CO129-585-4 Sino-Japanese conflict- Japanese air raids on China 26-1-1940 - 5-7-1940 — Page 27

-ཝཱ་རཾ་ --

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Lam Sam ( ** =), 42 years, states:-

I am the Coxswain on board the Ferry Launch "Tai

Pang" (k M ).

I live at No. 7 Yan Hing Street (Díj), first

floor, Tai Po District.

At 10.25 hrs. on the 13th April, 1940, the Ferry

Launch "Tai Pang" arrived near the shore at Sha U Chung

It was about 200 feet away from the shore, when

I saw a crowd of people on the shore at Sha U Chung running for

shelter. I knew that a Japanese air raid was going to take

place.

Shortly afterwards, I saw 3 Japanese aeroplanes

coming from the direction of Yim Tin (), Chinese

territory at an altitude of about 2,000 feet. When they were

over Sha U Chung, they power dived and dropped bombs, some fell

on the hillside, some near the Customs House, and about 19 bombs

landed on the seashore. One of the bombs landed about 3 feet

from the water. It was high tide at the time.

They circled over Sha U Chung about four times, and

dropped altogether about 25 bombs. They machine gunned the

people taking shelter amongst the bushes on the hillside on

four occasions.

Their objective appeared to be the cargo on the

seashore and the coolies.

During the circling, one Japanese aeroplane flew

over the Ferry Launch "Tai Pang" on two occasions. The Ferry

Launch "Tai Pang" was then about 2,000 feet from the shore.

The air raid lasted about 20 minutes. The 3 Japanese

planes left in the same direction where they had come.

About 20 minutes later, I saw 2 Japanese aeroplanes

coming from the direction of Ping Shanti

), Chinese

territory, towards Sha U Chung. I then put the launch astern

and stopped about 4,000 feet from the shore.