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The Lingering Nightmares
In his book, "Royal Rifles of Canada, A Short History", Arthur G. Penny quotes
my father as the source who provided him with the information that confirmed
what "hitherto had been nothing more than an old soldier's tale, told whenever two
or three had gathered together socially", was a fact. The "old soldier's story" was
... that as a result of "D" Company of the Royal Rifles of Canada's failure to lay
down their arms at the appointed time of surrender on the afternoon of December
25th, the Japanese, in retaliation, massacred the prisoners in St. Stephen's
Hospital. And Penny says of a statement made by Rifleman Beebe which read,
"without any apparent reason the Japanese bayoneted the wounded ....", Penny
says, "The reason for this outrage, though not clear to Beebe, is to be found in the
continued resistance, described elsewhere, that "D" Company, (Royal Rifles),
disregarded the official capitulation of the island defenses":
Penny was dead wrong. A simple time check will show that "D" Company's failure
to lay down their arms had nothing to do with the massacre of the wounded. The
murders of the wounded and the staff of St. Stephen's Hospital took place over 11
hours earlier, at about 08:00 hrs. Christmas morning. The facts are clear, the
Japanese had no excuse, nor did they need one. Any guilt my Dad felt was
because he may have carried out a questionable order issued by Wallis that had
wasted so many lives.
A Need to Know and to Remember
The Japanese people may have little, if any, idea what horrendous acts were
committed by some of their men in uniform. They have a right to know, and a
need to remember. These acts were committed far from Japan, in lands far away,
on people they knew little about, but were committed in their name.
The Canadian people have little, if any, idea what horrendous acts were
perpetrated against their men in uniform. They have a right to know, and a need to
remember. It took tremendous courage and determination to live in a Japanese
prison camp, under cruel Japanese domination.
Hard Facts About the Battle of Hong Kong
More than 550 Canadians died in the battle for Hong Kong, or in the 44 months
of captivity which followed. It is possible to suffer a worse fate than to die in
battle, on the field. Death came very slowly to prisoners in the hands of the
Japanese. It came through torture, mental and physical, beatings, starvation,
malnutrition, disease or neglect. It came about because a Japanese guard felt like
having a good time. It came in the form of an industrial accident, or being worked
to death in slave camps.
A prisoner was 7 times more likely to die in Japanese captivity than as a soldier
fighting on the battle field. The death rate in European prison camps, from all
causes, was four percent. The death rate in a Japanese prison camp was a
staggering twenty-seven percent.
The number of Canadian soldiers who died in Japanese prison camp numbered
267, almost as many as were killed during the battle. Another 200 died
prematurely due to health problems acquired while in captivity..
Sai Wan Bay Memorial Cemetery
In his book, "Royal Rifles of Canada, A Short History", Arthur G. Penny quotes
my father as the source who provided him with the information that confirmed
what "hitherto had been nothing more than an old soldier's tale, told whenever two
or three had gathered together socially", was a fact. The "old soldier's story" was
... that as a result of "D" Company of the Royal Rifles of Canada's failure to lay
down their arms at the appointed time of surrender on the afternoon of December
25th, the Japanese, in retaliation, massacred the prisoners in St. Stephen's
Hospital. And Penny says of a statement made by Rifleman Beebe which read,
"without any apparent reason the Japanese bayoneted the wounded ....", Penny
says, "The reason for this outrage, though not clear to Beebe, is to be found in the
continued resistance, described elsewhere, that "D" Company, (Royal Rifles),
disregarded the official capitulation of the island defenses":
Penny was dead wrong. A simple time check will show that "D" Company's failure
to lay down their arms had nothing to do with the massacre of the wounded. The
murders of the wounded and the staff of St. Stephen's Hospital took place over 11
hours earlier, at about 08:00 hrs. Christmas morning. The facts are clear, the
Japanese had no excuse, nor did they need one. Any guilt my Dad felt was
because he may have carried out a questionable order issued by Wallis that had
wasted so many lives.
A Need to Know and to Remember
The Japanese people may have little, if any, idea what horrendous acts were
committed by some of their men in uniform. They have a right to know, and a
need to remember. These acts were committed far from Japan, in lands far away,
on people they knew little about, but were committed in their name.
The Canadian people have little, if any, idea what horrendous acts were
perpetrated against their men in uniform. They have a right to know, and a need to
remember. It took tremendous courage and determination to live in a Japanese
prison camp, under cruel Japanese domination.
Hard Facts About the Battle of Hong Kong
More than 550 Canadians died in the battle for Hong Kong, or in the 44 months
of captivity which followed. It is possible to suffer a worse fate than to die in
battle, on the field. Death came very slowly to prisoners in the hands of the
Japanese. It came through torture, mental and physical, beatings, starvation,
malnutrition, disease or neglect. It came about because a Japanese guard felt like
having a good time. It came in the form of an industrial accident, or being worked
to death in slave camps.
A prisoner was 7 times more likely to die in Japanese captivity than as a soldier
fighting on the battle field. The death rate in European prison camps, from all
causes, was four percent. The death rate in a Japanese prison camp was a
staggering twenty-seven percent.
The number of Canadian soldiers who died in Japanese prison camp numbered
267, almost as many as were killed during the battle. Another 200 died
prematurely due to health problems acquired while in captivity..
Sai Wan Bay Memorial Cemetery
These are our dead, these shattered
men who lie beneath this sod, and
we shall long remember them.
They are in our thoughts, and in our
hearts we know they are whole, and
live ... in peace with God.
Ronald Parker, 2001
men who lie beneath this sod, and
we shall long remember them.
They are in our thoughts, and in our
hearts we know they are whole, and
live ... in peace with God.
Ronald Parker, 2001
There is a memorial erected on the island of Hong Kong, at Sai Wan Bay
Cemetery. Carved on panels of Portland stone are 2,071 names. Of those, 283
are the names of Canadian Soldiers who died in the defense of Hong Kong, in
December of 1941, 107 of them ore unidentified. The dedication panel reads,
The officers and men whose memory is honoured here
died in the defense of Hong Kong in December 1941
and in the ensuing years of captivity and
have no known grave.
Cemetery. Carved on panels of Portland stone are 2,071 names. Of those, 283
are the names of Canadian Soldiers who died in the defense of Hong Kong, in
December of 1941, 107 of them ore unidentified. The dedication panel reads,
The officers and men whose memory is honoured here
died in the defense of Hong Kong in December 1941
and in the ensuing years of captivity and
have no known grave.
It faces North, towards the mainland, from whence the attack on Hong Kong was
launched. The view is magnificent. The land slopes gently towards the sea, giving a
vista of the glittering water, the coastline, and the distant hills. Just beyond the
village of Stanley, on the Tai Tam Peninsula is Stanley Military Cemetery in which
lie twenty more Canadians, one of them unknown.
In Memory of The Soldiers of "D" Company or the Royal Rifles of Canada who
died in Hong Kong, Japan, or at home.
They are heroes all
launched. The view is magnificent. The land slopes gently towards the sea, giving a
vista of the glittering water, the coastline, and the distant hills. Just beyond the
village of Stanley, on the Tai Tam Peninsula is Stanley Military Cemetery in which
lie twenty more Canadians, one of them unknown.
In Memory of The Soldiers of "D" Company or the Royal Rifles of Canada who
died in Hong Kong, Japan, or at home.
They are heroes all
Photo Courtesy Of Bob Tatz, 2011