Moved To Stanley Prison

Heroes Remember

Moved To Stanley Prison

The two of us were next to each, next, or in cells adjoining and two were in the opposite side of the jail house in cells that were next to each other but upstairs, and fortunately, we all knew the Morse Code. So we made a method of talking to each other by means, the one next to me, I would do it on the wall and they had a trap in the door leading into the cell. And the ones across the way, Captain Ford and Flight Lieutenant Gray, I was able to, we were able to make movements, movements with our fingers which sort of indicated dots and dashes which are the Morse Code. Interviewer: Were, in fact, you men discovered by the Japanese communicating in that fashion? Yes we were. Interviewer: What, what happened to you when you were found signalling? Well, we, we were given another beating, as a matter of fact, when we were found signalling and told not to do it again sort of thing. But we wised up to the fact that we had to watch, as long as that little trap door was open, we had to watch very closely to see where the attendants, the prison attendants were before we did any signalling, but we, we kept it up. Interviewer: After that beating that you received when they discovered that you were communicating in that fashion, a few days later, did they take you down to the prison office? Yes. Interviewer: What was the purpose of that? The general purpose was to tell us to behave in accordance with prison requirements or we would be, we'd receive punishment. Interviewer: Were you asked or forced to sign a document? I'm sorry. Again, that's where we were forced to sign a document also and we had no, no idea really what the document contained because it was all in Japanese language, but we were forced to sign the document, yes.

Mr. Routledge and three other Canadian prisoners were moved to the Stanley prison.

Ronald John Routledge

Mr. Routledge was born September 1, 1920. His father, a decorator by trade, was a member of the Regina Rifles and served in the First World War. Mr. Routledge came from a family of four children. He had three sisters, one older and two younger. His father encouraged him to join the Regina Rifles Regiment cadet program when he was 14. After completing high school, shortly before Canada declared war on Germany, he enlisted with the Regina Rifles. He enlisted with the artillery but soon switched to the Canadian Corps of Signals and trained as a wireless operator. In October, 1941, he and 32 other members of the Signals Corp were told they were headed overseas. They boarded a vessel in Vancouver, not knowing until they were near the Philippines that they were heading for Hong Kong. They eventually arrived in Hong Kong and were assigned to barracks at Shamshuipo. Mr. Routledge was wounded when the Japanese made their first attack on Shamshuipo in December, 1942. After spending time in hospital, he returned to continue his service as a wireless operator. He was taken POW on Boxing Day after the commanding officer of the troops on the Stanley Peninsula surrendered to the Japanese. Following his release at the end of the war, he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM), the second highest award for bravery in the British Empire. Mr. Routledge remained in the army as a career soldier.