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| A Narrow Escape | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The rain was falling hard and before long the water began to rise in the catchment. Although we were taking turns carrying Jim, who kept imploring us to leave him behind, the struggle was enormous. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soon the ditch was full to the brim, and the water flowed quickly. We had to carry our burden high so that he wouldn't drown and at the same time we had to keep our heads down or risk getting shot. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disclaimer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I Join the Army | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Photo Courtesy of Jeff Yam | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jim was a big man, about six feet tall and weighing about two hundred pounds. Our discomfort must have been insignicant compared to his, but he complained little. The makeshift stretcher on which we carried him was about half his length. His head and shoulders hung over one end, and his wounded leg hung over the other. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| We finally reached the bottom of the hill in the pitch dark, and someone found an empty warehouse. On a hard cement floor, in soaking wet clothes, tired and hungey, in close proximity to the enemy, I had the best and deepest sleep of my life. Jim is still with us, thank God, although, recently, he had to have the wounded leg amputated. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| He worked for the New Brunswick Forest Service until his retirement just a few short years ago. He lives with his wife, Mary, in Centerville, New Brunswick. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Page 14 | A post-script to this tale might be worth a mention. On the way down the hill, to ease my load while helping to carry Jim, I shucked off my small pack. In the pack, among other things, I had were some cigarettes and a copy of The New Testament that my Mother had given me when I was home on embarcation leave. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| On waking the next morning in the warehouse someone, I forget who, handed me my pack. In the pack was my New Testament,which I still have, dog-eared from the soaking it got in the water-catchment, and my frequent reference to it in the prison camp later. What happened the next day has fled my memory, but on the second day after the action near Tai Tam I was with Lieutenant Ian Brakey in an exchange of fire with some Japanese troops at a place called Palm Villa. They withdrew and left a machine gun on the edge of the water-catchment. We spent the night waiting for them to come and reclaim it so we could get a shot at them,but they didn't come. |
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| In My Memory | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Photo Gallery | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Click Here To Go To Part One Home |
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| Repulse Bay Hotel ... Lots of Rooms, But Not A Place You'd Want to Stay | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| One afternoon, probably about December 22, Major Parker sent me to look for Lieutenant Simons. I started off on foot up the road toward Repulse Bay. I was soon overtaken by Cpl. Roblee driving a three-ton civilian truck that he had commandeered somewhere. He had several bottles of brandy with him and a pair of pistols strapped to his waist like General Patton. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Click Here To Go To Part Two Home |
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| We stopped at the Repulse Bay Hotel, and after ascertaining that Lieutenant Simons was not there, we started back. The road then, as now, is quite narrow and winding, with stone walls along the way ... where the road overhangs the cliff. When rounding a bend a little too quickly, no doubt with the senses being a little dulled by the brandy, we struck the stone wall and wrecked the truck. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| I was sitting in the passenger's seat on the left side, and I was thrown up against the windshield. My head contacted the bar dividing the windshield and it was only my steel helmet that saved me from a bad head wound. As it was I got cut on my right temple and have the scar to this day. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Roblee helped me back to the Hotel, where a pretty nurse patched me up, and insisted I stay in the safety of the hotel. I resisted, and started back,walking, to report to Major Parker that I had been unable to find Lieutenant Simons. How fortunate I was. The next day the Japanese attacked the hotel where "A" Company of the Royal Rifles of Canada were positioned. "A" Company had a hard time defending the hotel and took many casualties. The civilians billeted there wanted the troops to surrender to appease the Japanese. An adverse report on the conduct of the defenders reached the ears of General Maltby, Commander in Chief of the Defence Forces in the Colony. It is assumed that the complaints of the civilians influenced the assessment by Maltby of the Canadian troops efforts in the defence of Hong Kong. Oscar Robertson, a nearby neighbour, and boyhood friend before the war, was killed at Repulse Bay. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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