CO129-593-2 Rehabilitation of Hong Kong University. For extracted photographs see CN 3-45. Includes 32 photographs depicting-... 10-1-1945 - 20-1-1946 — Page 93

My Lord,

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64 St. Clair Ave. West, Toronto 5, Ontario Canada

November 22nd, 1945

G067

I am venturing to write to you - though you will not know me because of my anxiety with regard to the Hong Kong University. And as this University was your own creation, I hope this will provide sufficient excuse.

I have been a Professor at the University since 1913, almost from its inception, and have been the Professor of Surgery since 1915. I am the senior member of the Staff and have during several periods acted as Vice Chancellor. Strictly speaking, I am past the retiring age - being one year over sixty but I have served the University so long that I have a deep affection for the institution.

A

I was in Hong Kong for the fighting and have been a Prisoner of War for nearly four years. I am now in process of being repatriated from Hong Kong, but am staying a couple of months with my wife and daughter, who are living in Toronto, before going through to London. I expect later to go back to Hong Kong.

x

The anxieties I speak about concern the future of the University. The buildings have been considerably damaged; the equipment looted; our investments have lost their value; a number of the staff have been killed. But the real seriousness was the pessimistic and defeatist view that was current in Hong Kong when I left. It was being seriously suggested that the University should declare itself bankrupt and close down; but that perhaps a new University might be started in five or six years. (and some of my colleagues) are strongly of the view that the University has played a striking part in the Far East in the past thirty-three years; that it provides a great justification for the British retention of the Colony; that even if we left, the University must continue; that it contains a real promise of still greater usefulness in the interests of friendship between England and China and of international learning; and that it must not be allowed to die.

I feel further that it must resume its activities -

I

even if in a somewhat limited way for a time with the utmost possible speed. If we do not resume at once, all feeding schools will fit themselves to train for the matriculations of other Universities; our reputation will drop; our present wonderful opportunity of supplying the Universities in China who are worse off than we with fresh staff and helping them in other ways, will have vanished.

Financial support from the Foreign Office and the Colonial Office will be necessary to enable the University to carry on in a manner which would be worth while, but as speed is so