The Battle of Hong Kong
On December 19th 1941, Japanese troops surrounded a Canadian-held command post in the Wong Nei Chong Gap. Inside, Brigadier John K. Lawson, the commander of the Canadian troops in Hong Kong, relayed the news to his superior officer, British Major-General C.M. Maltby. The last words Maltby heard from Lawson were that he was “going outside to fight it out.”
Lawson’s body was later found among the dead that surrounded the post.
Canadian Reinforcement of Hong Kong
Personnel of the Winnipeg Grenadiers and Corps Troops entraining en route to Hong Kong (Canada. Dept. of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada/PA-161202).
Why were Canadian troops sent to a faraway British colony in East Asia when the war in Europe was in full swing? By late 1941, Britain feared that Japan would declare war and attack their colonial possessions in East Asia. The British hoped that sending reinforcements to their colonial garrisons would deter Japan from starting a war in the Pacific. The soldiers Canada sent to Hong Kong were part of this attempt at deterrence.
Canadian troops were considered for the defence of Hong Kong as a result of discussions between Canadian officials in late summer 1941. Brigadier Arthur Edward Grasett (previously the commander in Hong Kong), Chief of the General Staff Major-General Harry Crerar, and Minister of Defence J. L. Ralston all agreed that Canadian reinforcements could do the job. Grasett then travelled to Britain where he proposed the use of Canadian troops to the British Chiefs of Staff. On September 19th 1941, the British Dominions Office asked if the Canadian government could provide troops to reinforce Hong Kong. Shortly after receiving the request, and with little debate, the Canadian War Cabinet Committee accepted.
A search for units to send to Hong Kong began. After consulting officials in the Department of Defence, Crerar selected the Winnipeg Grenadiers and Royal Rifles of Canada to form the core of “C” Force – the name given to the Canadian reinforcement. A headquarters section was later added, including two nurses from the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps. “C” Force arrived in Hong Kong on November 16th 1941. This force augmented the existing Hong Kong garrison made up of troops from the British Army, British Indian Army, and the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps.
Infantrymen of “C” Company, Royal Rifles of Canada, aboard H.M.C.S. PRINCE ROBERT en route to Hong Kong, 15 November 1941 (Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-166999).
Battle of Hong Kong
On December 8th 1941 – only a few hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese 38th Division’s attack on Hong Kong began.[1] During the early hours of the 9th, the Japanese launched an assault on the Gin Drinker’s Line, the colony’s mainland defensive position. It rendered the entire line untenable, forcing the defenders to abandon it. On the 11th, the British commander ordered a general retreat from the mainland. Canadian troops had seen no fighting up until this point.
Mainland Positions, Hong Kong, December 1941 (C.P. Stacey, Six Years of War, Map 6).
Once all troops were on Hong Kong Island, the garrison split into two brigades. Brigadier Lawson commanded the West Brigade and British Brigadier Cedric Wallis commanded the East Brigade. The Winnipeg Grenadiers joined the West Brigade and the Royal Rifles of Canada served in the East Brigade. The Japanese Army bombed and shelled the island for days before making the short crossing from the mainland on December 18th. The 229th Japanese Infantry Regiment overran a Royal Rifle platoon at Lyemun Barracks near the northeast coast late on the 18th. The Royal Rifles fought to retake the position but failed to do so.
Hong Kong defences, site at Wong Nai Chong Gap where West Brigade Headquarters, and Winnipeg Grenadiers were over-run by Japanese forces, 19 Dec. 1941 (Library and Archives Canada/PMR79-166).
The Wong Nei Chong Gap, in the central part of Hong Kong Island, saw some of the most intense fighting experienced during the battle. The Gap had been chosen as the site of the West Brigade Headquarters because of its strategic position at the intersection of several roads that stretched across the island. This made it a key target for Japanese forces. The brunt of the Japanese attack, with units from the 228th, 229th and 230th Japanese Infantry Regiments, at the Gap fell on “D” Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers. Fifty troops held out inside buildings across the main road from the Brigade Headquarters. The position was well stocked with machine guns and ammunition, which the defenders used to take a heavy toll on the Japanese troops. On the morning of the 22nd, the enemy blew in the doors of the shelter. The soldiers who were able to walk were taken prisoner. All other wounded men were murdered. The fighting at the Wong Nei Chong Gap split the garrison in two. Several attempts to retake the Wong Nei Chong Gap failed.
Company Sergeant-Major J.R. Osborn of “A” Company, The Winnipeg Grenadiers, Jamaica, ca. 1940-1941. Killed in action at Hong Kong on 19 December 1941, CSM Osborn was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross (Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-37483).
The only Victoria Cross awarded for actions during the Battle of Hong Kong went to Company Sergeant Major John Osborn of the Winnipeg Grenadiers for his actions on Mount Butler on the 19th. After leading the attack up the hill, Osborn helped to set up defensive positions. But when the Japanese counterattacked and forced the Grenadiers from their positions, Osborn single-handedly covered his company’s retreat and directed the troops to a new defensive position. As Osborn and some Grenadiers took shelter in a building, Japanese soldiers started lobbing grenades into their position. While Osborn was throwing grenades back out of the building, one landed in a position that he could not reach in time. Shouting a warning to his men, Osborn jumped on the grenade. He died instantly but saved many lives.
On the 20th, the 229th Japanese Infantry Regiment’s attack reached the Repulse Bay Hotel, where it met resistance from some Middlesex machine gunners. Japanese soldiers succeeded in fighting their way into the outer buildings. The Royal Rifles of Canada cleared out a Japanese platoon in the garage but could not evict the enemy from above this position. Attempting to push the Japanese back, “A” Company ran into heavy fire. The advance came to a halt, and the company took up a defensive position around the hotel and a large house called Castle Eucliffe. The company was ordered to hold the hotel until the many civilians there could be removed. “D” Company of the Royal Rifles subsequently pushed forward across the hills on the right towards Violet Hill. Failing to dislodge the Japanese from there, the company withdrew to Stanley View. General Maltby ordered Wallis to send all available men to Repulse Bay and make a new attempt to break through to the Wong Nei Chong Gap. None of the attempts were successful. Some of the Canadians withdrew to Castle Eucliffe under the cover of darkness. Over the night on 22-23 December, orders came for the Royal Rifles to retreat to the Stanley Peninsula. Some civilians in the hotel, who were unable to walk, could not be evacuated in time and had to surrender to the Japanese. The remaining troops spilt into small groups, and some returned to the battalion while others were killed or captured.
Many Canadians were killed on Christmas Day at St. Stephen’s Hospital after Japanese troops forced their way in. Unable to leave their beds, the wounded men were bayoneted to death. Others were forced into small rooms, while others were murdered. Japanese soldiers also raped and murdered nurses.
Hong Kong, 18-25 December 1941 (C.P. Stacey, Six Years of War, Map 7).
The Christmas Day 1941 attack by “D” Company of the Royal Rifles on Stanley Village was one of the last Canadian actions during the battle. A daylight assault was ordered to push the Japanese out of Stanley Village. The Japanese forces heavily outnumbered “D” Company perhaps as much as ten to one. The attack began at about 1:30 pm from the Stanley Prison. On the right side, the attack quickly stalled. Sergeant George MacDonell led part of the attack on the left, leading a charge into the graveyard. The troops of “D” Company moved into the village and took up positions in and around houses as the Japanese regrouped for a counterattack. The renewed attack began and the Japanese quickly outflanked this position. About to be encircled, the Royal Rifles were ordered to pull back to Stanley Fort. The men went back in small parties but any wounded who could not move had to be left behind. The company lost 26 killed and 75 wounded. Overall, 290 Canadians were killed during the Battle of Hong Kong.
POW Years
Canadian and British prisoners-of-war awaiting liberation by the landing party from H.M.C.S. PRINCE ROBERT, Hong Kong, ca. 30 August 1945 (PO Jack Hawes / Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-114811).
After the garrison surrendered on Christmas Day 1941, the Canadians were subjected to nearly four years of brutal conditions in Japanese prisoner of war (POW) camps and working as slave labour. Initially, the troops were placed in either North Point or Sham Shi Po POW camps in Hong Kong, with the latter housing most of the Canadians. The camps were overpopulated and conditions quickly deteriorated. Many prisoner deaths were caused by diphtheria, dysentery, typhoid fever, and malnutrition. The Japanese Army also took Canadian lives, including the execution of four soldiers after a failed escape attempt in August 1942. Kanao Inouye, a Canadian serving in the Japanese Imperial Army, doled some of the worst punishment to Canadian POWs. Inouye was executed by the Canadian government for treason after the war.
Starting in 1943, Canadian prisoners were sent in drafts to Japan to work as slave labourers in mines, factories, ports, and rail yards. More lives were lost to dangerous work conditions and mistreatment. The POWs were liberated in September 1945 after the Japanese surrender to the Allied powers. Another 264 Canadians from the Battle of Hong Kong died while in Japanese captivity.
Veterans in the Postwar Years
Once the Second World War ended, the Hong Kong veterans faced more challenges back in Canada. They suffered from a variety of ailments including gastro-intestinal, foot, oral, visual, spinal, cardiovascular, respiratory, and urogenital issues. Vitamin deficiency, psychiatric issues, neurological impairment, and social problems were also common among them. Many had trouble adjusting to civilian life while others suffered from alcoholism and substance abuse.
The Hong Kong veterans received financial compensation several years after the war. In 1951, the Allied powers and Japan signed a Treaty of Peace that officially ended the war in the Pacific. One provision provided the Hong Kong POWs with a payment of $1,995, or $1.50 for every day of incarceration by Japan as compensation for their hardship. The payment did not come directly from Japan itself but from seized Japanese assets held in Canada.
In the postwar period several studies were conducted to determine how veterans’ time as POWs had affected their mental and physical health. They were commissioned to determine how much compensation veterans were entitled to receive from various governments. Only some of these studies led to increased compensation and medical benefits. A group of Hong Kong veterans put a claim to the United Nations Human Rights Committee for more compensation from Japan. The UN committee rejected the claim. As per the payments made in 1952, both the Canadian and Japanese governments considered the matter closed. The committee found that the veterans had not exhausted the domestic options to pursue further compensation and they had no way to force Japan to pay. In the late 1980s, Japanese Canadians interned in Canada during the war received compensation from the Canadian government. This recompense occurred because Canada had stripped these people of their possessions and property and forcibly evacuated them from the west coast. The situation galvanized the Hong Kong veterans once more. In 1993, Hong Kong veterans pushed the Canadian government to provide compensation if Japan would not. Five years later, the Canadian government compensated the surviving veterans and 400 widows with $24,000 Canadian each. In 2001 surviving “C” Force veterans were given 100 percent pension coverage. Japan finally issued an apology to the Hong Kong veterans on December 8th 2011. No monetary compensation came with this act of contrition.
Commemoration of the Battle of Hong Kong
Hong Kong Veterans Memorial Wall, Ottawa (Brad St.Croix).
In 1965, Hong Kong veterans created the Hong Kong Veterans’ Association (HKVA) as they felt the government was not helping them to cope with the aftermath of their time in Japanese captivity. The aims and objectives of the association were “To assist all members in time of need, to maintain and improve social welfare and friendship among members and their dependants, to promote legislation for the physical well being of all members of all “C” Force or allied personnel who were imprisoned by Japan 1941–45.” The organization also conducted commemorative efforts. In 1993, the Hong Kong Veterans Commemorative Association was formed. Its purpose is “to educate all Canadians on the role of Canada’s soldiers in the Battle of Hong Kong and on the effects of the internment of the battle’s survivors on both the soldiers and their families.”
At the 2009 unveiling of the “C” Force Memorial Wall in Ottawa, Philip Doddridge, president of the HKVA, remarked, “This ceremony today marks the fulfilment of a dream, a vision that started years ago when we began to realize that many of our comrades who have left this world, would not be recognized for their valiant efforts of so many years ago.” He concluded the speech with “And so, until this stone disintegrates and returns to dust, we will be remembered.”
Suggested Reading
- Allister, William. Where Life and Death Hold Hands. Toronto: Stoddart, 1989.
- Banham, Tony. Not the Slightest Chance: The Defence of Hong Kong, 1941. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2003.
- Endacott, G.B. Hong Kong Eclipse. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978.
- Cambon, Ken. Guest of Hirohito. Vancouver: PW Press, 1990.
- Garneau, Grant S. The Royal Rifles of Canada in Hong Kong, 1941–1945. Carp, Ontario: Baird O’Keefe Publishing Inc., 2001.
- Greenfield, Nathan M. The Damned: The Canadians at the Battle of Hong Kong and the POW Experience, 1941–45. Toronto: HarperCollins Publishers, 2010.
- Greenhous, Brereton. “C” Force to Hong Kong: A Canadian Catastrophe. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1997.
- MacDonell, George S. One Soldier’s Story 1939–1945: From the Fall of Hong Kong to the Defeat of Japan. Toronto: Dundurn Group, 2002.
- C.P. Stacey, Six Years of War: The Army in Canada, Britain and the Pacific. Ottawa: The Queen’s Printer, 1955.
Notes
[1] The 38th Division included the 228th, 229th, and 230th Japanese Infantry Regiments
Research and writing by Brad St.Croix, PhD