Dealing With The Experience

Heroes Remember

Dealing With The Experience

I made up my mind, even when I was laying in the hospital bed, that I was going to try and put these things behind me as quickly as possible. And so opportunities came along to either leave the service or go back to school or, or both, and I just decided that I was going to concentrate on forgetting what I had gone through and get on with what there was left in life. So I did, I decided to stay in the service because there were opportunities there, and even during the time that I was there, I was given opportunities to go back to school, different schools, which I did. And I just dwelled on putting things behind and I think I was able to do so. Interviewer: An interview like this, would you have done an interview like this before, earlier in your life? I, that's a very difficult question for me to answer to be quite honest, Neil. I am not sure that I like doing the interview even now because it takes me back, and, but anyway, I'm, I am very grateful to everyone, my, my offspring and my relatives, sisters and so on. They certainly wanted me to do this and talk to you, but. Interviewer: Is it important to you that Canadians understand what you men went through? Well, yes indeed it is. And of course, the more I talk to other people who thought that I should certainly do it reminded me, in fact, that it is important, there's no question about it.

Mr. Routledge made what some may feel were surprising decisions for his life in an effort to put the prison camp experiences behind him. He also expresses his deep feelings that Canadians need to understand what he and his comrades experienced in Hong Kong.

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.