57
Date.
District.
Time.
34.
Aberdeen.
35.
Eastern.
36.
Central, Western
& Upper Levels.
37.
Emergency Unit Hong Kong.
38
Eastern.
49.
19.12.4
failed, (or possibly was cut off by the enemy). 18.15 L.S.A.142 Kinloch was detailed to proceed to Aberdeen to with Mr. Kendall to investigate the situation. They 21.30 contacted the Naval Authorities at the Industrial
School and later loaded a lorry with hand grenades and Bren Guns. One of the latter was handed over to a Canadian Officer during the return trip though he ad- mitted that neither he nor his men understood how to use it. Simple instruction was given to the Officer by Sgt. Kinloch. Aberdeen was found to be full of naked and bright lights. There appeared to be a cer- tain amount of Fifth Columnist activity going on. Sgt. Kinloch judged this from seeing about six houses on the hillside burning from the bottom up which looked like the work of saboteurs, apart from the houses set alight from shell fire which were burning furiously from top to bottom. There was spasmodic snipping going on in the vicinity of the Industrial School which did not appear to emanate from the enemy. Civil control appeared to have broken down. The harbour was full of sunken and blazing craft. A second trip was later made to Aberdeen during which a house above the University was noticed to have been set ablaze from shell fire. Early Lt. Col. Stewart, Officer Commanding Middlesex Regi- morn- ment, requested that Policehould provide (a) two ing. Lewis gun sections to work in conjunction with a
Middlesex Machine gun section under a Sergeant Gilham and operate in the front line, and (b) a squad armed with Thompson guns to patrol the water front in the district. Col. Stewart added that Police should be prepared to evacuate No.2 Station at short notice in
The required patrols case the Japanese broke through. consisting of eight Europeans and a number of Indians to act as Riflemen together with the above named auto-
At first the front matic guns were duly furnished.
line ran along Stewart Road but later the same night The Lewis gun par- was moved up to Percival Street. ties accompanied the Military to this forward position and operated in the vicinity of the Lee Theatre and the Po Leung Kuk.
Night. The Police took over patrolling of the water front at night in Central and Western districts from the Mili- tary, i.e. the area from the Royal Naval Yard to Kennedy Town. This continued until the surrender. Central, with the assistant of Upper Levels, as the former was very short of men, provided three patrols composed of Europeans covering the following limits:- (i) Murray Road to Douglas Street, (ii) Douglas Street to Wing Wo Street, (3) wing Wo Street to Morrison Street. Western provided two patrols composed of Euro- peans covering the following limits:- (i) Morrison Street to Eastern Street, (ii) Eastern Street to Kennedy Town. A mobile patrol was also maintained
Occasionally, from Morrison Street to Deep Water Bay. if the number of men at No.7 Station permitted, a third patrol on foot covered the Hill Road to Kennedy Town area, in which case the Eastern Street to Kennedy Town patrol was shortened to end at Hill Road.
21.00 A patrol was carried out in Central district in con- nection with a report that Fifth Columnists were ac- tive. Nothing was found.
22.00 Sub Inspector Taylor with the first Police European Lewis gun team and twelve Indian Police Constables, who served as riflemen, posted at old No.1 Station heard heavy firing and failing to gain touch with the second Police Lewis gun party, which had been station. ed at the Lee Theatre, and with the Military at Hennessey Road retired. The twelve Indian Police
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