AT the outbreak of the war with Japan, the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps, under the command of Colonel H. B. Rose, M.C., was positioned as follows:

1st Battery (Captain G. F. Rees)—Cape d’Aguilar.
2nd Battery (Captain D. J. S. Crozier)—Bluff Head, Stanley.
3rd Battery (Captain C. W. L. Cole)—Aberdeen Island.
4th Battery (Lieutenant K. M. A. Barnett)—Pak Sha Wan.
5th (A.A.) Battery (Lieutenant L. Goldman)—Sai Wan Hill.
Field Company Engineers (Major J. H. Bottomley)—Fanling and Forward Area.
H.K.V.D.C. Signals (Captain A. N. Braude)—Hong Kong Island.
Armoured Car Platoon (Lieutenant M. G. Carruthers)— Forward Area.
No. 1 Company (Captain A. H. Penn)—Kai Tak Airfield.
No.2 Company (Major H. R. Forsyth)—Sheko Peninsula.
No. 3 Company (Major B. G. Stewart)—Stonecutters Island.
No. 4 Company (Captain R. K. Valentine)—High West and Mount Kellett.
No. 5 Company (Captain C. A. D’Almada)—Mount Davis. No. 6 Company (Captain H. A. de B. Botelho)—The North Shore, Naval Yard to Causeway Bay.
No. 7 Company (Captain J. G. B. Dewar)—Magazine Gap and Wanchai Gap.
The Stanley Platoon (Lieutenant J. W. Fitzgerald)—Stanley.
A.S.C. Company (Major F. Flippance)—H.Q., Deepwater Bay.
Hughes Group—Home Guard (Major J. J. Paterson)—North Point.
S. & T. Section (Major H. G. Williams).
Field Ambulance Company (Major L. T. Ride).
Pay Section (Major C. de S. Robertson, M.M.).
Nursing Detacbment (Mrs. A. N. Braude).
The total strength was 1,579, many units being below strength.
The Mainland
       The Gindrinkers Line, from Gindrinkers Bay to Shatin Station, was held by 2nd Royal Scots, 2/14th Punjabis, and 5/7th Rajputs, with four howitzer troops, the brigade being under the command of Brigadier Wallis. In the forward area around Fanling were a com-pany of Punjabis, under Major Grey, and the H.K.V.D.C. Armoured Cars and details of H.K.V.D.C. Engineers, who were responsible for demolitions. No. 1 Company, which included a carrier platoon under Second-Lieutenant R. S. Edwards, was at Kai Tak.
      At 0445 hours on 8th December our Intelligence intercepted a Japanese code broadcast, warning that hostilities were about to begin. At 0800 hours enemy planes bombed Kai Tak airfield and Sham Shui Po Barracks, and at the same time Major Grey reported that Japanese troops had crossed the border.
      For the attack on Hong Kong Lieutenant-General Sakai used two divisions, with a third in reserve. The initial advance was on a two-battalion front, by Laffan’s Plain and the Taipo Road. Major Grey made a slow withdrawal while the H.K.V.D.C. units carried out their demolitions on road and railway.
      Forward troops were back to the Gindrinkers Line by 1800 hours on the 9th, and enemy patrols were soon probing our front. At 2300 hours came disaster when the Shingmun Redoubt, the key to the left sector, fell into enemy hands at the first onset.
      The line was readjusted during the following night, 10th/i lth December, 2nd Royal Scots being brought back to a line Laichikok—Golden Hill—Shingmun. At dawn on the 11th the Japanese attacked here with two battalions. "B" and "D" Companies, Royal Scots, counter-attacked; the armoured cars and carriers were rushed forward, and the Japanese advance was temporarily checked.
The Withdrawal
      This Japanese success necessitated a withdrawal from the main-land, a most hazardous operation which was, however, carried out successfully during the following night, the 1 lth/l2th. The Rajputs and Punjabis made an arduous march to Devil’s Peak, where they manned the Ma Lau Tong Line, while 2nd Royal Scots and H.K.V.D.C. units were shipped across from Sham Shui Po and Mongkok. On the following night, the l2th/l3th, the two Indian battalions were withdrawn from the Devil’s Peak area with the assistance of the naval M.T.Bs.
The Period of Waiting
      The island was divided into two brigade areas. West ‘Brigade (Brigadier J. K. Lawson, M.C.) comprised 1st Middlesex, holding the shore-line from Telegraph Bay to Stanley and from the Naval Yard to Causeway Bay; 2/14th Punjabis from the Naval Yard westwards to Telegraph Bay and 2nd Royal Scots in the Happy Valley area. East Brigade (Brigadier Walls) consisted of 5/7th
Rajputs on the shore-line from Causeway Bay eastwards to Sal Wan;
1st Royal Rifles of Canada from there to Stanley; and Winnipeg Grenadiers in the Deepwater Bay area. The H.K.V.D.C. units in their battle positions; No. 1 Company was in the Taitam Valley and
No. 3 Company at Jardine’s Look-Out and Wongneichong Gap.
      Throughout 13th, 14th and 15th December there was heavy enemy bombardment; many of the Rajputs’ pill-boxes on the north shore were demolished; Mount Davis, Belcher’s Fort, and 4th Battery, H.K.V.D.C., were partially wrecked, and many fires were started. On the night of the 15th the enemy attempted a crossing from San Tong to Lyemun, which was detected and the enemy annihilated by artillery fire from 4th Battery and small-arms from the Rajputs and Canadians.
The Landing
      For the assault of the island General Sakai brought up his reserve division, the 38th. The landing was made at three points in two waves, timed for 2030 and 2230 hours. Colonel Tanaka, with two battalions of the 229th Regiment, took the left flank and landed at Shaukiwan; Colonel Doi, with two battalions of the 228th, landed west of the docks; while Colonel Shoji, with all three battalions of the 230th, landed at North Point. Thus, on the night of l8th/l9th December the enemy landed seven full battalions with other details, in all 7,500 men. On the following day the divisional reserve of two battalions was brought over with the artillery, and later, as Japanese casualties proved far higher than anticipated, more infantry battalions were supplied by the other two divisions. Colonel Shoji said that the Japanese landed upwards of 30,000 men on Hong Kong "of whom nearly half became casualties."
      Favoured by an exceptionally dark night, Tanaka’s first battalion captured Lyemun Barracks, then attacked and isolated 4th Battery, H.K.V.D.C., at Pak Sha Wan. At 2230 hours they reached Sai Wan and overrati 5th Battery, H.K.V.D.C., on which occasion they perpetrated their first massacre of prisoners. 4th Battery was cut off and two days later Lieutenant Barnett surrendered.
The "Hughesiliers" at the Power Station
      Colonel Doi’s men, whose duty was to establish the bridgehead, broke through the thin line of "C" and "0" Companies, Rajputs, and cleared the sea-front as far as the North Point Power Station, where they came up against the Hughesiliers. Those Home Guards-men found themselves acting as first-line troops, in which role they acquitted themselves well.
     Lieutenant Carruthers took an armoured car along King’s Road in an attempt to reach the power station, and a platoon of the Middlesex followed him. The armoured car was knocked out by a direct hit and Carruthers was the only survivor. The Middlesex platoon was severely shot up, but a few of them fought through to the power station, where they did splendid work in the defence. These even held out through the night and well into the next day, when the Japanese started house-to-house mopping-up tactics. Some bf the Home Guardsmen made their way back from the wrecked buildings. Major Paterson surrendered when the ammuni-tion was exhausted.
The Fight at Quarry Gap
      Tanaka’s second battalion was sent to force a way into Taitam Valley, through Quarry Gap. This was held by a platoon of No. 1 Company, H.K.V.D.C., under Second-Lieutenant B. S. Carter. Captain Penn was also there. At 0030 hours on the 19th the Japanese attacked. The defenders swept the hillside with machine-gun fire and held the attack for some time until superior numbers told, and the enemy overran the Gap. This platoon lost nineteen out of twenty-nine effectives. Captain Penn collected the survivors with the Com-pany H.Q. party (some twenty men in all) and held up the enemy attack throughout the morning of the 19th, until ordered at 1150 hours to retire to Stanley.
Jardine’s Look-out
      Meanwhile Shoji’s men were pushing inland, with Wongneichong Gap as their main objective. Shoji sent one battalion round either side and one over the top of Jardine’s Look-out. To meet this attack we had No. 3 Company, H.K.V.D.C., under command of Major B. 0. Stewart, afterwards to be awarded a D.S.O., reinforced by four platoons of H.Q. Company, Winnipeg Grenadiers, in all 230 men. The attack started at midnight, and, in spite of the enemy’s enormous preponderance in numbers, the defenders held their ground until well into the morning of the 19th. In particular, Lieutenant B. C. Feud with eighteen men held the pm-boxes against all attacks and inflicted very heavy casualties. Though four times wounded, he maintained the defence until 1800 hours on the 19th, when the Japanese overran the position. Captain L. B. Holmes and Lieutenant 0. J. N. Anderson were killed; the defenders lost all officers and 70 per cent. of personnel. Shoji reported that "after sixteen hours of hard fighting" his men took all their objectives. He admitted the loss of "more than 800 casualties."
Postbridge and the Ridge
      While Shoji’s troops were mopping up in the Jardine’s Look-out area and repelling the counter-attack made by "A" and "D" Companies, Royal Scots, Colonel Doi sent a battalion to push southwards from Wongneichong Gap. These came up against stiff resistance at Postbridge, a large house south of the Gap, from a party of H.K.R.N.V.R. under Lieutenant-Commander P. Dulley and Lieutenant-Commander S. C. M. Grenham, supported by some Indian gunners of the H.K.S.R.A. This force held out until the house was wrecked and half the defenders were casualties. The position was evacuated at 0200 hours on the 20th.
      South of this again, the Japanese attack was stopped at the ridge by a mixed force of R.A.S.C. and R.A.O.C. personnel, the latter mainly from the H.K.V.D.C. This force held the position until the night of the 22nd, when the survivors were evacuated, though few managed to make their way through the Japanese lines.
      On 20th December Colonel Rose took over command of West Brigade, Brigadier Lawson having been killed, and the command of the H.K.V.D.C. devolved on to Lieutenant-Colonel E. S. R. Mitchell, O.B.E.
Repulse Bay
At dawn on the 20th the advance party of Tanaka’s force reached Repulse Bay Hotel, held by a platoon of 1st Middlesex, under Lieutenant Grounds, with some details of the H.K.R.N.V.R. A
relief force was sent from Stanley, consisting of "A" Company, Royal Rifles (Major Young), and two platoons of No. 2 Company, H.K.V.D.C.—No. 6 Platoon (Lieutenant 0. L. Prophet) and No. 7
Platoon (Lieutenant W. Stoker). This force cleared the enemy from the vicinity of the hotel and then tried to push on the ridge, but met with very strong enemy resistance.
The Fight at Red Hill
      The whole of the east end of the island was in enemy hands, and the Royal Rifles, 1st and 2nd Batteries, and Nos. 1 and 2 Companies, H.K.V.D.C., were all back in the Stanley area. On the 21st an attempt was made to retake Taitam Valley. The troops for this were a company of Royal Rifles, No. 1 Company, H.K.V.D.C., and No. 5 Platoon of No. 2 Company (Lieutenant B. M. Bryden).
      The main advance along the road was led by the carriers under Second-Lieutenant Edwards. Second-Lieutenant Carter commanded the flanking party. Carter’s men eventually took Notting Hill and Bridge Hill after severe fighting, and Bryden directed machine-gun fire on to the Taitam cross-roads. The attack on the cross-roads failed; Second-Lieutenant Edwards was killed, both Captain Penn and Lieutenant Redman were wounded, and No. 1 Company was forced to fall back. At 0600 hours the flanking party was withdrawn.
      Immediately after this, the carriers (now reduced to two), under Sergeant Q. Lemay, were sent to Repulse Bay to help in that area.
The Withdrawal from Repulse Bay
      Enemy pressure here was very heavy during the 22nd. Both of Lemay’s carriers were knocked out by direct hits and the Canadians and Volunteers were forced to fall back to the hotel. It was decided to evacuate the position during the night. The successful outcome of the withdrawal was due to No. 6 Platoon, H.K.V.D.C., (which included Lemay’s party). These held the South bay Bridge against all attacks throughout the night and thus ensured a safe line of withdrawal for the others of the garrison. Lieutenant Prophet then withdrew his platoon to Stanley, where No. 2 Company occupied the Chung Am Kok Peninsula.
The Loss of Leighton Hill
      This "strong-point" was held by "Z" Company, 1st Middlesex (35 men), and eight survivors of No. 3 Company, H.K.V.D.C., all under Captain Man. This small garrison held the position against all attacks for four days, but on the 24th the Rajputs bad been forced back, exposing the flank of the defenders of Leighton Hill. Captain Man was ordered to withdraw if possible. At 0645 hours the withdrawal was made, all guns and 75 per cent. of the personnel getting away successfully.
The Enemy Break-through at Stanley
      During the 24th the enemy brought up troops in the Stanley area with the evident intention of forcing the defences on the isthmus. They had in all five battalions with some light tanks.
Major Forsyth, as forward commander, sent the three platoons of No. 2 Company, H.K.V.D.C., back to Chung Am Kok, from which they had been withdrawn the previous day, No. 7 Platoon being cut off and forced back to Stanley. On the peninsula the first line of defence was manned by Company Headquarters of No. 2 Company, the Stanley Platoon, H,K.V.D.C., a company of Middlesex under Captain Weedon, and "0" Company, Royal Rifles.
      The enemy attacked in force at both Chung Am Kok and Stanley. At the latter the enemy attack, which started at 2050 hours, was especially fierce. Major Forsyth was mortally wounded and the Stanley Platoon lost heavily. At 0100 hours on the 25th, the enemy broke through along Beach Road; 1st Middlesex machine guns continued firing until overrun, and the enemy losses must have been very heavy. The Royal Rifles withdrew along Beach Road. The second line of defence, the low ridge immediately south of St. Stephen’s College, was held by the men of 1st Battery, H.K.V.D.C., and a platoon of 1st Middlesex. The Japanese attacked at approximately 0200 hours, and, though they outnumbered the defenders by twenty to one, the fight here lasted until dawn. Captain Rees was wounded, Second-Lieutenant H. S. Jones killed. Second-Lieutenant H. 0. Muir, with a party of sixteen men, "fought it out to a finish" in Barton’s Bungalow. Every one of this party was killed.
      At Chung Am Kok the two platoons of No. 2 Company, H.K.V.D.C., though hopelessly outnumbered, held their ground throughout the night and Christmas Day. After dark they made their way to Stanley Fort, some by swimming, unaware that the surrender had already taken place. The capitulation was made at 1515 hours on the 25th.
      Space does not permit accounts of all units of the H.K.V.D.C. Mention should be made, however, of the fine work done by the H.K.V.D.C. Signals, who carried out their difficult and dangerous tasks with high devotion to duty. The H.K.V.D.C. casualties were 232 killed, died of wounds, and missing, believed killed; and 113 wounded, the heaviest losses falling on 1st, 4th and 5th Batteries, Nos. 1, 2 and 3 Companies, the A.S.C. Company, and the Home Guard.