The Battle for Hong Kong - A Book Review.

"25 December 1941 was known to the people of Hong Kong as Black Christmas"

'The Battle For Hong Kong' by Philip Cracknell, is the unsurpassed account of those terrible days in December 1941. This book will endure as a standard text for this compelling tale of courage and heroism, glory and sheer horror.

Mr Cracknell painstakingly details the attack by Japanese forces and the stubborn resistance of the doomed defenders. Of the many bleak moments that lodge in my mind is the appalling events at St Stephen's College, Stanley, on Christmas Day 1941.  

As a teenager in the UK, I'd read Tim Carey's 'The Fall of Hong Kong'. This new book outstrips others, giving us forensic detail of the battle. Plus, Mr Cracknell relates the events to the current layout of the land. And despite the many developments since the war, the ground is recognisable.

Driving up Wong Nai Chung Gap Road, the battle unfolds around you. Lawson's bunker beside the petrol station; the old Police Post (now, Stanley Ho's house) and the memorial to St Johns Ambulance fallen. 

Jardine's Lookout, Mount Nicholson, Violet Hill, plus a hundred other features, take on new significance. On the slopes of Jardines Lookout are Pillbox One and Two, which brought vengeful fire down on the attacking Japanese seeking to capture Wong Nai Chung Gap.

Pillbox One proved well-sited as it cut down hundreds of Japanese soldiers advancing along Sir Cecil's Ride. Today both Pillboxes are intact and easy to reach. 

I wonder if the people at the bus stop on Wong Nai Chung Gap Road, know the area was the centre of intense fighting? The mound, then a Police Post, changed hands several times as the sides grappled for control of the Gap. I'm sure most don't spot Pillbox Three; partially concealed in the trees, it's a well-preserved structure.

Between December 8 and Christmas Day 1941, Hong Kong witnessed artillery duels, mortars, flame-throwers, planes and naval actions. At times, fearsome 'hand-to-hand' fighting accompanied bayonet charges.

​Towards the end of the battle, Japanese light-tanks mounted attacks in Stanley village. The defending gunners knocking them out of action, as neither side gave much quarter.

The book now accompanies me as I walk over Jardines Lookout or venture across the Twins. I can imagine how the young Canadians, dispatched here with little training, struggled uphill with their kit.

I can see the gun positions near the Tai Tam Upper Dam where the defenders lobbed shells into the Japanese holding Wong Nai Chung Gap. While on Mount Nicholson, the Royal Scots slit trenches are still in place below the Microwave station.

That the Japanese committed terrible atrocities is well-documented. Soldier's who surrendered could expect a beating, a bayonet or the bullet.

Then you have the defenders at Shouson Hill magazine threatening to blow themselves up as the Japanese moved in. The Japanese considered this honourable conduct. 

​When the men surrendered after some negotiation, they're taken for a meal and praised for their actions. For Brigadier Lawson, the most senior officer to die, the Japanese honoured him with a full military funeral. 

The book faithfully relates the appalling events at St Stephens College on Christmas Day 1941. The eye-witness accounts are chilling. The College acted as a hospital with both civilian and military medical staff.

​Storming the College, the Japanese bayoneted patients in their beds, raped several nurses and then executed them. As many as eighty died at the College in this atrocity. 

For me, it remains lamentable that many Hong Kong citizens don't know this history. Walking with a group of young people, we crossed Jardines Lookout and stood atop the position that served as an observation post in 1941.

Pointing out the structure below our feet, I mentioned that many men died at this site. None of the group knew of the history nor the sacrifice made. 

Also, it's surprising the amount of war material that remains scattered on the ground. Without much effort, you can find artefacts such as badges, belt buckles and ammunition. (A word of advice: possession of live or expended ammunition is illegal without the relevant permissions and licences. Beware.)

Of more concern, is the unexploded ordinance. My first EOD job was clearing a World War II shell in North Point. That shell proved viable despite the passage of time. Both sides in the conflict expended vast quantities of grenades and artillery shells, some of which didn't explode. 

For example, the Japanese Type 97 grenade proved most unreliable, in part, because of incorrect arming. These grenades turn up from time to time and need EOD's attention. So, please be careful. 

I can't recommend this book enough. It covers the strategic issues that shaped policy but is best when describing the individual actions and characters. Well written and drawing on reliable sources, it relates these dramatic events with clarity.  

That Churchill condemned the Hong Kong defenders to a battle they couldn't win, remains a contentious decision. Like the bombing of Dresden, you can argue the rights and wrongs without resolution. 

Yet, what's clear to me is the courageous resistance of the British, Canadian, Indian and Chinese defenders — that they held-on until the end speaks volumes of their courage and sense of duty. 

Future generation would do well to reflect on this history, but first, they need to understand it. Mr Cracknell's book is an ideal starting point.