CO129-592-8 Future Policy in Hong Kong 1-1-1945 - 26-11-1945 — Page 104

Dth. In M Bevin's speech.

DH

FEDept · Fo

daphored by surs

Aprced with

subject

I would say a word now about ..G's position h

102

and intentions in Hong Kong.

¿

m.s.

The first fury of notent

end.

Dus

The

the treacherous Japanese attaca fell simultaneously on

Pearl Harbour and Hong Kong on 7th December 1941.

H.Kgarrison of United Kingdom, Canadian and Indian forces

fought them to a finish without hope of aid from outside

at a time when we were in a death struggle in Europe.

From the bases which they had wrested in South China

from the gallant Chinese armies, the Japanese brought

great land and air forces and overwhelmed Hong Kong by

Christmas Day 1941. Ginge that date our men and

women have sustained the hardships of the prison camp.

We have fought our enemies back across the

world and in the Far East now the British Navy has a

powerful foice in position to crown our tremenGOUS,

military effort, into which the whole strength and

resources of the British impice have been unstintingly

thrown by taking the surrender of the enemy in the

British Colony of Hong Kong and liberate our people

there after their long ordeal. We shall claim and

excrcise our right am duty in those respects and we

shall