King, Ralph Malcolm Macdonald (Oral history)

Sound: © IWM (4655)

500200962
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270567146
Order this sound recording under fair dealing

All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.
2099048129
Order this sound recording under fair dealing

All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.
133143838
Order this sound recording under fair dealing

All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.

Description

Object description

British officer served with 1st Bn Middlesex Regt (Duke of Cambridge's Own), Hong Kong Infantry Bde in Hong Kong, 6/1941-12/1941; prisoner of war in North Point, Sham Shui Po and Argyle Street Camps in Hong Kong, 12/1941-9/1942; survived sinking of SS Lisbon Maru off Zhoushan Archipelago in South China Sea, 10/1942; prisoner of war in Kobe House Camp, Kobe and Osaka No 19-B Camp, Ikuno, Japan, 10/1942-8/1945

Content description

REEL 1 Aspects of operations as officer with 1st Bn Middlesex Regt (Duke of Cambridge's Own), Hong Kong Infantry Brigade in Hong Kong, 6/1941-12/1941: membership of Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Force, 1936-1941; composition of defending force during Battle of Hong Kong, 12/1941; surrender, 25/12/1941. Aspects of period as prisoner of war in North Point, Sham Shui Po and Argyle Street Camps, Hong Kong, 12/1941-9/1942: initial holding in North Point Camp; move to Sham Shui Po Camp, 2/1942; conditions in Sham Shui Po and escape from camp; separation of officers and men; Japanese treatment of Chinese supplying food to prisonersof war; Japanese attitude towards prisoners of war; loyalty of Chinese women to prisoners of war; presence of Japanese Fifth Column in Hong Kong; relations between Japanese and Chinese civilians. Aspects of period as prisoner of war aboard SS Lisbon Maru in South China Sea including sinking off Zhoushan Island, Zhousham Archipelago, China, 10/1942: conditions on board; torpedoing of ship by American submarine USS Grouper (SS-214), 1/10/1942; prisoners of war escape from hold; Japanese firing on prisoners of war in water; his abandoning ship. REEL 2 Continues: swimming towards island; recapture by Imperial Japanese Navy and onward journey to Japan. Recollections of period as prisoner of war in Kobe House Camp, Kobe, Japan, 10/1942-3/1945: conditions; prisoner of war sickness; lack of medical treatment and subsequent death rate; allocation of rations; cold weather conditions; problems with lice; officer work parties; skill of prisoners of war in stealing food from docks; Japanese order to keep diary and subsequent inspection, 1943; camp magazine and entertainments, 1944; Japanese unwillingness to issue Red Cross parcels; visit by Red Cross official; receiving letters, 1944; lack of contact with family; symptoms of beri-beri. REEL 3 Continues: receiving war news; United States Army Air Force raids, 1944-1945. Aspects of period as prisoner of war in Osaka No 19-B Camp, Ikuno, Japan, 3/1945-8/1945: move to camp 28/3/1945; infestation of fleas; horticultural work; atmosphere in camp prior to surrender, 15/8/1945; behaviour of Japanese commandant and guards after surrender and issue of Red Cross parcel, United States Army Air Force air supply drops. Aspects of return from Japan to GB, 8/1945-11/1945: move to former location of Osaka No 19-B Camp at Akenobe after Japanese surrender; 8/1945-9/1945; attitude towards fraternisation with Japanese; journey to GB via Philippines and Canada, 9/1945-11/1945. Reflections on period as prisoner of war in Hong Kong and Japan, 12/1941-8/1945: attitude towards Australian and American prisoners of war; question of discrimination between British regular and short commission officers; impressions of Japanese civilians; reputation of Korean and Sikh guards; working in graphite factory in Kobe, Japan; payment of prisoners of war. REEL 4 Continues: making wills for prisoners of war in Kobe House Camp; helping fellow officer swim to island after sinking of SS Lisbon Maru, 10/1942; belief in Allied victory and that Japanese might kill prisoners of war on surrender; Japanese belief in superiority; attitude towards Japanese; question of long term psychological and physical effects of imprisonment; question of collaboration between prisoners of war and Japanese.

Object Details

Category: Sound
Related period: 1945-1989 (production), Second World War (content), Second World War (association)
Creator: IWM (Production company)
Wood, Conrad (Recorder)
King, Ralph Malcolm Macdonald (Interviewee/Speaker)
Production date: 1980-07-09
Dimensions: whole: Duration 104, Number Of Items 4
Catalogue number: 4655

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King, Ralph Malcolm Macdonald (Oral history)

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