stanley camp chinese civilian camp hong_kong world war located stanley southern end japanese imperial forces hold non chinese enemy nationals victory battle pacific campaign world war men women children held non segregated camp months early january august japanese forces surrendered camp area consisted grounds excluding prison evacuation arrival camp british government drawn evacuation plans british european residents hong_kong crown colony united_kingdom time chief imperial general staff thought city inevitably fall japanese forces event attack reinforced defensive forces presence large number british women children embarrassment government japanese forces hong_kong additionally thought thousands british civilians cause unnecessary suffering serve japanese propaganda material july colonial government hong_kong received orders proceed evacuations august service families registered non service british women children moved philippines compulsory evacuations prompted criticism husbands employees felt evacuations premature unnecessary according respectively local chinese population angered exclusion evacuations condemned plans racist additionally plans excluded british passport holders european ancestry amidst criticism government subsequently evacuations non compulsory existing evacuations ordered cancelled provided volunteered auxiliary roles nursing administrative work december japanese forces attacked hong_kong marking start seventeen days later christmas day came known black christmas hong_kong government surrendered hong_kong came japanese occupation january notice appeared english language newspaper enemy nationals assemble murray parade grounds people notice people eventually gathered grounds addition gathered voluntarily people forcibly removed homes people assembled marched initially interned hotel waterfront near present day ferry pier conditions dirty food poor days taken boat stanley enemy nationals failed assemble murray parade grounds avoided hotel end january civilians interned moved stanley arrival camp discovered little prepared cooking facilities furniture little toilet facilities dirty inadequate water rooms soon random people unrelated little attention paid public health camp grounds stanley site chosen japanese consultation hong_kong government officials director colonial secretary located stanley peninsula kilometres city time camp consisted grounds excluding prison prison japanese authorities hold considered criminals hong_kong lived majority lived prison grounds prior japanese occupation secondary school facilities addition classrooms included assembly hall teachers science laboratories occupied built family occupied science laboratory living old blankets buildings camp housing certain buildings areas prison grounds specific functions multiple functions catholic church recreation centre main divisions quarters existed quarters war quarters housed european large flats designed family housed indian prison guards built smaller flats average thirty lived quarters flat average lived flat building housed single indian war turned hospital called houses originally homes prison superintendent prison doctor turned japanese headquarters camp cemetery grounds popular spot quiet place intimate meetings male female life camp numbered estimated british adult population numbered men women children years age younger numbered age camp control according historian japanese forces plans dealing enemy civilians hong_kong camp provided left govern camp committees formed matters housing food medical care national groups remained independent matters welfare medical care government servants selected serve committees anti government sentiments blamed government quick surrender hong_kong biggest concern food ensuring food occupied time little food provided japanese authorities poor quality frequently containing dust mud rat cigarette ends dead rats everyday served rice meals consisting rice additionally relied food friends relatives city red_cross aid garden grown vegetables bought food black market concern health medical care medical facilities inadequate counted doctors trained nurses large number volunteer auxiliary nurses according historian major epidemic occurred common sickness malaria associated diseases shortage medical supplies equipment posed challenge charge medical care lack soap particularly troublesome concern women children contributed sense presence provided conventional social family gender relations believed children presence selfish forced think welfare women organised christmas birthday celebrations musicals plays variety shows staged camp lacked books educational equipment teachers educational administrators able provide lessons children primary secondary levels additionally extensive adult education available adults language courses chinese french lectures photography journalism keeping addition personal diaries kept held record life camp created double bed sheet day names signs figures including diary code deaths records died camp illness half deaths age accidental deaths died falls child drowned worst camp accident occurred january american plane accidentally bombed killing buried seven executed japanese authorities possessed radio set pass messages camp radio discovered japanese arrested forced watch public torture military trials subsequently held october executed shot beheaded aside japanese authorities executed chinese policemen bringing cigarettes tobacco camp escape attempts number factors escape attempts navigate japanese occupied territory find food actually spoke deal language difficulties hong_kong succeeded escaping despite difficulties major escape attempts successful march group escaped small boat neighbouring group consisting escaped new territories mainland china group policemen april managed escape camp grounds caught miles camp subsequently imprisoned released camp weeks early talked subject camp subject food japanese authorities informed americans place june japanese treatment american improved period actual took place better food given allowed contacts chinese friends outside camp american journalists interviewed japanese news agency asked questions war camp came find later interview war propaganda japanese form article claiming american journalists complimented japanese military camp stating camp probably comfortable world june americans finally took place japanese thai citizens held south_america boarded ships late june preparation exchange repatriated given smallpox cholera thorough medical examinations books diaries addresses allowed leave americans remaining allowed write word letter americans american boarded ship americans allowed stay hong_kong outside camp picking americans locations asia arrived called july americans japanese exchanged americans finally reach new_york_city august reportedly total americans repatriated hong_kong canadian remaining american announced august american repatriated june preparations similar prior including messages reports delivered ship reached hong_kong september taking board canadian american latin american ship sailed exchange prisoners japan took place indications notices british possible told representative spoken japanese authorities twice informed november repatriated issue reported negotiations going smoothly despite british repatriated end war freedom freed august day emperor broadcast acceptance surrender weeks later british fleet came weeks camp closed went city began adjust lives particularly poor health remained camp grounds await ships away historian wrote probable reason british repatriated end war related allied forces refusing release japanese nationals held australia nationals group japanese nationals held allies american canadian pearl fishermen australia war knew australian coastline knowledge militarily important japanese invasion australia attempted allied refusal release compensation government war claims act authorised payment month adult spent camp month child received day missed meals british specifically normally resided war began received sum payments american british proceeds japanese assets seized treaty san_francisco dutch received sum payments funded separate agreement signed dutch japanese rise japan economic power opening world war files created sentiment 1990s suffering prisoners war november british government announced compensation scheme british civilians interned world war scheme called package million february payments initially plan excluded british persons britain point distinction british citizens british subjects reaction stanley launched civil action case british government alleging distinction compensation scheme japanese authorities distinction treatment family including parents grandparents holders british distinction ineligible compensation iraqi jewish ancestry july high_court london ruled favour subsequently backed appealed high_court decision allowed hundreds surviving civilian collect compensation earlier denied distinction post war opened war built grounds school memorial window west door donation serving remember suffering notable sir attorney general morris sir chief justice clarke
Stanley Internment Camp