The Trucks got up the Road but Were Blown out by the Japs

Most of that night was taken up by trying to dress the wounds suffered that day. All we had were field dressings. Some of the men were seriously wounded. Two Royal Scots had their left arms practically severed. One air force chap had his back covered with shrapnel. Full medical facilities were essential but not available. However, we did the best we could. The only water available was just whatever the lads had in their bottles. There was no food in the shelters of the brigade headquarters. The emergency rations were in a shelter across the road and right under the Japs’ noses. The night passed uneventful as far as activity from the Japanese was concerned. Approximately 9 or 10 o’clock that night, Corporal M. Price, Winnipeg Grenadiers came across the road and told me that some trucks would be up to evacuate the wounded. I took those that could not move under their own power out to an open shelter toward the road so it would expedite their evacuation when the trucks did arrive. The remainder stayed in the shelters. The trucks did get up the road but were blown out by the Japs. Consequently, the removal of the wounded was not made. We decided that night the best thing to do was for all able-bodied men to get across the road and augment the number of troops there, making a stronger force. It was now December 20th. Just before the dawn, we tried to cross the road that was in the range of the Japs’ machine gun. Myself, signalman Little, and one English soldier managed to slip across before he opened up, killing the next two lads as they stepped onto the passage way onto the road. The remainder were cut off and stayed with the wounded. Upon meeting up with this other group, I found that Lieutenant Keith Blackwood, Winnipeg Grenadiers, had assumed command of that small force and had things pretty well organized. Captain Bush had a cut over the corner of his mouth and over his eye. This happened when he and Captain Billings, and Captain Philips, Winnipeg Grenadiers, were in a passageway and a Jap grenade burst near them. Captain Philips had a piece of the shrapnel tear into his eye. When I arrived, Captain Philips was in the cookhouse along with many other wounded men, including Colonel Walker, Royal Engineers, who had been machine gunned through both legs. Captain Bowman had been killed the day before when he was trying to get the Japs out of the ack-ack position directly behind the cookhouse.

Mr. Barton describes the lack of medical facilities and the fatal consequences of being in the subordinate tactical position (excerpt from report Mr. Barton authored in 1945).

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.