Burson, Herbert – Lance Corporal
HKVDC, died 21 December 1941, aged 37, buried Stanley Military Cemetery 6.D.19. Son of Frederick & Minnie Burson, husband of Vera Ethel Maud Lucas (1909-1996), married 11 September 1932, Islington, London. Salesman, Lane, Crawford & Co., Hong Kong. Vera remarried Henry Albert New (1913-1999) c.1952, NSW, Australia.
He appears in the Jurors Lists [1] for 1939 and 1940, working as a Turner for S. Moutrie & Co., Ld. In 1939 he was living at 16 Carnarvon Road in Kowloon, and the following year he had moved to 172 Nathan Road.
He was Bombardier 3111 in the HKVDC's Second Battery, and fought the Japanese in December 1941 [2][3][4].
He survived the fighting and was made a POW.
He died of pneumonia on 21 Feb 1943 [2].
Sources:
Bone, Adam – Sergeant No. 3224
4 Bty., HKVDC, died 24 December 1942, aged 31, buried Stanley Military Cemetery 1.A.25. Cause of death, tertiary fever, duodenal ulcer. Born 16 June 1910, son of David & Amelia Bone of Maryhill, Glasgow.
Pre-war:
Born 9 April 1905 [4]
The earliest mention I've found of him in Hong Kong is the 1925 Jurors List [1], which has him working as an Assistant at HK &Whampoa Dock Co Ld's Kowloon Docks. He appears in the Lists for 1926 and 1927 with the same details.
In 1927 he switched to work for the government, and stayed there until the war. The 1939 Blue Book [2] shows him working as a Sanitary Inspector in the Sanitary Department.
Wartime:
He fought with in HKVDC's 2nd Battery as Gunner 2953. [3]
The Hong Kong Defence Corps (1917-1920), renamed to the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps (HKVDC) (1920-1949).
On 8 December 1941, the HKVDC, deployed a total fighting strength of 2200 all ranks in seven infantry companies, five artillery batteries, five machine gun companies equipped with Vickers machine gun and an armoured car platoon.
After graduating from Hong Kong Technical Institute in 1939, Chung taught at Kowloon Wah Yan College from 1939 to 1941, and then taught at La Salle College.
He joined the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps in July 1940, as a Gunner of the largely Chinese 4th Battery (his number was 4531). His three brothers Wah-kui, Wah-chiu, and Wah-cheung also joined the same battery, they were killed in action at Stanley.
Bliss, Arthur Sydney – Gunner No. 4246
1 Bty., HKVDC, died 25 December 1941, aged 32, buried Stanley Military Cemetery 1.B.1
Born 20 December 1909, Plymouth, son of William Arthur Bliss (1876-1960) & Evelyn Jane Hopwar (1884-1940), husband of Phyllis Elaine Gittins (1913-2014), married 27 April 1939, one child Bryan Arthur Bliss. Clerk, HK & Whampoa Dock Co., Ltd. HK Interport soccer player.
Here is his entry in the 1941 Jurors List:
