His Thoughts About The People Of Japan

Heroes Remember

His Thoughts About The People Of Japan

To be quite honest with you, I have no ill feelings with the Japanese now at all. Let's face it, Neil, they, at that particular time and that particular period, they, it was a militarily operated and governed country, and they, you know, they, that was, that was it. It was just military, military, military and their own people, I think, in, in some cases, I think their own people didn't like what they were being instructed and governed to do. Even in, whilst in Stanley Prison particularly, we had a couple of the guards, one of whom was the executioner, they were doing guard duty, but by golly, they were very good, they treated us well. They really treated us well. They'd go, or they'd allow us to stand up and do a little exercising, which we shouldn't have been doing at the time, we should have been facing the wall, they would throw us in the odd cigarette. Very, very good people. And so I, no, I have absolutely nothing against the Japanese people at all at this stage. Interviewer: Those individual Japanese guards that would help, help you men, what would happen to them if they were discovered doing that? They would get the kind of treatment, as a matter of fact, that they had to give us. That, that's what they'd get.

Most people, given the experiences of Canadian prisoners-of-war in Japan, would have predictable and understandable feelings about the Japanese people of that time - and of today. Most people - but not everyone, including Mr. Routledge.

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.