5^th January

We left at 06.00 in five trucks supplied by the China National relief Committee^[66] and a car for the Admiral, Henry, Yeung Chuen, and David MacDougall, to take us through the Nan Mountains to Kukong [Shaoguan]. One of the trucks soon stopped with broken front springs and many delays caused by punctures, and running out of fuel as we climbed over Nine Peak mountain. Sub-Lt Legge recorded "We then had a two-day truck ride over some pretty high mountains, on about the worst roads that could possibly exist and in semi closed vans without, it seemed, any springs. The dust was something awful, though nothing to what the western desert must be; still it wasn’t so hot." We stopped at Junsing at 10am for a meal, followed by coffee and biscuits with Father O' Brian from the American Mary Knoll Mission. After an hour we were on the road again, this time the road was not so jolting but more mountainous, rising steeply to 5000 feet and down again via hairpin bends. At 14.30 we arrived at Lumping where we were put up in the Middle School for the night with the officers being billeted in a hotel.

 

 

Kukong

6^th January

Up at 04.00 and on the road by 04.30 we pressed on stopping at Loonshing for breakfast at 09.30. for half an hour. On the way we overtook the Chinese Army on the march, mile after mile of them on both sides of the road. They were on their way back to Kukong having been too late to defend Hong Kong. Stopped for lunch at Taihangchow. Next stop was at Nan-Hai a magnificent Buddhist monastery where there were three mummies, one of which was Lok Tsu, the sixth reincarnation of Buddha, and about 1200 years old. The Temple was being renovated by the monks under the energetic direction of their 93 year old Abbot. The car carrying Admiral Chan Chak and four others arrived in Kukong ahead of the trucks. On the approach in mid afternoon to Kukong [Shaoguan] "we were met by a group of young ladies who pinned  HERO rosettes to our lapels as we disembarked from the trucks to do a ceremonial march through the city gate." These rosettes gave us the freedom of the city as we found out in due course. We were soon back in the trucks for the final few miles into town where photographers and press were waiting for us. This was our first chance to pick up international news which was not good in the Far East, also Tokyo Rose was broadcasting propaganda forecasting doom for the escape party. We then headed for a very large sampan on the East bank of the Mo Sai river about one mile north of the Y junction^[45]. This was no ordinary sampan; this was the "Sea Palace", a flower boat, or brothel. Harry Owen-Hughes had arranged with the owner to clear it out and rent it for our stay in Kukong. Several members including Goring, Christiansen, Halliday, Penny, & Quixall of the escape party were suffering with malaria and needed treatment and recuperation along with several cases of dysentery. His Excellency the Governor of the Province General Li laid on a huge reception in the Headquarters of the Provincial Government where it turned out that his ADC had been at Cambridge with one of the R.N.V.R. Officers. General Yu Han Mow who had been in command when Canton fell to the Japanese, and now holding office as the Commander-in-Chief of the extensive seventh War Area was also present. Admiral Chan was presented with a shield as well as flowers along with Cmdr Montague. The Royal Navy party were so hungry they finished off all the 'Chow Fan', a customary dish of fried rice at the end when etiquette required it only to be toyed with to show the Host had provided more than enough food. Some of the party went down with severe stomach bugs and even dysentery. The following day we had a Grand reception laid on in the town hall. We stayed here for a week while transport was being arranged for further up the line. Gandy was able to procure funds for transport, food, & accommodation, and paid CN$100 a week to officers and CN$20 per rating,^[15] this gave the party a chance to enjoy the local hospitality and hone their bartering skills. There were air-raid alarms every morning and it was here that Admiral Chan Chak had the photo plate developed and presented each member of the party with a copy of the Waichow group photo. The Admiral was now in bad shape and was admitted to hospital soon after arriving, we did not see him again.

 

 

Bob Stonell led a seven a side small football match against the local YMCA in a local park with a crowd of 2-3000, losing 8-2 the excuse being that the ground, the ball, and opponents were all too small.^[5] Others including Brazel found time to play tennis during the weeklong stay^[49]. Admiral Chan Chak and Major Goring along with Penny & Quixall stayed at the Mission run by the New Zealand Presbyterian Church. Chan was operated on to remove the bullet from his wrist by Dr S H Moore of the Methodist Missionary at the "Ho Sai" Hospital and was also suffering with ulcers and had a blood transfusion with Peredur Jones of the Missionary donating his blood^[44]. An invite by the Methodist missionary to a high tea, the first western food since leaving Hong Kong was enjoyed by all ^[12]. The Mission was located on the West bank just where the Y junction is in the river.^[45]

While the escape party were waiting for papers to continue on westwards towards Rangoon the names were published in the British Daily Express on the 8 & 9th January.

 

 

12th January

Lt Ashby & Sub-Lt Brewer went ahead by train. Duggy Pethick and Eric Cox-Walker who had remained in hospital in Longchuen arrived to rejoin the escape party.

14th January:

The remaining escape party were treated for anti typhoid, and just after lunch Commander Montague RN (Rtrd) and four other senior officers Oxford, Guest, Macmillan & Robinson along with the two civilian officials MacDougall & Ross left to fly onto Chungking for debriefing on the fall of Hong Kong and see what lessons could be learned.^[5]  David McDougall then went on to Chengtu, Szechwan by plane where he was operated on at the Canadian Mission Hospital at the West China Union University - the best equipped in free China. There were two others with him, and after a pleasant week’s stay in Kunming they caught a plane back to Chungking. The entire Navy party, officers and ratings alike were extremely glad to see the back of one individual, Max Oxford an intelligence officer attached to the RAF. He had taken over the top job after Major Charles Boxer was wounded during the battle. Oxford had clutched his brief case all the way allegedly containing thousands of dollars which he had collected from Colonel Chauvin while in Waichow, and now taking a handout from Owen-Hughes while they had to survive on meagre handouts. He made no attempt to endear himself to the people who just days earlier had risked their lives to save his.^[21] That left the Royal Navy party numbering 50 to carry on with their odyssey towards Rangoon in Burma under the Flotilla Commander Lt-Cmdr Gandy RN (Rtrd) who had been given CN$14,000, though this sounded a lot the reality was that each CN$ was worth about 3d (one modern decimal penny).

15th January

The Royal Navy party played Shaoguan Officers Club at 7-a-side small football losing 7-3.