REPORT ON AN ESCAPE FROM SHUM SHUI PO (KOWLOON), HONG KONG PRISONERS' OF WAR CAMP, MADE ON 9th JANUARY
1942.
95
The camp was actually the NANKING and HANKOW Barracks, KOWLOON, which were believed to be evacuated at the outset of the Japanese war.
Our Party consisted of :
Colonel L.T. RIDE (HONG KONG VOLUNTEER
DEFENCE CORPS)
Senior Medical Officer of the Camp.
Lieutenant (E) D.W. MORLEY, (H.K.R.N.V.R.)
Sub-Lieutenant D.F. DAVIES
-do-
Private LEE (Chinese) (Field Ambulance
-
H.K.V.D.C.)
In civil life all on staff of H.K. University.
In civil life, clerk to Colonel Ride.
The plan of escape was evolved by Colonel Ride and owed its success largely to the loyal aid given by Lee.
The following report is taken from the Diary
of Sub-Lieutenant D.F. Davies, H.K.R.N.V.R.
8th January, 1942.
From Morley's attached plan of the camp, it is seen that the corner "A" was loosely guarded. On the night of the 8th January, Lee left by this corner having already contacted a sampan which would, for a consideration of 10 dollars a head, take him from "A" across the stretch of water and land him near the Castle Peak Road. Lee was to don Chinese clothes and see if there were Japanese troops in that area, and also to enquire if WAICHOW for which we were eventually to make, was in Japanese or Chinese hands. He was to return 24 hours later on the night of the 9th, and if his return was uneventful, and his news satisfactory, the remaining three were to leave with him immediately in the sampan which had brought him back to camp.
9th January, 1942.
Morley and I spent the day of the 9th in preparation, haversacks, clothes and a small supply of tinned food, a little of which certain Units had brought with them from Hong Kong.
On the afternoon of the 9th, Ride brought the disconcerting news that he had been present at the main gate when a soldier had been brought back to camp after an attempted escape (under the wire?), and that the Commander of the Japanese Guard had then issued an order threatening all future escapees with shooting on capture. In addition, the British Camp Authorities were ordered to send in numbers, etc., in the different Units, on the following morning. This had not been previously done, although we had occupied the camp since the 30th of December, and if, as arranged, our escape plan had been privately reported to our Commanding Officer, then Morley and I would never have existed officially. The case of Colonel Ride is more difficult as he was known by sight to some of the Japanese Medical Officers. In
any
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