However it is in many ways presumptuous for those who were not in Hong Kong in 1941 and were not expected to cope with the impossible situation there to pass judgement on those who were. It is certainly a great pity that the adverse comments made in the Despatch have been highlighted while scant mention has been made of the praise and understanding given. Of the Canadians, Maltby said in the main text 'Many individual acts of gallantry were performed, their stubborn defensive fighting at the Wong Nei Chong Gap and in the area of Mounts Cameron and Nicholson was marked, and the losses they incurred were heavy and deeply regretted.' Elsewhere, in Appendix A he mentions that 'The Royal Regiment of Canada had been trying to force their way north-eastwards as planned...These Coys made a great effort in spite of handicaps but by late afternoon could get no further forward...owing to considerable resistance of the enemy' while later he notes the difficulties under which the recently-arrived Canadians were fighting: '...the men exhausted from the unaccustomed hill climbing and from wearing of heavy and unsuitable battle dress. The Battalion had no pack equipment for carrying food, mortars, ammunition etc.'.
It is a fact that must be accepted now, as it was at the time, that faced with an overwhelming Japanese attack such as that mounted against it, there was nothing that the garrison of Hong Kong could have done to hold out. They were pitted against unequal odds with no real prospect of reinforcement or relief. Many of the troops involved, including the newly arrived Canadians, lacked sufficient training and acclimatisation for the type of warfare they had to face, lacked some important equipment and, crucially, lacked air support.
Similar comments could be made on many of the units who had to surrender or retreat not only in the Far East in the early years of the War but in Norway and France. Unlike those who had planned aggression, the United Kingdom and Canada were not immediately prepared for the magnitude of the War that confronted them. Historians will argue over who could or should have done what during the early defeats, but those involved must not feel that their efforts in circumstances which others were not called to face were not valued and that their sufferings and their contribution were not an important part of the final victory. Perhaps the point which should above all be remembered now on the Canadian contribution to the defence of Hong Kong is that Canada, by sending her troops, was quick to step in beside the United Kingdom against the aggression it faced and was typically generous in contributing forces to theatres so far away from her own shores.
February 1993
Historical Branch (Army) Ministry of Defence United Kingdom
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