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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":
My father carried the burden of that guilt with him forever after. He
believed that the fault was his. 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..
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":
My father carried the burden of that guilt with him forever after. He
believed that the fault was his. 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..
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.
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.
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
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
