Today marks the anniversary of VJ Day, when the Second World War officially concluded with Japan’s surrender. Scattered Japanese units continued fighting, unaware that surrender orders had been issued.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission honours 137 Canadian servicemen buried at Yokohama War Cemetery. These men were predominantly survivors of the 1941 Battle of Hong Kong: 69 served with the Royal Rifles of Canada and 63 with the Winnipeg Grenadiers. During the brutal period from November 1943 to March 1944, eighty-three of these prisoners of war perished under horrific conditions in Japanese camps, succumbing to starvation, exhausting forced labour, disease, inadequate medical treatment, and systematic abuse.
The same two regiments had suffered losses during the Battle of Hong Kong itself. Four hundred and twenty-two Canadian casualties from that engagement are commemorated across multiple sites: the Sai Wan War Cemetery, Sai Wan Memorial, Stanley Military Cemetery, and the Hong Kong Memorial.
Lest We Forget.
Thanks John. Well worth remembering. Years ago, I had a chum whose father was a POW of the Japanese. He would not speak about that.’
All it took to remember how appaling the treament had been was to see that he passed away at age 54, just a mess. Cheers anyways, BT