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any case, it should not be too difficult for future escapes to be reported, by the British Camp Authorities, as having died from dysentery.
Lee was successfully contacted at "A" at about 2000. We all had piled into the bottom of the sampan by 2030, the sampan then containing with its crew, six people, (the maximum number for its size, an obvious limitation on the number of future escaping parties).
There were searchlights playing from the Hong Kong side, but these did not appear to be in the nature of a definite search; otherwise it was quite dark, the moon being due about 0200 on the following morning, and only the phosphorescence betrayed any movement. I gather, however, that there is now a possibility that KOWLOON will be reasonably well-lit.
We disembarked in about 20/30 minutes at a point which seemed to be a berthing place for sampans, hurried across the Castle Peak Road, and then scrambled up the hill-side making for the newly improved Reservoir (TAIPO) Road above.
Our night. observations had shewn that there was almost continuous motor traffic on this road, chiefly away from KOWLOON and so more care was needed here. The plan adopted was to wait in a hollow on the camp side of the road until a truck had passed to light up the road and then dart. across, singly, soon after. This was done by about 2230. Then began a cross-hill hike in the general direction of KAI TAK with the camp's boundary lights still visible below us.
This was carried on, with only short intervals
of rest, until dawn of
10th January, 1942.
We were practically above KAI TAK aerodrome some little time after dawn.
The rest of the day was spent in rain, drizzle or fog, and we met no one since we avoided anything like a main road and kept to the almost invisible hill paths. Chinese help seems almost imperative for this kind of work, and Lee was particularly good in picking up the se paths.
Many pill-boxes were passed en route, some damaged, but the majority intact apart from apparent looting. These then contained plenty of .303 ammunition but no food. Night found us completely lost in a mist on the top of a hill with a village below us. Colonel Ride's map was too small a scale to be of very definite help and a larger scale map with pill-box numbers on it would have been of incalculable help since these reference numbers would have, helped us to fix our position accurately.
11th January, 1942.
With moonrise and the dissipation of the mist we stumbled down a ravine to the village arriving just at dawn. Ride, Morley and I went into hiding hear the village and Lee went to the village to get information
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