T
LOOKING BACK December 1941-1951
HE Colony of Hong Kong on December 8th, 1941, was a
flourishing community of approxi- mately a million and a half people and, in spite of the war which broke out in Europe in 1939, or possibly be cause of it, was in an extremely prosperous condition. In 1937 the population was well under one million but when the Japanese attacks on China took a really serious turn, with Shanghai as the focal point of their activities, all merchandise consigned to the northern port was off-loaded in Hong Kong. Storage accommodation for goods of every description was soon at a premium, and business and residential premises were overtaxed as a result of the sudden and consi- derable influx of refugees.
1941
July 1937 to December therefore, was a period of considerable activity as far as new construction work was concerned, the tempo of which increased with the inroads of the Japanese army into Central and South China.
On December 8th, in the midst of this
this period of commercial activity and domestic prosperity, the Colony found itself at war and the whole community was organised on a defensive footing and prepared to withstand a long siege. However, by Christmas Day, the might of the Japanese prevailed against the heroic, if pitiable and ineffectual, defence which could be mustered against them, and all the material resources which had accumulated here the few previous years fell into the hands of the Japanese and the European population became prisoners-of-war.
The Colony had been bombed and shelled to some extent during the blitz, but on the whole, surprisingly little damage had been done up to this time. The European population, however, had been mustered for war duties and, in most cases, had left their homes on the morning of December 8th to report for duty and, when they were herded into military camps and the internment camp in Stanley, very few were able to take with them more than the clothes they were wearing. Their homes in Kowloon, on the Peak and elsewhere were perforce left deserted and unprotected, with all household goods and valuables left at the mercy of looters and of the Japanese invaders.
BY HENRY GRAYE
During the years 1942 to August 1945, even with the fortunes of war
favouring the Japanese, little commercial activity took place here. As far as the Japanese were con- cerned, Hong Kong was a prize of war and everything of value was taken therefrom and shipped up to Japan. As the fortunes of war swung against the Japanese, greater efforts than ever were made to obtain from this Colony metals and other from this Colony metals and other effort. They might at first have materials required for their
attempted to preserve the buildings, but they soon began to encourage demolition work for the sake of the metals which could be salvaged therefrom. Machinery and equip: ment of every description had, of course, long been dismantled and shipped away.
war
From January to August of 1945, considerable war damage was caused in Hong Kong by the intensive bombing by Allied planes. Consider- able portions of Quarry Bay and Wanchai in Hong Kong, and of Hunghom in Kowloon were razed to the ground during the attacks on the Taikoo Docks, the Naval Yard and the Kowloon Docks.
With the surrender of the Japanese in August 1945, there was a time lapse between the relinquishing of the Japanese authority and of the effective taking-over by the British. During that period, looting on an unprecedented scale took place and caused most of the devastation from which the Colony suffered.
When we got out of camp after three years and eight months of confinement, we found that most of the buildings in the business district of the City of Victoria were still undamaged, part of the Tsim Sha Tsui area at Kowloon Point still untouched, and a certain amount of the equipment in the Kowloon and Hong Kong Power Stations were still usable although considerably the worse for wear. But outside the Central District there was hardly an area that had not suffered damage to area that had not suffered damage to a lesser or greater degree.
The population had, by this time, been reduced to well below the half million mark. Empty houses had been practically razed to the ground: wood from doors and windows, floor- boards and staircases had been pulled
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out, copper and galvanised iron piping removed, sanitary fittings destroyed, and, in many cases, concrete roofs had been torn down for the steel bars they contained,
For several months after we got out of camp there was no gas, very little water and power, a minimum of transportation-particularly with res- pect to cross harbour facilities, no shipping in the harbour, wreckage and desolation everywhere. The with rehabilitation work appeared prospects of being able to proceed very dismal indeed unless consider- financial assistance was
able
forthcoming.
Yet, within about six months the outlook began to change. Commun ist successes in North China alarmed the commercial community in Shanghai and money started to pour into the Colony, at first for safety and then for investment, and before we knew it, crowds appeared on the streets, empty offices began to fill up, and the less damaged houses were being bought and repaired. The air of desolation and the atmos- phere of despair began to evaporate.
I think that we were extremely fortunate that, at this stage, our administrators took the farsighted and courageous stand of maintaining the free trade principle upon which the Colony's economy had always been based. They also decided not to interfere with the movement of the population into and out of the Colony, and tolerated, if they did not encourage, a free money market. The confidence thus engendered resulted in an upsurge of trade which eventually broadened out to include the establishment of factories and mills manufacturing products for which the location and resources of the Colony had never previously offered any advantages.
The immediate effect of this state. of affairs was a swift and steady increase in the population, and a sharp rise in construction work which included erection of large factory buildings, rehabilitation of damaged residential buildings, and the construction of hundreds of new imposing residences. At the same time thousands of blocks of flats were erected, mainly by speculators, to cater to the rapidly increasing population.
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