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Rfm. Beebe, "D" Company, Royal Rifles of Canada ...
"On the 25th, the Japanese reached the hospital where I was and broke
in. I can still hear those hideous screams as the Jap soldiers chased the
nurses throughout the building and bayoneted them. And I can still see the
little brutes as they looked into our ward, singled out a wounded soldier
here and there – and without any apparent reason – dragged him out of
his bed and bayoneted him in cold blood on the floor. I don't know how
they happened to miss me."
Excerpts of evidence given at the War Crimes Trial for the Far East,
December 1946 This is the testimony of Captain James Barnet, Canadian
Chaplain Services. His sworn testimony reads in part:
"On December 25, 1941, at 06.00 hrs., the Japanese troops entered St.
Stephen's hospital. On the first floor, where I was, there were
approximately one hundred patients and seven nurses. I saw five unknown
Japanese soldiers bayonet intentionally about fifteen or twenty wounded
soldiers in their bed. Rifleman Sweet was one of them, I think that Sweet
lost his arm through it, but I'm not sure.
“All the patients who could walk, the staff of the hospital, and myself were
herded together and put in a store room. We were left there for about an
hour, and then we were moved to a smaller room.
“The nurses, who were with me until that time, were separated from us. I
saw one of the nurses, Mrs. Buxton, hit on the head with a steel helmet,
slapped in the face and kicked by a Japanese soldier, without any reason.
Then about ninety men were placed in my room. We were so tightly
packed that we could not all sit down together.
“We remained in that room from 07.00 hrs. until 16.00 hrs. We were not
given anything to eat, there were no sanitary arrangement. We had about
eighty wounded soldiers who had to lie down in turn as best they could.
“During that morning a Japanese soldier came into the room and made us
put up our hands. He then stole my watch and ring and some money. I do
not know the names of those who were my neighbours.
“Later on, another unknown soldier came to the door with a sack of .303
bullets and started to throw them in our faces. Afterward another
unknown soldier came in and took out Rfm. E.J. Henderson, a patient in
the hospital. Immediately after we heard screams coming from the
corridor close to the room. I believe the screams came from Henderson.
A little while later another Japanese soldier came into the room and took
out Rfm. MacKay. We heard more screams, which I believe came from
MacKay.
“On the 26th of December, 1941, in the morning a Japanese NCO or
officer told me that I could move around. I immediately began a tour of
the hospital to see what damage had been done and what casualties there
were. I noticed that a number of our allied men, I would say
approximately seventy, had been bayoneted in their bed and were dead.
Others were seriously wounded (bayonet wounds), but I cannot say how
many.
“I can definitely say that the patients who were bayoneted in bed were not
armed, nor were there any armed troops in the hospital. The hospital staff
was unarmed.
“During my inspection I discovered the bodies of MacKay and
Henderson. One of them was in the corridor, the other on the steps near
the main exit. Both bodies were badly mutilated, eyes, ears, and tongues
cut out. On the ground floor of the hospital I found the bodies of Lt. Col.
Black and Captain Whitney, both very badly mutilated. They were cut to
pieces.
“I saw four of the nurses coming towards me. They were in a dreadful
state. They had a very bad night. They had been assaulted by the
Japanese soldiers. One nurse said she had been forced to lie on two dead
bodies and used by the Japanese as they desired. Three of the nurses
were missing. I began to organize burial parties, but the Japanese forced
me to cremate the bodies. I cremated about 170 bodies, some from the
hospital and some from the battle field. I remember that the bodies of
MacKay and Henderson were cremated and there was no doubt in my
mind that they were dead when they were carried to the fire because their
bodies were cold.
“During the morning, one of the nurses came to me and said one of the
Japanese soldiers wanted her to go to the hospital with him and that he
had made hand signs to her indicating that he had found the three missing
nurses. Sgt. Peasegood, of the RAN, and myself went with her.
“The Japanese took us to a clump of bushes about l00 feet from the
hospital, and there we found the dead bodies of the three nurses. The
bodies were covered with blankets. I did not see many wounds but know
that one of the nurse's head was practically severed from her shoulders
and have every reason to believe the bodies were badly mutilated by
reason of the amount of blood around. I read the burial service over them
and ordered the stretcher bearers to take them to the funeral fire.
“One nurse told me that a Japanese soldier had told her that all people in
the hospital were to be killed to revenge the death of his brother who had
been killed on the battle field. The surrender of Hong Kong saved us.”
The above testimony is a confirmation of my Dad's personal diary.
A culture to whom honour was everything makes it impossible to
associate the word with those Japanese troops who perpetrated these
merciless acts against helpless unarmed and wounded prisoners. The
ancient code of the Samurai Warrior...?
Recalling the reference of author Brig. John Masters who refers to the
Japanese as: "...the bravest people I have ever met. They believed in
something and they were willing to die for it, for the smallest detail that
would help to achieve it. What else is bravery?", the real question is ...
“What is compassion, honour, humanity and decency?”
"On the 25th, the Japanese reached the hospital where I was and broke
in. I can still hear those hideous screams as the Jap soldiers chased the
nurses throughout the building and bayoneted them. And I can still see the
little brutes as they looked into our ward, singled out a wounded soldier
here and there – and without any apparent reason – dragged him out of
his bed and bayoneted him in cold blood on the floor. I don't know how
they happened to miss me."
Excerpts of evidence given at the War Crimes Trial for the Far East,
December 1946 This is the testimony of Captain James Barnet, Canadian
Chaplain Services. His sworn testimony reads in part:
"On December 25, 1941, at 06.00 hrs., the Japanese troops entered St.
Stephen's hospital. On the first floor, where I was, there were
approximately one hundred patients and seven nurses. I saw five unknown
Japanese soldiers bayonet intentionally about fifteen or twenty wounded
soldiers in their bed. Rifleman Sweet was one of them, I think that Sweet
lost his arm through it, but I'm not sure.
“All the patients who could walk, the staff of the hospital, and myself were
herded together and put in a store room. We were left there for about an
hour, and then we were moved to a smaller room.
“The nurses, who were with me until that time, were separated from us. I
saw one of the nurses, Mrs. Buxton, hit on the head with a steel helmet,
slapped in the face and kicked by a Japanese soldier, without any reason.
Then about ninety men were placed in my room. We were so tightly
packed that we could not all sit down together.
“We remained in that room from 07.00 hrs. until 16.00 hrs. We were not
given anything to eat, there were no sanitary arrangement. We had about
eighty wounded soldiers who had to lie down in turn as best they could.
“During that morning a Japanese soldier came into the room and made us
put up our hands. He then stole my watch and ring and some money. I do
not know the names of those who were my neighbours.
“Later on, another unknown soldier came to the door with a sack of .303
bullets and started to throw them in our faces. Afterward another
unknown soldier came in and took out Rfm. E.J. Henderson, a patient in
the hospital. Immediately after we heard screams coming from the
corridor close to the room. I believe the screams came from Henderson.
A little while later another Japanese soldier came into the room and took
out Rfm. MacKay. We heard more screams, which I believe came from
MacKay.
“On the 26th of December, 1941, in the morning a Japanese NCO or
officer told me that I could move around. I immediately began a tour of
the hospital to see what damage had been done and what casualties there
were. I noticed that a number of our allied men, I would say
approximately seventy, had been bayoneted in their bed and were dead.
Others were seriously wounded (bayonet wounds), but I cannot say how
many.
“I can definitely say that the patients who were bayoneted in bed were not
armed, nor were there any armed troops in the hospital. The hospital staff
was unarmed.
“During my inspection I discovered the bodies of MacKay and
Henderson. One of them was in the corridor, the other on the steps near
the main exit. Both bodies were badly mutilated, eyes, ears, and tongues
cut out. On the ground floor of the hospital I found the bodies of Lt. Col.
Black and Captain Whitney, both very badly mutilated. They were cut to
pieces.
“I saw four of the nurses coming towards me. They were in a dreadful
state. They had a very bad night. They had been assaulted by the
Japanese soldiers. One nurse said she had been forced to lie on two dead
bodies and used by the Japanese as they desired. Three of the nurses
were missing. I began to organize burial parties, but the Japanese forced
me to cremate the bodies. I cremated about 170 bodies, some from the
hospital and some from the battle field. I remember that the bodies of
MacKay and Henderson were cremated and there was no doubt in my
mind that they were dead when they were carried to the fire because their
bodies were cold.
“During the morning, one of the nurses came to me and said one of the
Japanese soldiers wanted her to go to the hospital with him and that he
had made hand signs to her indicating that he had found the three missing
nurses. Sgt. Peasegood, of the RAN, and myself went with her.
“The Japanese took us to a clump of bushes about l00 feet from the
hospital, and there we found the dead bodies of the three nurses. The
bodies were covered with blankets. I did not see many wounds but know
that one of the nurse's head was practically severed from her shoulders
and have every reason to believe the bodies were badly mutilated by
reason of the amount of blood around. I read the burial service over them
and ordered the stretcher bearers to take them to the funeral fire.
“One nurse told me that a Japanese soldier had told her that all people in
the hospital were to be killed to revenge the death of his brother who had
been killed on the battle field. The surrender of Hong Kong saved us.”
The above testimony is a confirmation of my Dad's personal diary.
A culture to whom honour was everything makes it impossible to
associate the word with those Japanese troops who perpetrated these
merciless acts against helpless unarmed and wounded prisoners. The
ancient code of the Samurai Warrior...?
Recalling the reference of author Brig. John Masters who refers to the
Japanese as: "...the bravest people I have ever met. They believed in
something and they were willing to die for it, for the smallest detail that
would help to achieve it. What else is bravery?", the real question is ...
“What is compassion, honour, humanity and decency?”
