A letter on the second page of today's China Mail gives a vivid picture of life for so called 'third nationals' (neither Allied nor Axis citizens) during the occupation and tells a story that reminds us how many courageous actions were never known about or quickly forgotten.
The correspondent ('Hongkong Born') begins by pointing out that those British subjects ((ones not of 'European' ethnicity and therefore not automatically sent to Stanley Camp)) who left for Macao or China – the great majority, he claims – were given allowances by the British Consul or Headquarters in their place of refuge and have now returned to be feted as heroes, while those who endured hunger and fear by staying in Hong Kong during the occupation are having their achievements ignored.
These were British subjects who knew that if they identified as such they'd be subject to internment, imprisonment, heavy surveillance or maltreatment, so adopted the label 'third national' invented by the Japanese. This group were subject to harsh treatment as suspected British agents, and were visited periodically to see if they'd escaped from the Colony. If they used the ferry, they were shadowed by Chinese detectives, and on return their movements reported to the 'Secret Service' (( here and below probably = Kempeitai/Gendarme)) officer who had a large desk on the ferry wharf. He would send a subordinate to get the third national's pass, the address would be noted, and the next day there'd be a visit to find out the reason for crossing the harbour. An unsatisfactory answer would lead to a summons to the police station with the possibility of torture.
Nevertheless, he feels that this small group of loyalists were more than a match for the Japanese Secret Service.
He singles out one, an Australian citizen, who was arrested at the start of the occupation but convinced the Japanese to free him. On his release, he immediately began corresponding with Shamshuipo and both Stanley Camp and Prison. Using Indian and Chinese employed by the Japanese, he sent in medicines and numerous other items. He was detained and questioned on a number of occasions.
One of his most courageous exploits was allowing Chunkging ((word unclear but this is a plausible reading – Chunking was the wartime capital of the Nationalist Government)) officials to use his basement to store various items that were smuggled into China by guerillas. Some Japanese on a visit heard the noise of the goods being taken but accepted the story that furniture was being moved. The Secret Service learnt about this store but it was too late – their careful searching failed to find a shred of evidence, so they sent along two English-speaking operatives to pretend to befriend him. They ended up spending days at his house, but they never found out anything. Eventually the head of the Secret Service tried the same trick, to no avail. On May 31, in despair at getting anything incriminating, he was arrested on a trumped-up charge. He was beaten up several times, hospitalised, and is still convalescent today.
Hongkong Born concludes:
These loyalists received no official recognition. They worked independently, apart from each other, with no thought of recompense. Being loyal they fulfilled their obligations as British subjects.
Dr. Eduardo Gosano of Kowloon Hospital marries Hazel Lang. Father Joy officiates, with Father Riganti assisting.
Source:
Gosano: China Mail, November 27, 1945, page 2