Wood, Alan Jackson (Oral history)

British gunner served with Royal Artillery in GB and with 5th Anti Aircraft Regt, Royal Artillery in Hong Kong 1937-1941. Captured in Hong Kong 12/1941, POW of Japanese in Hong Kong and Japan 12/1941-8/1945

REEL 1 Family background in Birmingham; unhappy childhood without parents 1921-1937. Reasons for joining Royal Artillery 1937. Posting to Hong Kong with 7 Battery, 5th Ack Ack Regiment 1/1939: agreeable lifestyle; operation of AA guns; fears of Japanese invasion; Japanese fifth column; high opinion of Middlesex Regiment. Japanese attack on Hong Kong 12/1941: role of fifth columnists; being wounded in Japanese mortar attack; terror of Japanese bayonet charge; withdrawal and treatment at St Stephen's College hospital, Stanley peninsula; Japanese attack on and 'atrocities' at hospital; escape to Stanley Fort. REEL 2 Fall of Hong Kong 12/1941: last day in Stanley; surrender; Japanese attitude towards surrender; Japanese vincictiveness towards Middlesex machine gunners; POWs plundering married quarters for supplies. Shamshuipo POW camp 1/1942-10/1942: maintenance of Army discipline and hierarchy; POW resistance to giving parole; escape attempts; nicotine craving; Korean and Formosan guards; help from Chinese civilians; improvised eating utensils; preparation of and supplementing food; beatings by guards; power of Kempeitai; camp accommodation; passing time. REEL 3 Shamshuipo POW camp 1/1942-10/1942: clothing; bartering goods for cigarettes; canteen supplies; hygiene provision; POW illnesses; morale; news of war from secret radio; collaborators; POWs' turn to religion; Sikh collaboration with Japanese; gleaning news of progress of war; Japanese belief in victory; Korean guard stealing from Japanese. POWs stealing from Japanese oil factory in Japan. REEL 4 Boat journey to Japan 10/1942. Yokohama baseball stadium POW camp 10/1942-10/1943: American POWs introducing lice; opinion of American POWs; POWs stealing supplementary supplies on work parties; method of stealing peanut oil from Kanagawa factory; smuggling stolen goods into camp and Japanese beating POWs; instances of Japanese treatment of POW pilots; witnessing American incendiary bombing of Yokohama 26/5/1945; subsequent hatred of POWs by Japanese civilians; POWs sheltering during raid and 'looting' pig; work regime; using corpses to give sick POWs rest; cruelty of punishment for 'offences'; attitude towards guards. REEL 5 Yokohama baseball stadium POW camp 10/1942-10/1943: nature of work at Kanagawa peanut oil factory. Move to Kanagawa factory camp 10/1943-8/1945: accommodation; stealing to supplement diet; American air raids; behaviour and attitude of civilians towards POWs; comparison of brutal treatment by Japanese guards and understanding relationship with Japanese workforce; Japanese POW propaganda photographs; Red Cross parcels. American air raids on Japan 1945: hearing news of atomic bomb; sheltering during raids; POW's near execution for smoking during raid. Japanese box of nails punishment. POW food. Behaviour of Japanese at surrender 8/1945. POW move to Omuri (Tokyo 1) camp 8/1945: food drops; swimming out to Allied fleet. REEL 6 Relations between American and British POWs. Rape and murder of nurses at St Stephen's College hospital, Hong Kong 12/1941. Present attitude towards Japanese. Longterm mental and physical effects of imprisonment. Difficulty of obtaining disablement pensions. POWs' reception by Allied fleet. Attitude towards dropping of atomic bomb. POW reunions.