32
way to Yaumati.
This district appeared to be quiet again for
the moment, I therefore pushed on in a taxi accompanied by a
British Sergeant to Sham Shui Po. We got through Shanghai Street
without any incident but it became evident as soon as we got to
the Lai Chi Kok Road in Sham Shui Po District that we should
have trouble. We had hardly got any distance down the Lai Chi
Kok Road where stones were flying when we came upon a mob looting
a Chinese shop containing Japanese goods. We stopped the taxi
and on our approach the rioters ran out of the shop and took up
positions at a distance under the verandahs and on the vacant
ground opposite and opened up a bombardment of stones. I fired
a number of warning rounds from my revolver which had little
effect on the mob so we withdrew to our taxi and drove on down
the road some little distance to the first picquet of the Argylle
Wenda
who lined across the road. A Police picquet was there also.
A
We
Crowds were on all sides under cover of the verandahs throwing
stones, retreating as the troops and police advanced and advanc-
ing when the troops either stopped or withdrew temporarily.
pushed on to Sham Shui Po Police Station where I was informed
that the crowds were completely out of hand and that this con-
dition of affairs had continued for close on four hours. I
thereupon returned to the picquet in Lai Chi Kok Road and finding
that the crowd would not disperse I decided to open fire myself.
I came to this decision as it was clear that the crowds would not
withdraw otherwise and that looting was in progress as I had
already witnessed myself. One private in the Argylls had had
his jaw broken with a stone and a number of other casualties
had been reported. The alternative was to order the troops to
fire which would have meant numerous casualties. I fired one
round at the mob in Lai Chi Kok Road. They ran leaving one man in the roadway who was picked up by the Police and taken to
hospital.
Police and troops were now at the junction of a large cross road, Nam Cheung Street which has an open nullah running
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