Escape from Hong Kong - The Final Hours

L/Tel Harold P Hill P/WRX798 [MTB 09]

Photo from Buddy Hide's collection ©

After 3000 miles traveling overland through China and Burma he arrived in a deserted Rangoon. After five weeks he left onboard the Armed Merchant Cruiser Heinrich Jessen bound for Calcutta along with Lt-Cmdr Gandy, Lt Collingwood, Lt Ashby & Jix Prest, Buddy Hide, Charlie Evans, Al Rutter, John pawley, Jack Holt, Les Barker, Ron Priestley, and others.

Harold returnd to Akyab in Burma on the Heinrich Jessen along with the other Telegraphists with Collingwood and Kennedy.

After six and a half weeks he left Akyab (Sittwe) onboard the five thousand ton British India Steam Navigation Company's " SS Ellenga" bound for Calcutta along with Lt Kennedy and forteen other ratings, and over two thousand refugees crammed on deck.⁹ From Calcutta it was a thirty six hour train journey across the Indian sub-Continent to Bombay where they boarded the Cunarder armed Merchant Cruiser " RMS Laconia" bound for the UK via Cape Town.

While in Cape Town Lt Kennedywrote "The 'Laconia' was followed into harbour by another troopship, the 'Narkunda', and to our surprise Gandy and the other half of the M.T.B. party were on board. The 'Laconia' party received a warm welcome, perhaps not so much as old ship-mates but as extra hands to share duties of guarding the six hundred Italian prisoners-of war being taken to England in the ship". On board the 'Narkunda' the MTB party was almost complete." ^[9] We set sail again on the 19th April, but had to return due to engine trouble. This time we anchored in Table Bay with no ships boats for a run ashore. We finally got under way on the 28th with a ten-day passage to Freetown.

After leaving Freetown they had to sleep fully dressed as they negotiated the U-boat packs in the north Atlantic continuously zigzagging enroute for the UK. Gandy, Ashby, & Kennedy along with 27 ratings finally arrived in the King George V dock, Sheildhall, Glasgow late afternoon on Friday 22^nd May 1942 onboard the "Narkunda".^[15]