A Close Call With Grenades

Heroes Remember

A Close Call With Grenades

Transcript

The next morning we were taken to back where we had come from. I think it was Murray Barracks, now I’m not sure of the name of the barracks. It was a British barracks, in downtown Hong Kong, right in Hong Kong, right downtown and this barracks was like above the road, There was a ten foot, at least a ten foot stone wall, all along and then the parade ground and stuff was above that, do you understand? And then there were buildings of course, the barrack buildings. Now I went into a hut where several of our officers were gathering, we were just wandering, we didn’t know where to go. There were armed sentries all around with their damn fixed bayonets you couldn’t move without seeing them, quite a few of them. I went into this room, now you would not believe this, it’s the absolute truth. I was just in there for a little while looking around, and I don’t know what I was doing, it doesn’t matter, from the back end along comes a sergeant and he was our officer sergeant mess sergeant and he came to me with his hands like this, “What shall I do with these, Mr. White?” Cripes! And I look and he’s got two live grenades. The pins are still in. So I took them and now what the hell am I supposed to do with the damn things. I look around, where the... now I have a terrific imagination. I could imagine one of those bloody sentries getting a hold of me, he would not only kill me but what would he do with a lot of the other fellows you know. But, anyway, I looked and there’s a doorway into the toilet. I went in the toilet, the old fashioned kind, the big water box up above with a chain and I got on the seat and I put them in and dropped them in there and got the hell out of there. Oh God, talk about being scared.. We found out later on they do group punishment. Now, do know that this was in the morning and within a half an hour of this happening or an hour, and it was a nice sunny morning, the famous Japanese victory parade was going on with the admiral and the brigadier general, whoever the general was sitting on horses leading, and coming right by the bloody barracks. Can you imagine me dropping one of these grenades over the wall. Every bloody Canadian or British soldier would have been slaughtered right then and there, no question!

Description

Mr. White describes an amusing but frightening experience shortly after the surrender of Hong Kong.

Harry Leslie White

Harry Leslie White was born in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England, on May 24, 1907. His family emigrated to Winnipeg, Canada, in 1911. His father, a First World War Veteran, became a policeman. After finishing grade 6, Mr. White had numerous jobs to help support his family. He did some reserve training and was also taught to box by his father. After being turned down by the air force, Mr. White joined the Winnipeg Grenadiers for basic training in Kingston, Jamaica. Here he also helped guard a POW camp holding German and Italian naval personnel. Once in Hong Kong, he joined E Company. Mr. White was captured, but unlike so many others, spent his entire time as a POW in Hong Kong, working on the Kai Tek airport. After the war, Mr. White established an orchard, and later returned to Eatons, where he had worked prior to the war.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 3:04
Person Interviewed:: Harry Leslie White
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Hong Kong
Battle/Campaign:: Hong Kong
Branch:: Army
Units/Ship:: Winnipeg Grenadiers
Rank:: Lieutenant

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A Close Call With Grenades

Heroes Remember