206 results returned
within regiment Royal Rifles of Canada
A hint that the war was over.
Mr. Leblanc recalls the end of the war and discusses the lack of food for the Japanese civilian population.
Beatings by Guards
Mr. Leblanc talks about the Japanese guards and how he felt size played a part in who got beatings.
Trip to Niigata
Mr. Leblanc tells about his journey across the ocean to a Japanese prison camp.
Badly outnumbered
Mr. Leblanc talks about the balance of power and the terrain.
Too Young
Mr. Leblanc recalls that when the war started, it was pretty much round the clock fighting until the capitulation.
Lots of Fun
Mr. Leblanc talks about arriving in Hong Kong and what it was like before war broke out.
The War Ends
Mr. Hurd describes hearing about the atomic bombs dropped on Japan, and senses that the war is over. His officer challenges the Japanese commandant about his authority, and the Japanese soon all disappear.
No Medications
Mr. Hurd discusses the Japanese denial of medications to the Canadian POWs. He also accuses his captors of stealing a relief shipment of food and medicine from the Red Cross.
North Point Camp
Mr. Hurd describes North Point as a filthy nightmare. The diet consisted of rice contaminated with rat feces, and boiled lettuce-like greens. Yams were an occasional treat.
Surrender
Mr. Hurd discusses his officer's relief at the Hong Kong's surrender, as he had felt the battle was futile and would cost too many unnecessary deaths among his men. The Royal Rifles were, ironically, the last Commonwealth regiment to lay down their arms.
Our Vehicles Never Arrived
Mr. Hurd discusses the failure of the Canadian army's heavy trucks and equipment to arrive in Hong Kong. He makes the point that the troop ship had plenty of room in her hold to carry several Bren gun carriers, which Mr. Hurd feels would have greatly aided the defense of Hong Kong.
Sham Shui Po was a Good Layout
Mr. Hurd says that from his perspective Sham Shui Po was well laid out and spacious enough to accommodate the two Canadian regiments and their respective stores.