The Battle of Hong Kong

The Battle of Hong Kong-Aftermath

So now I’ll talk to u guys about the aftermath of the battle of Hong Kong.

Casualties:

The fighting in Hong Kong ended on December 25, 1941 with severe Canadian casualties: 290 killed and 493 wounded. The death toll and hardship did not end with surrender, nearly 1700 Canadian troops became Prisoners of War (PoWs), and while in captivity, approximately 264 more died as POWs. Many did not survive. In all, 554 of the 1,975 Canadians who sailed from Vancouver in October 1941 never returned. They died honorable in this important war

Importance of Hong Kong:

Hong Kong, the land they were fighting for was perhaps one of the most important and strategic areas for both Britain and Japan. British used the island’s ports to have easy access to foreign nations and have efficient trade and mobilization of armies in case of a battle in the Pacific. Hong Kong was a crucial area that British used to keep an eye on the communism in China. By invading and capturing Hong Kong, Japan had the perfect route to invade more nations and British Colonies in Asia. The victory of the Battle of Hong Kong was a very significant victory for Japan. It marked the first time a British Colony had surrender to an invading force. This war also shows the support and respect Canada has for Britain. In times of danger, Canada defends any ally of Britain.

Even when the battle ended, the cruelty continued…

-The Japanese celebrated their victory in a cruel and repulsive way.

-They injured soldiers, rapped over 10,000 women including girls and nuns.

-For more than three and a half years, the Canadian POWs were imprisoned in Hong Kong and Japan

-They were locked inside 2 different camps; North Point and Sham Shul Po.

-Japanese solders treated the prisoners and PoWs in the camps inhumanely.

-They were frequently beaten and tortured.

-There was extremely scarce food, so the soldiers were subsisting on rations of 800 calories a day

-The PoWs were also forced to work 12 hours a day as slave laborers in mines or off the docks.
-The Japanese soldiers stabbed wounded soldiers, raped women, and made sure the conditions for the prisoners were worse than a hellish nightmare 

-British officials were forced to dig their own graves before being executed.

- What killed most of the soldiers weren’t these harsh conditions, it was actually the deadly diseases that easily infected these fatigued soldiers. Diseases such as diphtheria and malaria killed hundreds of Canadian soldiers, since medicine was extremely rare inside of these prisons.