Beating received as a Hong Kong POW

Heroes Remember

Beating received as a Hong Kong POW

Transcript

Well the Japanese guards were, were mostly veterans of the Sino Japanese war and they were wounded veterans and some of them were were uh mentally disabled. They were brutes as a matter of fact. By and large they were, they were a tough lot. Although I'd have to say that in 3D the camp commandant was a decent sort. He was a lieutenant Wamori who was way past retirement age, but he was a decent sort. But the guards, Horseface when we had the sergeant of the guard his name was Yamanaka. Yamanaka son. Yamanka used to come to me and say "Yamanaka onaji MacKenzie King". Onaji's a Japanese word for same in other words me Onaka, Yamanaka, I'm God around here okay just like your MacKenzie King is in Canada and he acted that way. He was a miserable S.O.B.. There were a couple of guards, they weren't, they weren't bad sorts. They acted like guards ought to have acted..., but that was about it. I do remember that I got one heck of a beating, beating in 3D and the one that saved me was the camp commandant himself and as a matter of fact I testified accordingly when he was brought up during the war criminal trials. Interviewer: What was the reason for the beating that you received at 3D? Guys used to sell one another off to Japanese for cigarettes and there was a pair of boots stolen and the Japanese got us all outside. What they used to do, they used to form ranks. They'd leave you standing there until somebody confess. So anyway, one guy confesses "Yeah, I know who it is. It's prisoner number 209. I saw him walking across." So I was hauled out of the ranks and then I was very severely beaten and Womori put a stop to it. He He came out of his office and saw that the guards, Yamanaka was was one of them... well I was just about done in another, another couple of strokes and that was it. So, he saved my bacon that time, but it wasn't me I was sold by a fellow by the name of Siroka. No, it wasn't Siroka. Siroka's the guy that stole the boots and I'm not going to name the guy that did me in. Interviewer: This is one of the fellow prisoners? Yeah. He was from the Royal Rifles. Interviewer: The beating that you took, how was it administered? Fists, fists, boots, rifle butts? Interviewer: You were knocked down? Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Interviewer: When the commandant put a stop to it. I was unconscious. Interviewer: Did you receive medical care after that beating? Yeah, Dr. Reed was there. Patched me up. Interviewer: How long did you have to convalesce? I don't remember rightly, but I'd say about 3 days, 2 or 3 days.

Description

Mr. Cyr describes the Japanese guards at Camp 3D and a near-death beating he received from several of them.

Roger Cyr

Roger Cyr was born on March 6, 1922 at New Richmond in the Gaspé region of Québec. He was the oldest of nine children. His siblings were four brothers and four sisters. His father was a lineman for an electrical company in the United States. He eventually returned to Canada and worked as a chef with Canadian National Railways. Roger enlisted in late 1941 with the Royal Rifles of Canada. In late October 1941, he and hundreds of other members of the Canadian Army left Vancouver, arriving in the British colony of Hong Kong on November 14, 1941.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 04:19
Person Interviewed:: Roger Cyr
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Hong Kong
Branch:: Army
Units/Ship:: Royal Rifles of Canada
Occupation:: Runner

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Date modified:: 2019-06-20