Helen HO (aka 何婉衡) [c.1917-????]

• Helen Ho (何婉衡) - Non-official Justices of the Peace Record

• Helen Ho (何婉衡) - The Hong Kong Jockey Club Record

• Selwyn-Clarke's Key Assistant

Here the name of Helen Ho must be mentioned also, for she played a major role in organizing parcels of food and clothing - both openly and clandestinely - for POWs in the Hong Kong camps. Miss Ho had been a kindergarten teacher until the war began. After the capitulation the Japanese closed the schools. During the fighting she had done some nursing at LaSalle College temporary hospital. There she met Dr. Selwyn-Clarke, who later persuaded her to become involved in aiding POWs once it became apparent that their life was going to be extremely difficult.

Once the Japanese decided to permit it, food parcels were sent in to Sham Shui Po, 12 each week. If the intended recipient did not pick up the parcel, usually because he had died, it came back and then would be sent to another name on a list of Allied POWS. This list included names of Canadians.

Helen Ho's involvement became major and, should the Japanese have found out, probably lethal. Drugs had to be smuggled in. They were put in 555 cigarette tins, which were flat. She or others gave them to Rev. "Uncle John" Watanabe, IJA interpreter, who carried them into the camps. After the war, Miss Ho was awarded the OBE for her bravery and determination. Later she went to England, studied social work, and followed that profession as her post-war career. She died in the 1990s. (1)

• 1946 London Victory Parade

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

In his memoirs, Selwyn-Clarke recalled the efforts of two women assistants, 'Dr Po-Chuen Lai and Miss Helen Ho', whom he could 'trust to carry on at any sacrifice'. Lai, he wrote, had courageously 'carried out what I had asked of her to the very end of the Pacific War' in spite of the risks involved." He also singled out Ho as a 'Chinese Eurasian girl of remarkable courage and resourcefulness' in her attempts at organizing relief supplies for the prisoners although she was placed under police surveillance. (3)

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. 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. (4)

• Tutor of Selwyn-Clarke's daughter

While he was in Pasco's shop, a Chinese girl came in. Pasco called her over and introduced her to Uncle John. This is Miss Helen Ho,' Pasco said. 'She is one of the-eh-nameless ones who have been helping. Helen, this is Mr. Watanabe.' The girl put out her hand and smiled shyly. 'Ah, Uncle John,' she said. 'Doctor Selwyn-Clarke has spoken about you.'

Uncle John too had heard of Helen Ho. Selwyn-Clarke had told him how, among other things, Helen made peanut butter in her own home for inclusion in the parcels for the prisoners of war. Uncle John understood she acted as tutor to Selwyn- Clarke's daughter. He looked upon her as a very faithful and brave person.  The three talked for some time, and then Uncle John took his leave of them. (5)

>

We first heard it from Hilda's cook, who brought a message from her that she would get in touch with me as soon as possible. They were all held prisoner: Hilda (Hilda Alice SELWYN-CLARKE), Mary (Mary SEED (née SELWYN-CLARKE)), Helen Ho, who had been working with them and looking after Mary (Helen was a sister of Kathleen and Yvonne), and a number of others. In the course of the day Constance Lam was brought in and set down there, and a few other people showed up, Chinese doctors suspected of working in the espionage game with Selwyn and the like. (6)

_{Sources :
1) "Long night's journey into day : prisoners of war in Hong Kong and Japan, 1941-1945" by Roland, Charles G
2)http://www.hongkongwardiary.com/searchgarrison/uniformedcivilians.html
3)"Under Fire: Women and World War II" by Eveline Buchheim & Ralf Futselaar
4) 18 Sep, 1946, Bay of Plenty Times
5) The book 'Small Man of Nanataki: The True Story of a Japanese who risked his life to provide comfort for his enemies', page 106
6) "China to me" by Hahn, Emily}

• "Captive surgeon in Hong Kong: the story of the British Military Hospital, Hong Kong 1942-1945" by Donald C. Bowie :

One of her main helpers was Miss Helen Ho. Miss Ho was arrested three times by the Japanese, the first being shortly after Selwyn-Clarke's own arrest. She was imprisoned once below the Supreme Court; another time she was confined in a house above Queen's Road, but being allowed to open a window for air she attracted the attention of a passing friend by flashing a reflected ray of sun in her eyes using a hand mirror. She then dropped a previously prepared note addressed to her mother (Florence, Mrs Ho Cheuk) which was successfully picked up. Her mother and two of her sisters then got to work on the Kempeitai, the formidable and feared gendarmerie, sometimes called the 'thought police' and somehow secured her release.

When Mrs. Selwyn-Clarke was eventually interned in 1943, the work went on and Helen Ho continued to bring supplies to our hospital until our release. We had the privilege of welcoming her in person at the Central British School in August 1945 and expressing our thanks to her for her work, whose value it is almost impossible to overestimate. Miss Ho was awarded the O.B.E. and, after the war, qualified in England as an Almoner (施賬官), the medical social worker of today. My wife and I have maintained friendship with Helen and her family ever since, and I had the privilege of calling on the family in Hong Kong in 1964.

Helen Ho (何婉衡) was formerly an Almoner (施賬官), who was born in 1916 and educated at Diocesan Girl's School

Helen Ho (何婉衡) in the late 1980s or early 1990s