Caught Taking Red Cross Rations

Heroes Remember

Caught Taking Red Cross Rations

Transcript

There’s one night, there was Mortimer and Smitty that went out underground in the water catchment, they call that and they came out by a big barn, behind a big barn. They went in there and it was all Red Cross rations. Now, they start taking some and they noticed a guard coming, a Jap, so they took off and they went down and back to the barracks. So, this next morning, the Japs came there, was gonna find out who went and stole and one of the corporals squealed on the poor guys. And they took, they tied, we used to go out to work, there was a gate, posts on both sides where we used to go out, took them and tied Mortimer like there and Smitty like there. Smitty was a man taller than me but slim, you know, skinny. There was none of us too fat at that time so they tied them there and what, second day he passed out, Smitty. The third day, Mortimer, it had fell a storm of snow, and he froze his legs. The man was passed out so they took him to the hospital. When I was working, like I told you I got a beating there. Well, the next day, there were these two officers that came and I thought they were taking me out to shoot me. But no, it was go up, give blood to Mortimer at the hospital. The man was bigger than you again, he must have weighted about 260 lbs. He had his two legs cut off here, two legs cut off here. He was just a shadow, but I give him blood but he didn’t live, he passed away. He wanted to give me his pictures to give to his wife and children but I says, “I’m not out of here yet.”

Description

Mr. Hunt talks about how he was taken to the hospital to give blood to a dying prisoner.

Arnold Joseph Hunt

Arnold Joseph Hunt was born in 1910 in the village of Pabos on the Gaspe Peninsula, Quebec. He was the eldest son in a family of 16. His father was a river guide, and as a boy Mr. Hunt would carry provisions upriver to the fishing camp for his father. He also worked cutting pulp and cooking in a lumber camp, earning 50 cents a day. Mr. Hunt enlisted with a French regiment, but transferred to the Royal Rifles, one of three brothers to do so. He describes his captivity and in particular the severe beatings he endured, as well as other brutality that he witnessed. He also describes a desperate effort to save a friend. Mr. Hunt questions both the Hong Kong deployment and Canada’s commitment to its Hong Kong Veterans.

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