War Graves in China - Hong Kong

China Hand, Thanks in advance. Have PMed Email.

Phil, Thanks for the Recce pic. I have 1 more from that cemetery that I need.

LABUAN WAR CEMETERY Malaysia

18th Regt Reconnaissance Corps

Serjeant WILLIAM LESLIE ANNETT F. B. 9.

Cheers
Paul

 

Sorry Paul, it was sent to me my a friend who was out there on Holiday. I didnt know he was going until I got the email so didnt ask for anything specific.

P

 

Phil, Thanks again

Cheers
Paul

 

Graham, Thanks for your effort in photographing the Sai Wan Recce men.

Cheers Paul

 

Recce Mitch et al

Had an interesting afternoon trundling around Hong Kong military cemeteries, mopping up one missed Recce Regt chap for Mitch (already emailed, mate), but also taking time to look at others. Folks might be interested more generally...

Sai Wan CWGC

(CWGC :: Cemetery Details)

Further to previous post (http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/war-grave-photographs/14958-war-graves-china-hong-kong-2.html#post166396) – what was nice to find – apart from the sun, after a week of what one might call “infantry weather”, i.e. clagged in, visibility at about ½ mile if that, and intermittent rain – was that the local CWGC staff had been doing some gardening. Parts of the site were, when I visited in early January, bereft of grass, which made it look a bit stark. However, they are, as one pic shows, “renewing turf”, which is good. There were several local workers busily digging and planting and wiping down the stones and memorial (also one photo), and they confirmed more new grass was to come. Always good to see.




What was also interesting was a look at the visitor's book. Since around the turn of the year, there seem to have been about 75-80 visitors, a mix of Brits, Canadians (there being a lot of Winnipeg Grenadiers and Royal Rifles of Canada burials), Aussies, and locals. Some of the comments were nice and/or poignant, for example :

“67 years to the day and not forgotten” [a visit on 20 December 2008]

“...lost as POW in Formosa but not forgotten by his family” [British]

“thank you for defending Hong Kong” [signed by a local Chinese name]

“..a visitor from home” [Canadian]

“..thank for keeping this place so quiet” [local Chinese]

“as always the most moving and beautiful place in Hong Kong” [British]

“very nice and well kept” [Peter Van Der Graaf, Director General of Netherlands War Graves Commission, part of a party of several officials and the consul, visiting the Dutch graves (presumably burials from POW camps elsewhere in Asia)]

“a beautiful memorial” [comment by US Consulate staff]

“...saying goodbye to my father” and “....a beautiful place to come to say goodbye to my grandfather” [British family from Australia, referring to WO2 George Trinder, 2nd Royal Scots – he was, it seems, their RQMS, and was lost on the SS Lisbon Maru, he is thus on the memorial - see Trinder WW2 Casualty Lists (I use this as the Tony Banham Hong Kong War Diary site search seems to be temporarily offline) – nice to see a Royal Scot family “loop” being closed, as the Royal Scots are my local Edinburgh regiment and I was, briefly, a Royal Scot Territorial in the 1980s]

“met grandfather Walter King for the first time...glad of the time spent with him after a long journey” [Walter King is Australian Merchant Navy – a very touching comment]

Sai Wan Military Cemetery

Less well known perhaps, this one – this is the postwar cemetery for military and related burials. It is not CWGC per se, but rather officially still UK Ministry of Defence, I believe. It is quite small, maybe only a few dozen burials and not always open – but luckily today the gardeners were watering so I could get in. As you will see from the pix, the burials are a mix of British service personnel who died while serving in the garrison, some wives, and local Chinese service personnel.









I was slightly startled to walk up to the nearest grave to the gate and find it is Jack Edwards, the famous FEPOW and campaigner for POW rights postwar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Edwards_(Hong_Kong) ) - I knew he had passed away in 2006, but had forgotten where he was buried. I met Jack in 2001, when he was still running the local British Legion and agitating cleverly with the local authorities. He kindly signed a copy of his excellent autobiography, Banzai You bastards (link in wikipedia page above) and told various amusing tales. Lovely chap, and most humbling to meet.

The story I recall at that time – spring 2001 – related to flags. He had been trying to get the local (i.e. post 1997) authorities to allow vets to carry Union Flags at Remembrance Day ceremonies for some time, without success – they are still a little touchy about that particular flag. So his latest ploy had been to suggest that one each of the four national days (St George's, St Andrew's, St David's, St Patrick's), vets be allowed to parade at the Hong Kong cenotaph with the appropriate flag. This of course flummoxed the local HK officials, so he had to bring some examples along the meeting to show them. The first one he unveiled, being Welsh himself, was the Welsh flag - “ah-ha, a red dragon...that is very good...very Chinese...”, said the officials and duly approved the idea...hahahaha. Wonderful stuff.

Sai Wan Chinese civilian cemetery



Just one pic by way of cultural illustration and comparison – the Sai Wan military cemeteries are on side of a hill alongside several local Chinese civilian cemeteries of various religious denominations. The Chinese like being buried on the side of a hill, ideally with a commanding view of distance and water. Good article here on this, from Royal Asiatic Society of HK - http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/hkjo/view/44/4401015.pdf .

I cannot comment on the wicked suggestion from a local Chinese friend that if your relatives annoy you in life, you should arrange to be buried right at the top of the hill so they have an enormous climb when they come to look after your grave...there are no lifts

Stanley CWGC

CWGC :: Cemetery Details

Rather a different mix – some regular military, but also a lot of Hong Kong local volunteers (HK Volunteer Defence Corps, etc), Merchant Navy, local Chinese serving in UK forces of various kinds, and lot of civilian burials from the nearby Stanley prison which served as a civilian internment camp. Some of the civilian graves are poignant – one shown of a child of 2 months. The memorial has a lot of Merchant Navy names – I took one photo, shown, of Chinese crew of Ben Line ships, homeported Leith, for a local Edinburgh connection.










Interesting again to look at visitor's book – only entries from April, maybe around 30-40 of so, more Chinese than foreign visitors, it seemed. Couple of comments struck me :

“you can't put your arms round a memory” [British]

“came here to commemorate ANZAC Day” [local Chinese name]

All in all...an interesting day...even having been to these sites several times before, you always spot something new...

Anyway, hope of interest. I will be sorry to leave Hong Kong in a couple of weeks – I like going to these quiet places in the frenzy of the city, as one visitor had also noted...

Graham

PS Apologies for sideways grave shots, still cannot get them to rotate properly..but sure you can do easily yourselves!

 

Graham , some quite wonderful photos,
Thank you for a glimpse of the Commonwealth cemetery and the cemetery in general , I feel that I have truely benefited from seeing your photographs.
My sincere thanks.
js

 

Many thanks indeed, appreciate this and your PM

 

Graham, I wish to thank you for your efforts in helping me cross another cemetery off my list. I have a long way to go yet. We must never forget the sacrifices of the mainly young men who gave their all in the service of their country.

Cheers
Paul

 

Not a problem very happy to do it...agree entirely...

Now, what have you got for me in Scotland ???? (back there in 2 weeks)

 

Not a problem very happy to do it...agree entirely...

Now, what have you got for me in Scotland ???? (back there in 2 weeks)

Thanks for all of the time you put in on our behalf. Enjoy the move and I hope you acclimatise okay.

Cheers

Geoff

 

Matreen Ahmed Ansari's Headstone. Sp. Mem. 1. E. Coll. grave 1. Stanley Military Cemetery, Hong Kong.

Douglas Ford's Headstone. 1. B. 41. Stanley Military Cemetery, Hong Kong.

Lanceray Arthur Newnham's Headstone. 1. A. 58. Stanley Military Cemetery, Hong Kong.

Hector Bertram Gray's Headstone. 1. A. 59. Stanley Military Cemetery, Hong Kong.

John Alexander Fraser's Headstone. 1. C. Coll. grave 1-11. Stanley Military Cemetery, Hong Kong.

Many thanks in advance
Andy

 

Matreen Ahmed Ansari's Headstone. Sp. Mem. 1. E. Coll. grave 1. Stanley Military Cemetery, Hong Kong.

Douglas Ford's Headstone. 1. B. 41. Stanley Military Cemetery, Hong Kong.

Lanceray Arthur Newnham's Headstone. 1. A. 58. Stanley Military Cemetery, Hong Kong.

Hector Bertram Gray's Headstone. 1. A. 59. Stanley Military Cemetery, Hong Kong.

John Alexander Fraser's Headstone. 1. C. Coll. grave 1-11. Stanley Military Cemetery, Hong Kong.

Many thanks in advance
Andy

Photo's of the headstones and a general shot of the entrance/cemetery please.

Many Thanks
Andy

 

Research is sometimes a rewarding and at the same time a frustrating hobby.

I have found another Australian in the RAF now that "China Hand" has returned to the UK.

If anyone can assist I will be most appreciative.

SILLY , BENJAMIN JAMES (MC) (DFC) Air Commodore 7/12/1943 50 RAF UK VI. B. 7. SAI WAN WAR CEMETERY China - Hong Kong

This roster contains two groups of names. The first is a list 74 men transported from Tangong Priok, Java, to Singapore aboard the Pacific Maru at the end of 1942. These same men were loaded aboard Aki Maru on 10 Jan 1943 for transport to Takao, Formosa, arriving there on 30 Jan 1943.
Pacific Maru POW roster (POWs of the Japanese)

Yet to find the Australian connection however he is on the Commemorative Roll of those Australians who served in Allied forces.

Any help on tracking down the Australian connection would be welcome.

Benjamin James Silly

Rank: Air Commodore
Service: Royal Air Force
Conflict: 1939-1945
Date of death: 7 December 1943
Cemetery or memorial details: Sai Wan War Cemetery
Notes: Son of George and Lucy Silly; husband of Francis Fanny Silly of Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire



Cheers

Geoff

 

I still have 1 outstanding at Sai Wan. Can anyone help?

Private LESLIE THOMAS MORRISON VI. H. 2.

Cheers
Paul

 

All RAAF/RAF Australians Completed.

 

Sai Wan is completed thank to Tony Beck

Cheers
Paul