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| Books are not men and yet they are alive They are man's memory and his aspiration, The link between his present and his past The tools he builds with (Stephen Vincent Benet {1898-1943}) |
If you would like to know more about the events leading up to the
Battle for Hong Kong, the battle itself, life as a prisoner of the
Japanese or the difficulties encountered when the veterans returned
home, we suggest the following reading (and viewing).
A title in red indicates that the book is available for purchase through HKVCA. Cost is in brackets. See bottom of page for ordering instructions. A list of other books is available. These are more general in their focus. |
Books
(latest additions at the top)
| Title | Description | Author |
ISBN/ Publisher |
|
Dark Side of the
Sun (Cost: $25 plus shipping) |
 (240
pages, paperback format) story about my
grandfather's (George Palmer from PEI) journey in WWII where
he was involved in the battle of Hong Kong. He was shot,
captured, had plans to escape across China to friendly
lines, but was then sent on a POW ship to Japan where he and
his comrades endured brutalities, slave labour and starvation
for a few years at the Omine POW Camp. They were close to
death by the time the Americans rescued them (and they were
only 160 kms from Nagasaki - where one of the atomic bombs was
dropped). One interesting note: It's the only published book
in existence containing in-depth information on the
happenings at the Omine POW camp.Read a
book review
|
Michael Palmer, Grandson |
ISBN 9780888873897 Publisher:
Borealis Press |
| Sergeant Gander: A Canadian Hero |
 A
fascinating account of the Royal Rifles of Canada's canine
mascot, and its devotion to duty demonstrated during one of
Canada's biggest military tragedies, the Battle of Hong Kong
of the Second World War. Armed only with his formidable
size, an intimidating set of teeth, and a protective
instinct, Gander fought alongside his fellow Canadian
soldiers. As the Royal Rifles' position became more
precarious, the men were forced to retreat into the hills of
Hong Kong and it was here that a group of wounded Canadians,
threatened by a live grenade, came to fully appreciate the
loyalty of Gander. Of all the Canadians who took part that
day, only one was awarded the Dickin Medal, the animal
equivalent to the Victoria Cross for humans. This honour is
dedicated to animals displaying gallantry and devotion to
duty while under any control of the Armed Forces. Sergeant
Gander is the 19th dog to receive this medal and the first
Canadian canine to do so.Published in September '09 |
Robyn Walker |
Available through Amazon.ca |
|
Beyond
The Call (Cost: $30.00 plus shipping) |
 Beyond the Call
tells the story of the thirty-three members of the Royal Canadian Corps of
Signals who were part of “C” Force, the Canadian contingent sent to bolster the
British garrison at Hong Kong in October, 1941. It follows the men through
their enlistment and training, the voyage to Hong Kong, their participation in
the battle following the Japanese attack of December 8, 1941, their years as
POWs and their eventual repatriation to Canada. |
D. Burke Penny Article in Midland Free Press (Nov '09) |
Published by the Hong Kong Veterans
Commemorative Association, 2009 ISBN 978-0-9733350-1-9
|
| We Shall Suffer There |
 A
text book covering the Hong Kong POW and Internee experience
from capture to liberation. Like Not the Slightest Chance,
it takes a chronological approach to the subject, and
attempts to cover each and every camp, draft, and movement
so that the experiences of all individual POWs can be
understood. It also investigates the deaths of each
individual lost in the camps. |
Tony Banham | Publication was in March 2009.
Please visit this page on Tony's web site for other details.
UK: Link
|
|
A Hong Kong Diary Revisited- The Family Remembers ($30. plus s. &h.) |
 This is the diary kept by Lieut. Leonard Corrigan, WG, during 3 1/2 years in
Hong Kong as a POW. This unique inside story includes daily journal entries
buried during the years of imprisonment and brought home after liberation.Lieutenant Corrigan’s four daughters have added their reflections on the time before, during and after the war, the readjustments to his homecoming, and his life until his death in 1994. |
Leonard Corrigan
Editors: |
ISBN No. 978-0-978-3430-3-3 Copyright: 2008
Contact Frei Press at P.O.BOX#38 For further information: |
| Kartoons by Kelso | A collection of 40 cartoons sketched by John Kelso, Winnipeg Grenadiers | John Kelso | Copyright: © 2007 Curtis J. Phillips. Available at lulu.com for download or purchase |
| Passing the Torch: Our Youth Remember Hong Kong | A collection of war stories produced by the students from Ontario who adopted a Hong Kong veteran and contributed a commemorative piece to show their thanks for the sacrifices. | Edited by Nancy & Michael Strahl | Available at lulu.com for download or purchase |
| 'C' Force Decorations, Medals, Awards and Honours | The book documents the decorations, medals, awards and honours including citations given to soldiers of the Canadian Army that fought at the Battle of Hong Kong, December 1941. Following the battle they became Prisoners of War of the Japanese from January 1942 until August 1945. | Vince Lopata | Available at lulu.com for download or purchase |
| DEADLY DECEMBER The Battle of Hong Kong The Royal Rifles of Canada, The Winnipeg Grenadiers |
 For the first time the saga is told from a Canadian
perspective, using the words of those soldiers who fought
that, long ago, almost forgotten battle. |
Ronald C. Parker | Available at
lulu.com for download or
purchase. Also available at Amazon.com. Link |
| Royal Rifles in
Hong Kong 1941 - 1945
($50, all costs included)
|
 This reprint contains a few more photographs than the original and it has a foreword by the author of Part 1, Grant Garneau. For those unfamiliar with this book, Part 1 deals with the historical aspects of the reforming the Royal Rifles in 1939; the Crown Colony of Hong Kong; the battle as seen by the RRC; and the imprisonment following the surrender. Part 2 is illustrations and photographs supplied by the veterans. Part 3 is mainly personal accounts. The book has 436 pages in total. |
||
| Prisonnier de
guerre au Japon (1941-1945)
($20 plus $3 postage) *Not available in book stores* |
 À
19 ans Bernard s’engage volontairement dans le régiment des
Royal Rifles du Canada, dont 35 à 40% sont des
Canadiens-français bilingues.Un an plus tard, son régiment
est envoyé à la défense de Hong Kong. Ils ont eu à peine
trois semaines pour se préparer à la bataille. Malgré une
résistance courageuse contre toute attente de victoire
possible, après dix-huit jours de combat féroce ils se sont
rendues le jour de Noël 1941.Les pertes canadiennes étaient
lourdes.Les survivants des Royal Rifles et les Winnipeg Grenadiers demeureront aux mains des Japonnais comme prisonniers de guerre durant 3 ans et 8 mois. Bernard à tenu son journal presque quotidiennement pendant toute cette période. Dans ce journal Bernard nous raconte ce qu’il a vécu au jour le jour. |
Bernard Castonguay, auteur Renée Giard, rédactrice | ISBN 2-9808972-0-5 (Jun 05) |
| Hong Kong Prisoner of War Camp Life | A visual record of the conditions in which the prisoners of war of the Japanese lived in Hong Kong. Alexander Skvorzov, risking his life, secretly sketched and hid his work during his imprisonment in Shamshuipo and Argyle Street camps. | Lieut. A.V. Skvorzov |
Details Note: as of mid-Nov '08 the following message was posted on the vendor's web site: "This product is out of print and no longer available from the publisher" |
| Letters to Harvelyn | From Japanese POW Camps: A Father's Letters to His Young Daughter During World War II | Major Kenneth G. Baird | 0-00-200096-2 |
| Behind the Fence |
Life As A P.O.W. in Japan 1942-1945 Card cover 288 pp 6x9” Les Chater, a Canadian with the Royal Air Force, was captured by the Japanese in 1942 at Singapore, and remained a prisoner until liberation in 1945. During that time he kept a secret diary, recording life in the camps day by day. b/w photos, illustrations, Appendices. |
Les Chater & Elizabeth
Hamid
|
|
| Not the Slightest Chance |
 Quote
from the jacket: This book assembles a phase-by-phase,
day-by-day, hour-by-hour account of the battle. It considers
the individual actions that made up the fighting as well as
the strategies and plans and the many controversies that
arose.Published: 2003 |
Tony Banham | 0-7748-1044-0 UBC Press |
| One Soldier's Story ($20 plus $3 postage) |
 Canadians who were sent to Hong Kong with only the munitions they carried off the troop ships and without any air or naval support, after seventeen days of battling overwhelming enemy numbers, soon found themselves as prisoners-of-war in Japanese camps. Many POWs have taken different routes in coming to grips with the memories that haunt them still. Sgt. George MacDonell wrote a book. Brings together the micro details surrounding a military action which took place during the battle for Hong Kong in December 1941 |
George MacDonell | 1550024086 Dundurn Press |
| No Reason Why
***Sold Out*** |
 This book, long out of print, has been called the best book written about Canada's involvement in the defence of Hong Kong. It covers the background of the regiments; the politics involved; the battle; years of imprisonment; and the return to Canada. No library on the subject on Hong Kong is complete without this book! ***Sold out*** |
Carl Vincent | 0-920002-12-9
Published: 1981 by Canada's Wings Inc, Stittsville, ON |
| Desperate Siege: The Battle for Hong Kong |
 Based
on interviews with survivors of the battle and the POW
cages, Desperate Siege is a powerful tale of human courage
in the face of impossible odds.
Published: 1980 |
Ted Ferguson | 0-385-14694-9 |
| In Enemy Hands |
 Canadian
Prisoners of War 1939-45
Published: 1983 |
Daniel G. Dancocks | 0-88830-240-1 |
| Banzai You Bastards | Allied Prisoners of War on Taiwan | Jack Edwards | 962-7290-03-3 |
| A Handful of Rice | Canadian Prisoners somewhere in Malaya | William Allister | Martin Secker & Warberg Ltd. London Eng. |
| Hostages to Fortune | The fall of Hong Kong...The horrors of Shamshuipo Camp...The tragedy of the Lisbon Maru...The last days before the atom bomb. | Tim Carew | 241 02001 8 |
| From Jamaica to Japan |
 The
diary of a Hong Kong Prisoner of War
Published: 1995 Read an excerpt |
Thomas S. Forsyth | |
| 17 Days Until Christmas (sold out) | Léo Paul Bérard's first hand account of his WWII experience as a prisoner of war of the Imperial Japanese Army after the Battle of Hong Kong in December 1941. | Léo Paul Bérard | 0-9683049-0-7 |
| Where Life and Death Hold Hands | William Allister | 0773722688 | |
| Guests of Hirohito ($20 plus postage) |  |
Ken Cambon | |
| Three Military Leaders | The conflicts between feudalistic ideas of the samurai's role and the realities of modern warfare made dramatically evident in this triple biography of the Japanese WWII military learders - Heihachiro Togo, Isoroku Yamamoto and Tomoyuki Yamashita | Edwin P. Hoyt | 4-7700-1737-5 |
| Hell On Earth | Aging faster, dying sooner; Canadian Prisoners of the Japanese during WWII, painting a vivid picture of the experiences of the Canadian POWs and their brutal treatment at the hands of the Japanese | Dave McIntosh (Edited by Legion Magazine) | 0-07-552821-5 |
| Diary of a Prisoner of War in Japan 1941-1945 | Available in English and French, the author's journal portrays the harrowing experience of Canadian POWs in Hong Kong and Japan, and a strong French Canadian perspective of the war that is both moving and informative. The author was one of them. The English edition is available from: VERO, 400 Saint-Eugene, Apt #5, Rimouski, Quebec, Canada, G5L 8S3 or phone 418-723-1423 | Georges "Blacky" Verrault | English Edition 2-9804980-1-7 French Edition 2-9804980-0-9 |
| "C" Force to Hong Kong; a Canadian Catastrophe | Recounts the formation of "C" Force in WWII and its departure to Hong Kong as well as the story of life and death in the prison camps of Hong Kong and Japan | Brereton Greenhous | 1-55002-267-9 |
| The Ruins of War | Full of interesting pieces of information and history which appears in narratives on pill-boxes, gun emplacements, batteries, shelters, casualty lists, buildings and more | Ko Tim Keung and Jason Wordie | |
| Escape to Life | A novel, in which patriotic guerillas liberate 1000 human guinea pigs from a Japanese run experimental death camp. Please remember, it is an historical fact that NO ONE escaped from the hideous camps | Jan J Solecki | |
| At the Going Down of the Sun |
 Hong
Kong and South/East Asia 1941-45. Quote from the jacket
cover:
"the first factual account of what happened to the allied prisoners and to the British, American and Dutch families who were subjected to the callous brutality of their captors for almost four years. It also covers the activities of the British Intelligence Organisation in China which was initially extraordinarily successful in establishing contact with the POWs and internees..." Published: 1981 |
Oliver Lindsay | 0-241-10542-0 Published by: Hamish Hamilton, London, England |
| The Lasting Honour |
 The
Fall of Hong Kong 1941
Published: 1978 |
Oliver Lindsay |
|
Article in "
Videos
|
Dedication of the
'C' Force Memorial Wall ($25 including postage) |
 Produced by the War Amps, this
bilingual DVD is a valuable keepsake, documenting the
dedication ceremony which took place in Ottawa, ON on 15 Aug
'09 |
War Amps | |
| Canada's Hong Kong Veterans: The Compensation Story |
 Hosted
by Cliff Chadderton, War Amps CEO and Patron of the Hong
Kong Veterans Association of Canada. It was Chadderton who
started the claim, marshalling the strength of six Allied
nations and the Human Rights Community in Geneva. |
Cliff Chadderton | More information, including how to order |
All items shown in red above may be ordered by sending a cheque to:
HKVCA
Suite 164
1 Stafford Road
Ottawa, ON K2H 1B9
Questions? Contact our librarian.
If you know of other books or articles that you feel should be included in our list, please let us know.
