2021 marks the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Hong Kong.
On Monday, 8 December 1941, at the outbreak of the Pacific War Japanese troops crossed the border of Shenzhen and marched into Hong Kong. At around 3pm, Graham Heywood, then-Scientific Officer (later Director) of the Hong Kong Royal Observatory, became one of the first two men to be captured by the invading Japanese while carrying out duties near the border. He was held at various places in the New Territories before being taken to the Shamshuipo military prisoner-of-war (POW) camp, part of which later became the Sham Shui Po Park.
"It won't be long now" was both a common greeting between inmates in the SSP POW Camp and the title of Heywood’s wartime diary, which records his three years and eight months of internment and shines a light on life inside the camp. It reminds us of the importance of always having hope, no matter the hardship and the adversity we face.
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"It did not do to take too much thought for the morrow; better to try to live a good life each day for its own sake, and not for any vague rewards in some future existence ... Perhaps we were unlucky to be born into this era of upheaval; perhaps though, our generation would have outstanding opportunities of shaping a better world." - GSP Heywood
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Shamshuipo Barracks / Shamshuipo POW Camp
1926. A camp for soldiers was built on the recently reclaimed land in Shamshuipo.
1941. 'C' Force (the Canadian troops) arrived in Hong Kong, and initially stayed here.
1942-45. Used by the Japanese as a Prisoner of War camp to hold Allied soldiers.
1979-1981. Used as a camp to house Vietnamese refugees.
Late 1980s/Early 1990s. Demolished for redevelopment and housing; none of the former military structures remains. Part of the camp now became Sham Shui Po Park, where two plaques were erected to commemorate those who perished in the camp during the Japanese occupation. (Note: The area in which the memorial plaques are located has been closed for construction until Q3 2022.)
(Source: gwulo.com)
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LEST WE FORGET