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up from Shanghai to relieve them. In this way he wished to show the Japanese that the British flag could not be driven off the Yangtze. But other ideas prevailed in Shanghai; the ships were ordered out. I was instructed to transfer my Chinese refugees, the employees from our office and their families, numbering some 200 souls, to the "Ewo" hulk, which was to be left anchored at Nanking under the protection of a British gunboat. Curiously enough, the refugees showed extreme reluctance to be abandoned thus to an unknown fate, and in the upshot, most of them went on to Shanghai with the ship. Our flotilla was augmented by the arrival of the light cruiser **Caradoc** from Hankow, where she had been wintering. Her 'tween decks were packed with several hundred British women and children, who were being evacuated from the upriver ports. A small ship flying the Italian flag added to our number; she was believed to be carrying the personnel of the Italian Aviation Mission, who had been training Chinese pilots at Nanchang. Led by a Japanese escorting destroyer, followed by H.M.S. "Caradoc", we formed line and sailed down the river, the journey enlivened by the anger of the Japanese Commander at the inability of the master of the Italian ship to understand the signals which, from time to time, he made in the International code. With our convoy went the last merchant ships to show the British flag on the Yangtze. The "Red Duster" was displaced; henceforth the Japanese view prevailed.
Hong Kong and South China 1938
The West river and its network of tributaries provide the highways over which the commerce of South China moves. Some distance outside Bocca Tigris, where the river debouches into the China Sea, an eleven-mile ridge of hills rises sharply out of the blue semi-tropical waters. We call it Hongkong, but to the Chinese it is "The Fragrant Lagoon". Why "fragrant" I cannot say, because the surrounding waters are salt, as any sea water, and full of large diaphanous jelly-fish that lie in wait to sting unwary swimmers, or of little black insects which get inside your bathing costume and bite you in places inconvenient to reach.
There is no record to show how these marine depredators spent their time before 1840. In those days, before the arrival of the British, the island was uninhabited and, though visited by fisher folk and pirates, I doubt whether they went swimming. The pirates have now
110
J
onto
up from Shanghai to relieve them. In this way he wished to show the Japanese that the British flag could not be driven off the Yangtze. But other ideas prevailed in Shanghai; the ships were ordered out. I was instructed to transfer my Chinese refugees the employees from our office and their families numbering some 200 souls the "Ewo" hulk, which was to be left anchored at Nanking under the protection of a British gunboat. Curiously enough the refugees shewed extreme reluctance to be abandoned thus to an unknown fate, and in the upshot most of them went on to Shanghai with the ship. Our flotilla was augmented by the arrival of the light cruiser **Caradoc” from Hankow, where she had been wintering. Her 'tween decks were packed with several hundred British women and children, who were being evacuated from the upriver ports. A small ship flying the Italian flag added to our number; she was believed to be carrying the personnel of the Italian Aviation Mission, who had been training Chinese pilots at Nanchang. Led by a Japanese escorting destroyer, followed by H.M.S. "Caradoc", we formed line and sailed down the river, the journey enlivened by the anger of the Japanese Commander at the inability of the master of the Italian ship to understand the signals which from time to time he made in the International code. With our convoy went the last merchant ships to shew the British flag on the Yangtze. The "Red Duster” was displaced; henceforth the Japanese view prevailed.
Hong Kong and South China 1938
The West river and its network of tributaries provide the highways over which the commerce of South China moves. Some distance outside Bocca Tigris, where the river debouches into the China Sea, an eleven mile ridge of hills rises sharply out of the blue semi-tropical waters. We call it Hongkong, but to the Chinese it is "The Fragrant Lagoon". Why "fragrant" I cannot say because the surrounding waters are alt, as any sea water, and full of large diaphonous jelly-fish, that lie in wait to sting unwary swimmers; or of little black insects, which get inside your bathing costume and bite you in places inconvenient to reach.
г.
There is no record to show how these marine depradators spent their time before 1840. In those days before the arrival of the British the island was uninhabited and, though visited by fisher folk and pirates, I doubt whether they went swimming. The pirates have now
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