Diary pages from this date
The bankers T. J. J. Fenwick and J. A. D. Morrison begin their escape.
At 7.30 p.m. they leave the Sun Wah Hotel 'with a Hong Kong basket containing socks, shaving gear, a spare shirt and a quarter of a bottle of whisky and a bottle of Napoleon brandy'. At 7.45 they board a tram for Saukiwan, now accompanied by two Chinese agents of the BAAG. Opposite the Star Ferry a Japanese petty officer gets on.
Fenwick:
This bloke seemed to be staring at me all the time, you see, and I thought, oh, God, damned at the very beginning. But nothing happened he got off at some place around the naval yards and we went on.
At a signal from Agent Lo they alight from the tram, go down a narrow side-street and board a sampan. They lie down full length as they're conveyed past two Japanese destroyers. On the other side they're met by another BAAG agent. They cross the hills to Junk Bay and some marching and two more journeys by boat take them into the hands of communist guerrillas:
I cannot speak too highly of these guerillas. The care they took and their kindness will always be remembered by me with the deepest gratitude.
They arrive at BAAG advanced H.Q. at Waichow on October 22, and eventually reach Delhi, where they are thoroughly debriefed - one of the main purposes of the escape has been to pass on important information about financial developments since the surrender. One hundred and two days after they set out, they arrive in Britain.
Source:
Frank King, History of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, Volume 3, 618-621
HOSPITAL SUNDAY: Montgomery / Ponting
Dakar falls to U.S. troops & 2 islands in Phillipines Group in their hands. 3 point landing on Continent. Eire breaks off diplomatic relations with Germany.
Gusty day.