Hong Kong's darkest days of Japanese invasion, cannibalism, POW camps and heroism

South China Morning Post

31-01-2025

Discover some of Hong Kong's stories during WWII, from the city's surrender to Japan on Christmas Day 1941 to subsequent tales of survival and resilience under the occupation of the invading forces. Explore disturbing accounts of cannibalism during severe food shortages and learn how POWs used music and theatre to survive, and even escape, as PostMag writer Jason Wordie looks back at some of the stories from the city's darkest days. 1. Hong Kong's darkest December saw surrender to the invading Japanese on Christmas Day 1941
The capitulation to invading Japanese forces on December 25, 1941, means that day will forever also have a darker significance outside of the usual festivities attached to that date in the memories and history of Hong Kong. Numerous war memorials and remnants of conflict that still stand are reminders of 18 days of intense battles before the city fell on Christmas Day. 2. Cannibalism in Japanese-occupied Hong Kong: are the rumours true that food shortages drove people to that most desperate of measures?
Harrowing accounts of cannibalism in Hong Kong during World War II are difficult to verify, but anecdotal evidence and oral histories suggest this horrific act was a grim reality for many. Read how Henry Ching, the South China Morning Post's long-serving Australian-Chinese editor, delved into this dark chapter of the city's history in his wartime diaries. 3. How POWs in Japanese prison camps kept their spirits up with music and theatre during the years of occupation
Resilience and creativity flourished in the prisoner-of-war camps of Stanley and Sham Shui Po as internees used music and theatre to lift their spirits. Some performers, such as Ferdinand Maria 'Sonny' Castro with his high-camp imitations of 'Brazilian Bombshell' Carmen Miranda, became legendary, while others aided in daring escapes. 4. How Hong Kong lawyer Christopher D'Almada e Castro became a WWII hero whose bravery was stuff of legend Camp Lt Christopher D'Almada e Castro of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps in 1937. Photo: Courtesy of the D'Almada Barretto Collection
D'Almada e Castro, a distinguished Hong Kong lawyer from the Portuguese community, bravely and at great personal risk assisted in intelligence-passing while a WWII prisoner of war. Read of his exploits while in internment and his later contributions to Hong Kong society after the conflict ended. 5. How a violinist's tunes helped guide soldiers breaking out of Sham Shui Po prisoner-of-war camp in 1942
During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, four British POWs escaped with the help of violinist Lieutenant Solomon Bard who played musical signals to warn of approaching guards. Conflicting memories of the escape, particularly regarding the meaning of the tunes played, highlight challenges of relying on oral accounts in historical research.
Part of this article was produced with the assistance of generative AI