Helen Ho participated in the 1946 London Victory Parade

Thu, 06/29/2023 - 17:35

Helen Ho was included in the list of members of the Hong Kong delegation who participated in the 1946 London Victory Parade.

Miss Helen Ho, 29-year-old Chinese girl, heroine of Hongkong, marched in the Victory Parade in London. She smuggled medicine to Allied prisoners of war in Hongkong, using marmalade jars. False tops were made for the jars, the discs being stuck on with plasticine and a note of the medicine in the cover (1). She was taken prisoner twice by the Japanese. In recognition of Miss Ho's courage the Government of Hongkong have arranged an 18 months' scholarship to enable her to train as an almoner for the Hongkong hospital.

_{sources: 18 Sep, 1946, Bay of Plenty Times}

_{(1) According to the Records of H. L. Cleave, the surgeon at the time in the prisoner of war camp 'N' :}

_{For drugs we were very badly off. We were indeed fortunate to have some thiamin which had been sent into the camp by a devious route by Dr. (now Sir) Selwyn Clarke, D.M.S., of Hong Kong, who did untold splendid work during all his captivity. He also sent us in some peanut butter for the treatment of our pellagra cases.}

Date picture taken

1946

Comments

Court Case Exposes Reasons for Monitoring of Helen and Yvonne

John Charter writes about Helen Ho's experiences during the war in his diary entry for 22 Aug 1945, the day that Helen and her sister Yvonne came in to Stanley Camp soon after the Japanese surrender:

Helen Ho was followed about for 8 months on end! They did not attempt to disguise the fact that they were watching her and often someone would be sitting and watching their house until she came out and would then follow her. Yvonne said that often at night she would suddenly wake with a start at the passing of a motor car and think: “My goodness, is it stopping at my house?

The Hector Lee court case revealed the reasons why Helen Ho and Yvonne Ho were secretly monitored :

Lieut. Murakami was rounding up suspects in the New Territories between Sheung Shui, Taipo, Shutaukok and Yim Tin by surprise raids from land, and sea. Witness went with one of these armed expeditions as he could speak Hakka.

Witness said that Colonel Noma's girl friend picked up a piece of paper at the border. The message was from Helen Ho to Father Patrick Bourke and referred to half a dozen tubes of shaving cream and razor blades. Witness was told to translate the message.

Accused was assigned to investigate the movements of Miss Yvonne Ho, who was working at the Japanese Foreign Office.

Court Case Exposes Reasons for Monitoring of Helen and Yvonne, by Alan Ho

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