CO129-590-25 Accounts of events leading up to surrender and subsequent treatment of prisoners- etc 23-4-1942 - 28-9-1943 — Page 39

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Mrs. Shields' experiences in the Repulse Bay Hotel, the Kowloon Hotel, and Stanley Internment Camp.

On the morning of December 19th, British troops ordered us from our home at 37 Repulse Bay Road. They told us that the Japanese had landed on the Is- 1-nd and were already at Wong Nei Cheong Gap and advised us to go to the Re- puise Bay Hotel. Mr. Shields was still convalescing from his illness and in no condition to leave the house. However, we left immediately with only the clothes we had on and from that time on, all clothes, toilet requisites,etc. were given to us by friends. We picked up the two families in the houses just beyond ours those of Mr. Albert Raymond and Mr. Edward Raymond. We drove to the Repulse Bay Hotel, where we found conditions chaotic. Mr. Shields, Major Manners and Mr. Hennesy Seth formed a committee and took over.

The hotel was crowded with refugees from Kowloon and with people living near the hotel. Large families of Chinese were coming in and although the hotel was very much-overcrowded, it was impossible to refuse them admission, and they slept on the staircases or anywhere they could. By that time, the electricity and the water had failed, and it was necessary to tap a well in the rear of the hotel. On the first day, there was constant bombing of the ships in the Bay and most of the women and children were kept in the air-raid shelters. Many naval reserves and some of the regular soldiers who had been separated from their companies were in the hotel. On the morning of December 20th, a small company of Japanese took over the garage and captured about eight of the naval reserves who had slept that night in the Eu Tong Sen Castle im- mediately across from the hotel. The day before, a small company of sappers lead by a young sergeant by name Bob Heath, had come into the hotel. On the morning of the 20th, when it was discovered that the Japanese had taken over the garage and captured some of our men, Bob Heath took charge and ordered all women and children to the air-raid shelters and, in a very short time, he his company and a few naval reserves shot the Japanese out of the garage and rescued all of our men. However, by that time, the Japanese were coming up in great numbers. Bob Heath called for volunteers to go down to the beach for ammunition. Three men, one of whom was an Eurasian, by name Victor Needa, vol- unteered. They took a small motor car, drove down to the beach and brought back the ammunition. They were under fire all the time and the car was badly scarred by bullets. Later in the afternoon, two hundred and fifty Canadians were sent in. From that time on, we were continually under fire and there were brave deeds done by many people, but chiefly I wish to speak of Bob Heath and Victor Needa. There were also many women helping in the hospital which we es- tablished and others were making scones and tea in the kitchen for the troops, all of the Chinese help having fled. There were at least fifty people who worked very hard indeed and who never had their clothes off or got any sleep at all except that taken in chairs. I do not think that Bob Heath had more than an hour's sleep each night. He was always cheerful and did a great deal to help all of us, especially the women. I hope that his family can be locat- ed and told of his wonderful bravery and that he is still alive at Shamshuipo Camp. He made several trips in a motor car under fire, to a house on Repulse Bay Road, where Mr. Shields told him there was food, and brought back rations for the troops.

On the morning of December 22nd, there was severe shelling of the hotel by the Japanese. Bob Heath rallied the Canadians and called on them to move the ammunition which, had it been hit, would have caused very severe damage and loss of life. There is nothing too good that can be said of him. Everyone