Prince Shimidzu, Vice President of the Japanese Red Cross, and Baron Hiyashi of the Foreign Office visits the Camp. The Prince seems distressed at the overcrowding, and, when he sees a meal, expresses the hope that the Camp will get International Red Cross supplies soon. He asks how many people in Camp are fit; Franklin Gimson tells him there's only one - a man who was interned in the last few weeks.
Dr. D. J. Valentine, in his capacity as Camp Medical Officer, writes a letter to Sir Atholl MacGregor, the Camp's chief legal authority, concerning the requested post mortem examination of Sir Vandeleur Grayburn, who had died on August 21:
(A)fter a preliminary survey, the Medical Officers detailed for the task came to the conclusion that decomposition having set in to such an extent a post-mortem examination would not assist rhem in reaching a definite decision as to the cause of death.
Sources:
Shimdzu: John Stericker, Captive Colony, 1945, Chapter X, 4
Grayburn: Documents Relating to Proceedings in the Stanley Internmet Camp, HKRS163 1-303
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Comments
Phil Cracknell has inspected
Phil Cracknell has inspected Grayburn's entry in the Tweed Bay Hospital records and, contrary to Valentine's official statement quoted in the Chronology entry above (September 4, 1943) has discovered a verdict was arrived at:
The body was seen outside the mortuary beside the Prison. It was in a fairly advanced state of decomposition. Sir Vandeleur had been dead since 7:30 pm on 21st Aug 1943. There were no recent marks of violence. The body was very wasted. The appearance of the body was consistent with death from beri-beri.
This opinion was given by Drs. K. Uttley and Dean Smith.
Perhaps Valentine felt that given the 'fairly advanced state of decomposition' an opinion based on the 'appearance' being 'consistent with' beri-beri was good enough for medical records, alhtough not reliable enough for a official certification.
Source:
http://battleforhongkong.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/stanley-military-cemete…