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| - Dark Side of the Sun - George Palmer's Journey From Prince Edward Island to Hong Kong and the Omine Camp in WWII His Story Chronology Capt. Wilson Interview Dr. Gingras Interview |
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| PREFACE Courage, bravery, and hope. Such words define a little-known journey by a small contingent of Canadian soldiers over sixty years ago who fought in Hong Kong during the Second World War. These soldiers from the Royal Rifles of Canada and the Winnipeg Grenadiers had no previous battle experience. That is not to say they weren't ready; they were prepared. But, when the battle began, it had only been three weeks since they arrived in this totally unfamiliar environment that was far from their homes. The Hong Kong defenders were only 14,000 strong (this number includes approximately 1,974 Canadians as well as naval and air force personnel and many non-combatants). The defenders had virtually no navy, air force, heavy artillery, or reinforcements to assist them. Facing them were approximately 60,000 battle-hardened, fully mechanized, fully reinforced, fanatical, tenacious Japanese troops, fresh from battles in China. As the motto of the Royal Rifles of Canada dictates, our soldiers were 'Willing and Able' - surrendering only when told to do so by the Commander-in-Chief on Christmas Day, 1941, after fighting for 17 1/2 days. The Japanese Colonel who accepted the surrender told the Canadian officers, "... he had never known men could fight so hard." [1] "The Canadians fought so ferociously that the Japanese overestimated their strength... [in the absence of weaponry] units were forced to throw rocks, empty rifles, and pieces of packing crates and machinery at advancing Japanese; they also fired smoke bombs from mortars and charged swinging bare fists when ammunition ran out." [2] Another writes, "No troops in the twentieth century - and certainly none in World War II - have been tested more terribly, more searchingly than were the Canadians at Hong Kong: men brave, intelligent, if you will, but all unused to combat and fighting within an area to which they were complete strangers. Nor have any other troops met such a test with greater credit to their country, to their military traditions and to themselves." [3] The Canadians fought the good fight for the sake of freedom, despite overwhelming odds and savagery. Their spirits never surrendered. I am not a military expert. But, I have read my share of World War II military books over the years. Many Canadian servicemen and women were exposed to the horrors of the battlegrounds and POW camps and they all served courageously and valiantly throughout the Second World War in such areas as the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Italy, Burma, Africa, Europe, and in the skies over Europe, Africa, and Asia. But, as I understand it, only the Canadians at Hong Kong were exposed to the battles, brutalities, and horrors of war on such a continuous and sustained basis lasting almost four long years. They were the first organized Canadian ground forces to engage the Axis and they were one of the last to be liberated from the POW camps. And the fact that almost 3/4 of these Canadians returned home after such a horrific journey is a testament to their strength. This is what makes them unique and, to me, this is the difference between the Canadian Hong Kong Veterans and all the rest. My grandfather was one of these soldiers. George T. Palmer was a corporal with the Royal Rifles of Canada, Headquarters Company, 2 Platoon Machine Gun/AA Unit. After being captured on 23 December 1941, he became a prisoner-of-war under the Imperial Japanese Army until the end of the war. He endured forty-five consecutive months of hunger, disease, illness, brutality, slave labour, deplorable living conditions, and severe lack of medical care - and his mental and physical capabilities were pushed to their limits. I will never be able to comprehend the horrors and nightmares my grandfather and his comrades experienced during this time. During Dr. Gingras's interview with my grandfather on 1 November 1986, he asked, "Is it your feeling that the incarceration in a Japanese prison camp has jeopardized your physical and mental health?" George replied, "It certainly injured my physical health, but, I am not too sure about mentally. I've always been an optimistic fellow and looked on the bright side. I always had hope." [4] To me, his answer speaks volumes. Hope saved my grandfather and many, many others from the inhumanity inflicted upon them by their perpetrators. Every veteran whom I had talked to who knew George spoke highly of his leadership, optimism, humour, and strength. He was known to be worldly wise and his strong physical capabilities were from a life of outdoor activities and hard work (not to mention he came from good Maritime stock!). The following statement from his service records were written three months after his return to Canada from Japan after the war: "Palmer is a large, heavy built man, and has a quiet, pleasant manner. He has worked as a farmer and fisherman [and lumberman] for 14 years before enlisting in the Army [in 1940]." The medical officer's Statement of Physical Limitations states, "No disability. Fit for heavy manual labor." After spending almost four years in a prisoner-of-war camp! During my research, I had often looked at a map of Hong Kong and Japan late at night and wondered what dusty roads he had walked down, atrocities his eyes had seen, hunger and exhaustion he felt. Was he scared? How did he cope emotionally? Who did he help? Who helped him? Did he see men die in front of him? How did he cope with the thought of mortality day in and day out for forty-five months? What were his first thoughts and emotions after being liberated by the Allies from the prisoner-of-war camp? There are so many questions, yet, I will never know the answers to most of them because my grandfather died in 1991 - twelve years before I started my research on this book. I regret not embarking upon this project before his death. But, I was younger back then and my interests in life were elsewhere. While growing up, I had a major interest in reading books about the Second World War. I can still remember the first World War II book I read back in junior high - Green Beach (about the Dieppe raid). As I recall, it was my father, Lou (Kilmer) Palmer, who had sparked my interest in this area. But, ultimately, I would suspect it was my grandfather and his involvement in the war that had sparked my father's interest in this area. Over the years, my interest in World War II topics waned, but, as I was browsing the internet in 2003, I came across some Hong Kong dedication web sites. They rekindled my interest in my grandfather's war experiences and inspired me to seek out the truth about Grandpa's war experiences. My grandfather didn't write anything about his war experiences. He didn't talk much about them either. He was often heard saying, "What's the point? No one would believe me anyway." His silence on this experience was a major obstacle in my search for 'his' story. However, I was able to record some of his experiences from service records, interviews, and third party information. As well, I uncovered valuable historical information from interviews, web sites, books, letters, diaries, and service records which explained, as best as possible, the environments my grandfather existed in. Although there are a few exceptions, in general, I have refrained from making a multitude of personal judgments or opinions. I do not believe it would be logical, constructive, or beneficial to smother this book with my assumptions about experiences that have happened long before my time and in places and situations I have never been involved in. Thus, this book, in general, will simply reflect a compilation and amalgamation of facts and experiences as told by the men who were there. It must be mentioned that the memories and perspectives of these experiences being brought back to life by the veterans who were there, can be, unknowingly, tweaked by 'time' because it has been six decades since those terrible experiences. Hence the accuracy of the stories in some cases may be, unintentionally, skewed a little. Regardless, the sources cited in this web site are credible and I'm 100% confidant the essence of each story holds true. As well, I have inserted all points of view in any instances where a past experience contains different perspectives from different individuals. In a letter sent to me in August 2004, George Coutts, a Winnipeg Grenadier and ex-Omine POW states, "It is not possible to tell what it [Omine Camp] was really like - to see a man being beaten nearly to death and having to stand and watch. To hold a man's hands while he is choking to death from diphtheria. To see a man slowly going insane and then kill himself by doing nothing but drink water (from the fire tubs). To see Red Cross parcels come in that would save some of the hospital case lives and not be able to get them. Near the end, to go on roll call and see guys scrambling for the centre row because the Japs had told us if the Americans land we'd all be shot (machine guns in each corner)." [5] Mr. Coutts is right. It is important to note that no amount of words I include in this book will describe, with any degree of accuracy, the true emotions these men and women experienced during the battle of Hong Kong and the many hardships they suffered in the prisoner-of-war camps. I hope you are enlightened on this journey. We should never forget the bravery and courage these Canadian Hong Kong defenders exhibited for the sake of freedom - during a time when men in power were anxious to draw lines in the sand at any expense. |