Mitchell, Hubert Charles Weston (Oral history)

British gunner served with 75th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Artillery in GB, 1939-1940; served with 5th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Artillery and Fortress Command in Hong Kong, 1940-1941; POW in Shamshuipo POW Camp in Hong Kong, 1941-1942; survived sinking of Lisbon Maru, 10/1942; POW in Japan, 1942-1945

REEL 1 Background in Bristol, 1920-1938: family; education. Reaction to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939. Period as gunner with 66th Field Bde, Royal Artillery in GB, 1937-1938: joining Territorial Army, winter 1937-1938; training in GB; attitude of his employer to his mobilisation, 9/1939. Recollections of period as gunner with 75th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Artillery in GB, 1939-1940: issue of 3.7 inch anti-aircraft guns for defence of Bristol Docks; amusing story about misuse of battery telescope; discovery of his double hernia; how his commanding officer sorted out his rations whilst Mitchell was on sick leave; move to hutted camp in Gordano area; background to being placed on draft to Far East, 1940. Aspects of journey on draft from GB to Hong Kong, 1940: train journey across France to Marseilles; embarking on board RMS Andes. REEL 2 Continues: character of voyage aboard RMS Andes; problems encountered on being issued with a drill-only rifle; speed at which ship got to Hong Kong. Recollections of period as gunner with 5th Heavy Anti- Aircraft Regt, Royal Artillery in Hong Kong, 1940-1941: drafting to unit at Lai Moon Barracks, 1940; paying for services of Chinese servant; financial situation of troops; receiving seven days Confined to Barracks for allowing servant to clean his rifle; contrast between attitude of older and younger soldiers to treatment of servants; role of barrack servants; methods of drawing pay; low prices in Hong Kong; segregation of Europeans and Chinese on public transport and cinemas; troops keeping of Chinese girlfriends with the 'down-homer' system; consequences of contracting VD; faithfulness of 'down-homers' even when troops became POWs. REEL 3 Continues: lack of marriages between troops and Chinese; economic conditions in Hong Kong; different roles of gunners on artillery pieces; technique of keeping aircraft high by means of anti-aircraft fire; his volunteering for radar detection finding course; how he built a sailing boat; employment of Chinese servant to look after his boat. Recollections of operations as gunner with Headquarters, Fortress Command during Battle of Hong Kong, 12/1941: transfer to Fortress Command; duties on multi-phone; reaction to sight of civilian casualty; plan for defence of Hong Kong, 12/1941; under- estimation of Japanese forces; evacuation to Hong Kong Island. REEL 4 Continues: fall of Sai Won gun position and wounding of dispatch rider sent to confirm this; Japanese bayoneting of prisoners at Sai Won; behaviour of Sergeant-Major Soden under Japanese shell-fire; surrender to Japanese forces, 25/12/1941. Recollections of period as POW in Shamshuipo Camp, Hong Kong, 12/1941-10/1942: assembling for move to camp; sight of POW column from Stanley; incident of Chinese civilian who spat on POW and Japanese guard's reaction; marching into camp; conditions of Canadian POWs at North Point Camp; making camp habitable by POWs; initial mess POW cooks made in preparing rice; psychological effect of doctor announcement that rations insufficient to sustain health; effect of news of fall of Singapore; on work party at Kai Tak Airfield; sabotaging Japanese reward system; sabotage of drainage system on Kai Tak Airfield; escape attempts from camp; initial refusal to sign parole and how defiance was ended. REEL 5 Continues: first shipment of POWs to Hong Kong. Recollections of period as POW aboard Lisbon Maru on voyage from Hong Kong to Japan including sinking by submarine USS Grouper, 10/1942: question of legal aspects of Japanese transporting POWs with troops; conditions on board ship including diseases; death of Sergeant-Major Soden; reasons why he survived sinking; conditions for POWs after torpedoing; break out of POWs from after hold; sight he saw on emerging from middle hold; fate of Japanese guards left aboard; Japanese firing on survivors; attempt to swim to island; fate of survivors in water; Japanese Government's reaction to British Government's complaint about sinking; period on wharf side at Shanghai; embarking on board Shensui Maru for voyage to Japan. Recollections of period as POW in Kobe, Japan, 1942-1945: conditions on arrival in Japan and train journey to Kobe; lack of hostility from Japanese civilians towards POW during march through Kobe; allocation of bed spaces at camp in Kobe. REEL 6 Continues: POW obsession with rations; POW medical problems; kindness of POWs manning hospital; work unloading ships; conditions of POWs working in factory; methods of stealing food; story of 'Darkie' Hobson who owned up to stealing tinned fish; POW who hid sugar in pillow; medical problems experienced with his feet; medical treatment for his feet; reaction to sight of US Air Force high level bombing of Kobe; evacuation of camp and his move to northern Japan; work on dock side; psychological survival techniques; attempt by Australian POW to organise strike; Japanese treatment of strikers; news of dropping of atomic bombs, 8/1945. Recollections of liberation and return to GB, 1945: organisation of camp after VJ Day; US Air Force food drops to camp. REEL 7 Continues: contents of food containers; attitude to POWs burning of surplus food; reaction of POWs to encounter US troops at Yokohama; over-eating on voyage to Manila; conditions for former POWs in Manila; reasons for refusing to fly to GB; entertainment in Manila including Gracie Fields; voyage aboard HMS Implacable from Manila to Vancouver; conditions aboard Ile De France on voyage from Nova Scotia to Southampton including reactions of former POWs to serving of rice pudding; reception from Salvation Army in Southampton; conditions in camp for former POWs in camp. Reflections of period as POW in Hong Kong and Japan, 1941- 1945: question of after effects of period as POW; problems of mixing with civilians; joining British Limbless Ex-Servicemen's Association. REEL 8 Continues: activity with Bristol Branch of British Limbless Ex-Servicemen's Association and its benefits; attitude towards Japanese; role of Japanese atrocities and brutality in moulding his attitudes; attitude to dropping of atomic bombs on Japan, 1945; opinion of behaviour of British troops. Reads poem 'The Lisbon Maru'. Reads poem 'The Reunion'. Reads 'A Prisoner's Prayer'. Reads untitled poem about keeping boots in repair at Shamshuipo Camp. Reads poem 'Would You have Fought' about imaginary conversation between a boy and his former FEPOW grandfather.