My grandfather, Mohamed Ahsan, came to Hong Kong in approx 1921, aged 14. He studied at Ellis Kadoorie School for 2 years, and then went onto Queen’s College. Once he graduated he obtained a job as a Clerk at the General Post Office. His brother Mohamed Yousif joined him at the GPO shortly after.
I have been told that one of his duties was to intercept mail that was coming from Japan, things like pro-Japanese propaganda, gold, money etc. This was apparently intended for the people that the Japanese had ‘planted’ in Hong Kong before hostilities began. In his British passport (date of issue 1932) he is listed as a ‘Launch Officer’, and I also have a picture of him on a ship in full naval uniform. My father told me that he mentioned he also used to intercept shipments that were being sent from Japan, so maybe this was an extension of his Post Office duties.
I also have a Hong Kong Reserve Police passport style I.D that was issued on 22.06.28, with his ‘Rank and Number’ listed as R253.
In August 1942, my grandfathers brother Mohamed Yousif was contacted by Major Clague via a Chinese agent named Yeung Lit Wah. He was encouraged to 'spread pro-British propaganda, discourage Indians from joining I.N.A and encourage internees to be of good spirit'. He consulted with a friend named AHMED KHAN, who consulted with a Dr. Rutonjee (a lady medical practioner) and also Dr. Selwyn-Clarke. By the end of 1942, Mohamed Yousif, Mohamed Ahsan, Ahmed Khan, formed a band under the wing of John Power and began their espionage activities, gathering information for him.
My grandfather was arrested in 1944 along with his brother Yousif, friend Ahmed Khan, and John Power, and taken to Stanley Jail. They were severely tortured but released on parole. As we know, Mr. Power did not survive the torture (see https://gwulo.com/comment/31096#comment-31096). Without Mr. Power, they continued their activities until my grandfather’s second arrest. This time he was imprisoned in ‘No.7 Police Station’. He remained there until the Japanese surrendered. His friend, Ahmed Khan, died shortly after the war ended due to the injuries he sustained during torture. (I am very keen to try and find out where he is buried).
Both brothers gave evidence at the trial of Inouye Kanao. Below is a newspaper article mentioning their contribution to the trial:
http://www.alpha-canada.org/historical-issues/the-three-musketeers-indi…
Our family name is Khan, so his name would have been Mohamed Ahsan Khan, but in all of his documentation at that time, including his British Passport, it is listed as Mohamed Ahsan, so I am assuming any info on him would come under the name of Mohamed (First name), Ahsan (Second name). He was known as Ahsan by most people. I think the same thing applies to his brother, Mohamed (First name), Yousif (Second name).
If anyone can help me find more information on both my grandfather and his brother, please do let me know.
Comments
Here are links to some of the
Here are links to some of the places your grandfather would have known:
A search for Ahsan at HKGRO returns several results. Most are the lists of civil servants, with the earliest match from the 1929 list. He appears on pages J156 and J158 as "Mohamed Ahsan", showing that:
It looks as though there were several years between graduating and starting work at the Post Office, so there were likely other jobs in between.
For more about his wartime experiences, have you looked at the War Crimes Trials collections at https://gwulo.com/hong-kong-war-crimes and http://hkwctc.lib.hku.hk/exhibits/show/hkwctc/home
It looks as though the original records of the trials can be read at the UK National Archives in Kew, London, so if you're able to visit there you might find statements from your grandfather, for example.
If you can share any more memories and stories of his time in Hong Kong they'll be valuable to read. It'll also be great to see any photos you can share of his time here. (Here's how to upload a photo: https://gwulo.com/node/2076)
Hi David, thank you for
Hi David, thank you for taking the time to search a few things up, it was really helpful in filling in some blanks. I took your advice and went to the National Archive in Kew, London and took copies of a joint statement that my grandfather and his brother Yousif had prepared for the trial of Inouye Kanao. Was quite surreal seeing the original document with my grandfathers signature 75 years later. A special experience for me and my father. I also had the Supreme Court case file (second Inouye Kanao case) copied and sent to me from Hong Kong.
From both case files, I have been able to get a much better idea of what my grandfather was a part of. I just wondered if you had any advice on how I could maybe dig further? Do you know if there are any old staff records still preserved from the old GPO before it was demolished?