By December 12, there appeared to be a lot of confusion in Kowloon and many people were making their way to Hong Kong Island by various means. Shells from some Japanese field guns were coming uncomfortably close to our ship. Indeed, we witnessed the sinking of the Missions to Seamen's launch the "Dayspring" by one such shell just off the bows of our ship.
Orders came through for us to take our ship across the harbour to Taikoo Dockyard which we did with alacrity and I had to act as Chief Engineer is our regular Chief had gone to Kowloon Hospital to see his wife who was a volunteer nurse there. I did not see him again until after the war when I found that he had been interned in Stanley Camp. We gave a lift to a platoon of Hong Kong Volunteers who had been ordered to Hong Kong Island but had no means of transport.