Lieut. John Gibson, D.S.C., R.N.V.R., wrote this account of sailing into Hong Kong with the first allied ships to arrive after the Japanese surrendered.
It was published as the article "Sweet Waters" on pages 72-80 of the January 1946 edition of Blackwood's Magazine.
Thank you to Stuart Braga for letting me know about this.
Sample pages
The sea is very flat and the heat of the sun is fierce. It is August in the South China Sea. As the afternoon passes we come to shallower water ; we see the hills of China take shape suddenly out of the heat haze. Small, silent groups of men gather on deck to peer out over the bow.
This is a strange fleet; it sprawls over several miles of the light-green water. Ahead, five Australian minesweepers steam in line abreast. In the centre, astern of the sweepers, the submarine depot ship…
Dawn, 30th August.—At first light the minesweepers are off, creeping through the morning mist ; they swing seaward and then head north for the harbour entrance. The Maidstone follows slowly, her guns trained steadily on the green slopes, where we know the Japanese have a battery of 9-in. guns. We go slow ahead. Meanwhile the sun rises gaudily and the day begins to heat up. The topmasts of the Task Group appear over the horizon as they close for the day’s work. We can recognise them…
3lst August.—Another clear morning. From the port the whole harbour appears calm and quiet. Sampans crowd along our side; they have produced flags that must have been carefully hidden during the occupation. The harbour is filling up and showing signs of life. A few of the tugs and water-boats are in commission once more. Chinese ferries run between the island and Kowloon. Hong Kong is suffering the pangs of rebirth quietly.
We wander ashore in search of Japanese labour, to find that…