Stealing Food was Worth the Risk
Heroes Remember
Stealing Food was Worth the Risk
Transcript
Description
Mr. Atkinson describes himself as becoming an experienced thief while working in the Niigata shipyard. He feels the rewards of stealing food for himself and the other prisoners far outweighed the consequences of getting caught.
Harold Atkinson
Harold Atkinson was born on February 14, 1922 in Selkirk, Manitoba. He had three siblings. His father, a First World War Veteran, died when he was nine. His family lived on relief, seven dollars a week, and he helped by delivering papers. He finished grade nine, and then in 1940 enlisted. Mr. Atkinson was eighteen when he joined the Winnipeg Grenadiers. He served in Jamaica, guarding German and Italian nationals at an internment camp. He returned to Canada and then went to Hong Kong with his unit. Mr. Atkinson fought against and was taken prisoner by the Japanese. As a prisoner, he heard several comrades bayoneted to death. Mr. Atkinson worked at Kai Tak airport and in North Point Camp's diphtheria ward. In Omini, Japan he worked as a stevedore at the shipyard. When the war ended, Mr. Atkinson was fortunate enough to be flown home.
Meta Data
- Medium:
- Video
- Owner:
- Veterans Affairs Canada
- Duration:
- 1:43
- Person Interviewed:
- Harold Atkinson
- War, Conflict or Mission:
- Second World War
- Branch:
- Army
- Units/Ship:
- Winnipeg Grenadiers
- Rank:
- Private
- Occupation:
- Machine Gunner
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Guarding Internees
Mr. Atkinson describes doing guard duty at an internment camp for German and Italian detainees while posted to Jamaica. .
The Tripe Mutiny
The Winnipeg Grenadiers arrive in Vancouver to board their ship. Mr. Atkinson describes the first meal, tripe, served aboard HMAS Awatea, and the resulting mutiny. Facing the threat of a charge of desertion, most of the 'mutineers' return to the ship.
Shipboard Activities
Mr. Atkinson describes dummy training with mortars and doing some PT during the voyage to where they later learn will be Hong Kong.
Poorly Armed for War
Mr. Atkinson discusses the start of the battle for Hong Kong, and then describes the weapons the Canadians had.
The Final Battle, Part 1
Mr. Atkinson describes his unit's movements around Wong Nai Chong reservoir as the battle begins. A scout identifies camouflaged enemies advancing towards them, and the officer gives the open fire order. Mr. Atkinson admits to ”wetting his pants” when faced with having to fire at another human being.
The Final Battle, Part 2
Mr. Atkinson recalls the sight of thousands of Japanese waiting to advance, while at the same time engaging in a grenade fight with an advancing enemy. He describes the loss of a Bren gunner and his No. 2, and having to abandon a badly wounded officer during their retreat from a hopeless position.
The Final Battle, Part 3
Mr. Atkinson describes being attacked at a defensive position on the Stanley Reservoir. Because of his unit's mounting casualties, his officer decides to surrender. He is shot to death despite showing the white flag of surrender.
The Road to Captivity
Mr. Atkinson describes being marched to Stanley Gap by the Japanese. During the march, two men are pulled from the line, and are later tortured within earshot of the other prisoners. That night Mr. Atkinson has an unlikely reunion with his brother.
March to North Point Camp
Mr. Atkinson describes being tethered together with wire during their march to North Point Camp. One soldier, badly enough wounded that he can't keep up, is cut out of the line and bayoneted.
Restoring Discipline at North Point Camp
Mr. Atkinson describes his officers ordering the POW’s to become disciplined again, and to wash and shave as best they could, given the camp's modest plumbing.
Ration Issues
Mr. Atkinson describes North Point's meager rations, made worse for the lower ranks because their own officers were skimming the better food for themselves. He describes how the regiment's doctors interceded to obtain better provisions for the rank and file soldiers.
Diphtheria Hospital
Mr. Atkinson describes being 'volunteered' by his officer to work in North Point Camp's diphtheria ward. He talks about one of the patients in his care who dies while sitting on his bedpan, and how he feels in some way responsible.
Psychological Consequences of Disease
Mr. Atkinson translates his hospital experiences into the theory that married men who had left young families behind were the least likely to survive disease.
Bad guard - good guard
Mr. Atkinson describes the punishments he and a comrade received after being caught smuggling stolen soybeans into their camp in Niigata. They are beaten, branded as thieves, and forced to stand at attention all night. The following day, they're back to work as usual. When their guard at the shipyard finds out what had happened, he allows them to sleep for the day.
Dooby The Ferret
Mr. Atkinson describes how his buddy Dooby managed to steal sugar, which was then smuggled back to Niigata camp to be shared with everyone, including the medical staff and their patients.
A Barracks Collapses Causing Death and Injury
Mr. Atkinson describes the collapse of his barracks roof. The falling beams kill eight POW’s and crush his and five others' pelvises. After some time, he is advised by a captured American doctor to start moving, or he wouldn't walk again. His mobility returns, and he goes back to work in the Niigata shipyard.
A Promise is Honored
Mr. Atkinson describes being beaten, against the camp commandant's orders, for making a mistake while working in the Niigata shipyard. The person responsible for his beating disappears from the yard within two weeks.
The War Ends
Mr. Atkinson describes how the Niigata POWs learned that the war was over; work stopped and the guards disappeared.
The Trip Home
Mr. Atkinson describes being taken to Yokohama by the Americans. There he is deloused, showered and given a new uniform. To his surprise, he is selected to fly home, a trip that only takes ten days.
A Message to Youth
Mr. Atkinson discusses the message he conveys to youth, in which he compares the ages of his audience with those who died in Hong Kong and the Japanese labor camps.
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