The Ient Family: Family History

The Battle & Fall of Hong Kong

The battle of Hong Kong started on 7 December. Butler recalled:

'We were on the mainland at the start but retreated with the battalions to the island of Hong Kong, providing communications for the Raj Rifles Indian units. The phone went early one morning. Corporal Scully answered it and I could tell by the conversation a W/T set was required on the mainland; nothing had been heard from the one remaining set still on the mainland, which was providing communications for the Indian battalion still there. I volunteered with Bill Bevan. We were driven down to the dockyard with our equipment and were to travel across to the mainland by launch. This was loaded up with bales of hay for the mules of the Hong Kong Singapore Royal Artillery. It was fortunate for us that the hay was there because we were caught in crossfire and could hear the bullets thudding into the bales as we lay on the deck. We arrived intact, only to be dive-bombed as we unloaded our equipment. I well remember Bill Bevan’s words: "Why didn't you keep your big mouth shut?"'

After reporting to Colonel Stewart, who asked them to set up their set and contact HQ, they discovered that the W/T set they had gone to replace was in fact okay and in communication again. It had been off the air because the batteries had been overworked and had needed to be recharged. Being surplus to requirements, Butler and Bevan got a lift back to the island, only to arrive to a huge shelling bombardment at Lyemun (pronounced ‘lye moon’), both men fortunately managing to escape death or injury.

Butler arrived back at Victoria Barracks, and was told to proceed to Stanley Point, where the Royal Artillery were being heavily shelled, to provide secondary communication in case the landlines were put out of action. This they did, making calls every 30 minutes until a message was received from GHQ to lay down their arms and surrender.

The Fall of Hong Kong

The day after the surrender, the Japanese entered Stanley Fort, instructing the British to lay their rifles and ammunition in lines on the parade ground. Butler remembers nothing eventful happening for several days, when one of the Japanese officers, who could speak English, came up to his group during morning roll call and asked each of them in turn whether they could drive. They all could, so they were marched away to where the vehicles had been parked on one side of the parade ground. They were each allotted a truck or lorry and told to follow the vehicle that contained the Japanese officer. Butler continued:

'We went down to the dockyard and drove on to a barge that had been adapted as a vehicular ferry. We were taken across the harbour to Kowloon from where we drove through the New Territories to La Wu and across into China. I do not know how far we actually went into China, but we drove all day, stopping once for a meal of rice and vegetables. We arrived at our destination and were loaded up with cases and packages, which we were told were medical supplies. We slept in a hut that night and next day returned to Kowloon by the same route. We were taken to a hotel where we stayed, along with the Japanese soldiers, for about a week. We were then taken to Sham Shui Po Camp (or Shamshuipo), where a large amount of British troops were prisoners of war. Every morning we would march down the parade ground for tenko (roll call), and the same in the evening, to the strains of military music played by the band of the Middlesex Regiment. If we had a fag issue, or meat was in the stew for tea, everyone would step lively to the tune of "Happy Days are Here Again!"'

Every unit had their own cookhouse; oil drums were cut in half to make cooking vessels. Butler was put in the cookhouse along with Eddie Lander. Using bricks from broken down buildings together with some clay, they built an oven. If there was a flour issue they would make some bread cakes. Someone managed to obtain two cakes of yeast. These were put into a bathtub, with flour and sugar added, which fermented overnight, and from then on they had a constant supply of yeast. 'I used to go and drink a mug full of yeast every day,' Butler recollects. 'This is full of vitamin B and I am sure this helped prevent me suffering from beriberi.'

Butler’s worst experience at Shamshuipo Camp was when he caught dysentery, spending all night in the toilet with a blanket around him. In the morning when he reported sick to Dr Rodrigues, he was told: 'We have nothing, only this,' whereby the doctor pointed to a couple of large tins, one of which was cut open. It was Kieselguhr (kee-sel-gar), a German product, a white sand, used for filtering reservoir beds. 'That is the only hope you have got!' he said, so Butler started shoving handfuls into his mouth and washing it down with boiled water.

Butler started a routine of two tablespoons of Kieselguhr every hour, washed down with water - and survived. He was out of the hospital in five days but in a very weakened condition, down from 10 stone 8 lb to 9 stone. Within a few months his weight was back up to 9 stone 10 lb, attributable in part, no doubt, to Butler’s resourcefulness. He recounted:

'One day when I was stood at the cookhouse door, I saw this hand barrow being pulled by four POWs with a Japanese sentry marching in front, loaded with sacks of flour. I knew it would pass where I was stood and that one of the sacks was unsafe and I knew it would fall off. I shouted to Topper [Signalman Toppliff] to stand behind me to catch something. As the end of the barrow drew level I reached out, grabbed the sack and threw it into the waiting arms of Topper. That night for tea, everyone in the Signals Mess had a whacking great dumpling with his bowl of rice.'

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