St Stephens College Hospital

To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

Atrocities

Hong Kong

St Stephens College Hospital

When the Japanese invaded Hong Kong on 8th December 1941 St Stephen’s College at Stanley was one of the hospitals to which wounded soldiers were taken. Before the war, it had been a school for boys. About 6 a.m. on Christmas Day 1941 the Japanese troops entered the hospital. James Barrett, who came from Quebec, was in the hospital when the soldiers came in. He saw five Japanese soldiers’ bayonet about fifteen wounded men while they were still in bed.

On that day there were about a hundred and sixty patients in the hospital and seven nurses. The Japanese proceeded to herd together all who could walk, both patients and staff, and put them into a storeroom. All of them were entitled to be treated as prisoners of war or protected persons.

At the Tokyo trial Mr. Barrett gave the following evidence: -

After we had been there for about an hour the Japanese moved us up to a smaller room. Until then the nurses had been with me, but as we were being moved from the storeroom to the smaller room they were taken away. I saw one of them beaten over the head with a steel helmet, kicked, and then slapped in the face by a Japanese soldier. In the small room ninety men were placed with me, some of the hospital staff and some of the wounded men. The room was so small that we could not have all sat down together, and it was necessary for the very sick or wounded men to lie down as best they could and when they could.

After we had been in the room for a little while a Japanese soldier came to the door, made us put up our hands and took my watch, my ring and some money which I had in my pocket. Later, another Japanese soldier entered with a sack of ammunition and threw cartridges in our faces. Yet a third came in, a few minutes later, and removed two riflemen. Immediately afterward, we heard screams coming from the corridor outside.

We remained in this room until 4 p.m. when a Japanese soldier entered and gave us to understand by sign language that Hong Kong had surrendered.

The next day I made a tour of the hospital. It was in a dreadful state. I found the two men who had been taken out of our room. Their bodies were badly mutilated ............!!!

Ronnie - In respect to the two men I have left out this part of the testimony

About seventy or more wounded men had been killed by bayonets while in their beds. Many were seriously wounded. None of the victims had been armed, nor was the hospital anywhere near the battle vicinity. I found the dead bodies of the commanding officer of the hospital, and his adjutant, on the ground floor. They had been badly mutilated.

I was anxious about the nurses as I had not seen them again after their separation from the rest of us. During the morning I saw four of them coming towards me. They were in a terrible state and had experienced dreadful things during the night. They had been assaulted by Japanese soldiers ...............!!!

Ronnie - In respect to the nurses I have left out this part of the testimony

None of us had yet seen the three other nurses.

Ronnie - Left out the details but the three missing nurses were found dead in the hospital grounds.

I started to organise burial parties but the Japanese soldiers made us light a fire and cremate all the bodies in and around the hospital. I cremated about one hundred and seventy bodies. Some came from the hospital itself, and others from the fields surrounding it.

Part Roll of those who died from

Not the Slightest Chance - The Defence of Hong Kong

by Tony Banham

Three Nurses:-

Bregg, Eileen - Nurse, Nursing Detachment HKVDC, Murdered

Buxton, Alberta - Nurse, Nursing Detachment HKVDC, Murdered

Smith, Marjorie Mary - Nurse, Nursing Detachment HKVDC, Murdered

Hickey, Overton Stark, Cpt., Killed while trying to protect nurses

Camp Commander:-

Black, George Duncan - Lt.Col. HKVDC Murdered

Witney, Peter Norman, Cpt., Murdered

McKay. John - Rifleman, Murdered