Matilda Hospital 17 December 1941
- Read more about Matilda Hospital 17 December 1941
- Log in or register to post comments
Matilda Hospital 17th December to 4th January 1942
Matilda Hospital 17th December to 4th January 1942
Extracts from the diaries of Major John Monro MC RA
Mary Monro is author of Stranger In My Heart (Unbound, 2018), which gives the eye witness account of her father, John Monro MC RA, who fought at the Battle of Hong Kong, was interned by the Japanese at Sham Shui Po and escaped 1200 miles across China to reach Chongqing. There he was made Assistant Military Attaché and spent the next 18 months supporting and trying to liberate the POWs he'd left behind. Mary retraced her fafther's escape route across China and the book also includes her journey of discovery.
John and Yoshino Maycock had seven sons: Arthur, Ernie, Tommy, Willie, John, Robert and Henry. Before the war John and two of his sons, Willie and John worked for Hong Kong Electrics.
John snr, John jnr and Willie were in the HKVDC and fought in the hills during the Battle for Hong Kong. They were captured and sent to Japan where they were badly beaten up in the POW camp.
John snr was repatriated to England but had no news of his wife, Yoshino, who had gone back to Japan to be with her family. They were eventually reunited in England two years after the war ended.