitters and receivers worked satisfactorily up to the time of the occupation, working from the tele- phone company's supply after the public supply had failed.
IX. PEAK RECEIVING STATION
Mr.
1. This station came under casual fire early on, but was not much interfered with until about December 16th when it came under very heavy shelling. The military officer in charge of an observation post in the station grounds told the Engineer-in-Charge, Mr. H.S. Rees, to evacuate. Rees asked me for instructions, and I consulted the Post- master General, who rang up Military Headquarters. They said that the Peak was "the safest place to be in". However, in view of the very heavy shelling of the site, the refusal of the Chinese staff to stay, the flimsy nature of the single storey building and the repeated injunctions of the military officers there to evacuate immediately, was not considered reasonable to ask Mr. Rees to remain. A few receivers were got down to town from this station but not much could be done as there was no transport and the approaches to the station were also being heavily shelled.
it
Note: A Chinese technician who managed to get through to the station next day reported that the building was badly damaged from several direct hits and the site covered by shell craters. I confirmed this myself after the occupation.
/2. When the