I’ll Keep a Lookout for the Army

Heroes Remember

I’ll Keep a Lookout for the Army

Transcript

Well, I didn’t work in the mine. I worked out on top - stringing up poles for the tension wires. We had a pretty good boss there. He said, “Look, I have to get so much work out of you. You get that done, that’s it as far as I’m concerned, and I’ll keep a lookout for any of the army that might come around.” His name was Pop. He had a big black mustache curled up like this. After the war was over, as I said we were a few weeks in the camp before we got out, and we went down looking for him and we found him, and he thought we might be there to do him in because some of our fellows did go to places where some of the mine bosses were there and, just ruthless, you know taking that shovel and laying it across their back, and that. But, I don’t blame them. It was swift justice. We knew right away the war was over because of the attitude of the Japanese. It was three weeks, I think, before we got out of that camp, three weeks, or a month. The Americans came in and dropped food to us, and some of our fellows were killed by food being dropped. I don’t think there was any Canadians, but they dropped big 45 gallon drums with a chute on them. Of course, they’d hit the ground and splatter. One fellow by the name of Frank Logan slept beside me in the Grenadiers, and I spoke to him after. I said, “What happened there?” He says, “Well, I just heard this swoosh coming in and I made a dive for the door and one of these 45 gallon drums came down through the roof and splattered this canned pineapple.” Well, there was canned pineapple all over the place. Another chap, one fellow was in this one cubicle in the outhouse and another one here and there was an empty one in between and one came right through the roof of that and right between the two of them. They must have had somebody watching over them.

Description

Mr. Barton discusses his work experience at the end of the war and the sometimes dangerous impact of the American supply drops.

Thomas Barton

Thomas Barton was born in Victoria, British Columbia, on June 8, 1920. His father worked as the Deputy Registrar with the Supreme Court in Victoria. After attending high school, Mr. Barton worked for the Victoria Times, a local newspaper before joining the Underwood Typewriter Company. He enlisted in September, 1939 as a staff clerk. Upon reaching Hong Kong, Mr. Barton was attached to Brigade Headquarters. Despite minimal training, he was compelled by heavy Canadian losses to assume a combat role. After the surrender of Hong Kong, he spent time in North Point and Sham Shui Po, POW camps in the colony, and was then sent to the Japanese labour camps, Sendai being the last. Mr. Barton feels that the Canadian Government was remiss in not recognizing the Veterans of Hong Kong much sooner than it did.

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