Alexander Christie SINTON [1897-1943]

Submitted by Admin on Mon, 04/29/2013 - 21:09
Names
Given
Alexander Christie
Family
Sinton
Sex
Male
Status
Deceased
Born
Date
Died
Date
Cause of death
Executed by the Japanese

Brian writes:

He was one of those courageous people who undertook highly risky activities on behalf of the resistance organisation, the British Army Aid Group. He almost certainly carried out a number of acts, but the one thing that I know for certain is Read more ...

Photos that show this Person

2021

Comments

Henry Ching asks:

He is recorded in the CWGC Roll of Honour as a Sergeant Major – this puzzles me, as I don’t think BAAG agents had military ranks, and I wonder if anyone can explain it?

He is mentioned in the Japanese court-martial documents:

Domicile: ENGLAND,
Residence: HONGKONG, HONGKONG Area, East Ward, East Meiji Street, British. Alexander KURISUCHISHINTON (In transliteration
from orignal, possibly Christy SHINTON), age 48 years.

The accused Alexander Christy SHINTON worked in the Public Health Section of the Governor-General’s Department after the fall of HONGKONG.  He made contact with LEUNG HUNG, head coolie of the truck taking supplies to STANLEY Internment Camp, and through him between February 1942 and April 1943 he sent between ten and twenty secret messages to an acquaintance of his named BRADLEY in the Internment Camp.  About this time William John WHITE asked him if he would assist him to get messages into the Camp.  He agreed to do this, and, again through LEUNG HUNG, got secret messages through to the camp and handed to the accused EVANS and others.

(His name appears spelled as Sinton and Shinton. Sinton is the spelling used in the "Civil Establishments of Hongkong for the Year 1939" section of the 1939 Blue Book, so that's what I'll use here.) 

Alexander Sinton joined the navy in July 1913 and served on a number of ships in WW1. After winning a DSM during the anti-communist intervention in Russia of 1918-1919, he continued his career in the navy. In November 1926 he was posted to Hong Kong to work on the training ship H.M.S. Tamar. He obviously liked the Colony, because in September 1927 he bought himself out for £24. In 1937 he acquired a certificate from Leeds University - 'Inspector of Meats and Other Foods'. Leeds U obviously had an arrangement with the HK government, as three other HK health inspectors graduated at the same time.