The group in front of us had a disturbance in its midst and was halted. As we passed I saw a young Indian officer crying out in good English, “You are savages and you call yourselves civilized! There is your civilization! You bloody murderers! Look! That is how civilized you are!”
By the side of the road lay an old white haired lady killed by the Jap bayonets. She lay in a grotesque position, most of her body exposed and mutilated. It was a ghastly sight. The Indian officer was struck down with a rifle butt.
No more in our group fell and finally we staggered along the streets of Hong Kong to an old warehouse near the docks. Here we were cut loose and threw ourselves on the wooden floor.
Already there was a considerable assembly of prisoners in this camp. We were right in the danger zone for the battle of Hong Kong was still raging and fires were burning all around but like our previous hut there were no Red Cross markings and wounded and unwounded were thrown in together. I lay exhausted. It was cold for in Hong Kong at that time of year, December, it is winter and the days are often hot while the nights are freezing cold. I often wondered how the flies survived for each day there were fresh millions. Shells screamed over our heads and I thought it very likely we would be hit although I was past caring if we were or not. My hands were numb and partly useless. I was parched with thirst but later was given a drink of water by one of my companions.
Early next morning guards routed out the wounded and unwounded. I was so stiff I could barely move. As the sun came up its warmth helped a little. We were formed into groups, this time without tying our hands, and marched, I say marched but we actually staggered, a short distance to the dock where we were loaded on open barges and put across the harbor to the mainland. This was in broad daylight and on the same stretch of water that was being used to transport troops and ammunition. In fact our own barge had just brought troops over and was now returning for another load. The Japs were obviously using the prisoners as a cover for their army’s transportation of supplies and men over the channel. Our own guns maintained a constant fire and while still on the water I heard a nearby explosion which sounded like one of the Jap barges had received a direct hit and had blown up. Debris was in the air and fell around us.
Once more I landed on the shores of Kowloon. What a difference from our first landing. There were no bands to great us this time, not even the scurrying Chinaman. They had all disappeared. I saw some Indian troops under heavy guard loading the Japanese barges.
Once more we fell into sad procession. I believe at this time that the wounded were separated from those more fit. I know that I, with about fifty others, arrived at a girls convent run by the Catholic Church in Kowloon and staffed by the nuns. It was only about a mile from the docks but I had great difficulty in keeping up with the others. Because of this our group of seven fell behind. The guard kept beating and urging me to keep up. My thirst was unendurable and the dust of the road and the heat of the sun added to my fever. I was sure that I could not go on and thought of my late companion the Englishman. However my guard must have been a milder type for as I pointed to my mouth making motions of drinking he understood. As we came to a Chinese fisherman’s hut at the side of the road the he halted the party. Standing with his back to the door, his rifle pointing in our direction, he kicked with his heels against it. Getting no immediate reply he banged with the butt of his rifle. Presently the battered door opened and an old Chinaman peered out. The Jap made the Chinaman understand that he wanted a bucket of water.The old man disappeared and soon reappeared with a wooden bucket filled to the brim. How we drank this life saving fluid. When we had all drank the Chinaman clamored for the return of his bucket but was ignored by us all. There was still half a pail of water left and we were not parting with it without a struggle. The guard did not interfere. He motioned us on and swung a parting blow at the old man with his rifle as he did so. The group ahead of us noticed that we had stopped for a drink. They had also seen the bucket so waited for us to catch up. They drank and the bucket was emptied. The water helped immensely and I was able to keep up with the rest and stagger into the convent.
