Shiu Kee Yee 1904 - 1993
Thirty seven year old Colonel Shiu Kee Yee (S.K. Yee) known as S.K. by the British was educated at the University of Michigan was now Adm Chan Chak's number two in the Chinese Military Mission in Hong Kong. S.K. was instrumental in keeping the vast Chinese population of Hong Kong pro-British during the events leading up to and including the Japanese invasion of the Crown Colony.
Admiral Chan Chak had an office on the second floor, at 24-32 Queen's Road Central, the Asiatic Petroleum Company (APC) building better known as Shell House trading in stocks under the cover of Wah Kee & Co. [China & Company] in 1938. S.K Yee spoke fluent English without any accent [11] and was also working under cover as an insurance broker, with the British Police and intelligence service since the Japanese occupation of southern China assisting David MacDougall of the Ministry of Information (MoI) in matters of the Chinese public morale within the British colony.
When Hong Kong fell to the Japanese on Christmas Day 1941 Admiral Chan Chak's delegation had pre-arranged an escape plan with the British authorities by sea with the 2nd MTB Flotilla.
Adm Chan Chak ROC : "At about 3pm, received the phone call from the Hong Kong Governor, he told me that the torpedo boats were ready and asked me to lead the senior officers of the British army to Aberdeen, take the boats and flee Hong Kong." [6]
Maj Goring : "At 2.45pm on Christmas Day the Commodore strode into the operations room, picked up the phone, called Aberdeen Harbour, and gave orders that the motor torpedo-boats were to sail instantly.
I looked up from my work, and the Commodore smiled at me rather sadly. 'Sorry', he said 'but they've got to go at once. They'll be sailing in five minutes'.[17]
Goring was busy with organising the surrender, so ordered the other officers who had permission to take a chance to make their way quickly down to Queens Road and meet the Chan Chak party. Captain Peter Macmillan went up to Chan's office in Shell House to collect the Admiral and his party.[30]
Left: HMS Cornflower launch that the Chan Chak pary escaped on.
Arriving in Aberdeen they learned of the surrender and were disappointed that the flotilla was nowhere to be seen. Major Goring arrived soon after, and finding a small launch at the pier being worked on by some navy ratings decided to make good their escape with it.
Upon leaving Aberdeen harbour they were soon spotted by some Japanese soldiers who opened fire hitting several onboard and the engine. The escape party abandoned the launch under a hail of machine-gun fire opposite what is now known as Ap-Lei-Pai the islet off the end of Aberdeen Island (Ap-Lei_Chau). Admiral Chan Chak was hit in his helmet and arm after he had removed his wooden leg, allegedly containing some $40.000.
Adm Chan Chak: "The Danish steer man was the first one shot, then the engineer. MacDougall and others were wounded. Most of the stray bullets had hit the boat and even some had hit my helmet.
Hsu was very wary about me the “One Foot Admiral of 50” swimming such a far distance.
I insisted to carry my own gun and passport. Yeung could not swim and he suggested that we should go back to Hong Kong. “Going back means surrender. I would rather die!” I said.
I took off my life preserver (which was the last one on board) and gave it to Yeung. As I raised my hand, a stray bullet went
right through my left hand.
Yeung didn’t say anything anymore, he just jumped into the sea, followed by MacDougall with his wounded back.
YeeSiu-Kee and 2 other British soldiers had to remain on the boat. Yee could not swim and the 2 soldiers were badly wounded.
We were all sitting ducks in the water and non-stop bullets were flying everywhere.
I finally swam ashore on the small island right next to Apliechau." [6]
Left: Photo from Maj Goring's daring-do article on the escape published in 1949. [17]
S.K. claimed he could not swim and elected to stay onboard as Chan and the others swam towards the islet under a hail of machine-gun fire.
Adm Chan Chak ROC : "Hsu helped me in the water; we were both trying very hard to reach the shores of Ap-Lei-Chou. Ye-Siu-Ki and 2 other British soldiers had to remain on the boat. Ye could not swim and the 2 soldiers were badly wounded. [6]
Along with S.K. were two severely wounded volunteer crew left in the boat, the tall forty seven year old Jutlander, Alec (Alexis) Damsgaard, late Master of the C.S. Store Nordiske, & Sub-Lt J. J. Forster HKRNVR from Northern Ireland. After drifting all night S.K. bribed a junk man to take the two wounded to a hospital.
S.K. Yee: "I put the two others on a junk, asking the fishermen to take them to a hospital on the mainland (Hong Kong).
I was kept some days at Pak Sha wan and subsequently I had to return to the church at Apliechau, which was under the Reverend Cheng. I took shelter at the church for some days before making my final escape to Free China." [62]
S.K, now wearing Hsu Heng (Henry)'s shoes and clutching his bible bible, sought refuge with the Reverend Cheng in the Harbour Mission Church on Ap Lei Pai opposite Aberdeen. He eventually made his way to Kukong in free China where Chan Chak was still recovering. SK arrived on 5th February 1942 still wearing Hsu Heng (Henry)'s shoes, only to leave two days later as mysteriously as he had arrived after falling out with Chan over the allegedly missing $40.000 (£2,500 GBP) They remained bitter opponents for the rest of Chan's life.
Admiral Chan Chak and Colonel S.K. Yee led the internal war on the 5th Columnists from the front, killing hundreds personally.
Hong Kong had been ordered by the Imperial government in Londondon to extract the Chinese Military Council led by Admiral Chan Chak back to Free China at all costs.
General Yee Shiu Kee, Chinese Peoples Army, was appointed an Honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 16th July 1942. He was presented with the award by His Majesty King George VI's Representative at Chungking, Sir Horace Seymour the British Ambassador to China on 24th October 1942. [62]
The Cornflower launch survivors
Back row: Supt. Bill Robinson, W. O. William M Wright HKRNVR, Capt. Peter Macmillan R. A., Capt. Reginald Guest 1st Mdsx, Coxswain Yeung Chuen ROC, Ted Ross MoI>
2nd row: David MacDougall MoI, Adm Chan Chak ROC, Major Arthur Goring Probyns Horse, Sq-Ldr. Max Oxford RAF
1st row: Cadet Holger Christensen, Lt-Cmd Hsu Heng (Henry) ROC.
Photo from Chan Chak collection ©
The four who were wounded, killed, captured or escaped seperately
Alexis Damsgaard wounded POW. JJ Forster died of wounds. D Harley wounded/drowned. SK Yee escaped seperately
After the war SK returned to Hong Kong working in the transport division for the British Military Mission alongside fellow escapee Ted Ross, whose former boss in the MoI, David MacDougall, had returned as Brigadier Colonial Secretary. Max Oxford also returned as Deputy director of kai Tak airport. He remained life-long friends with them.[29] His former boss Admiral Chan Chak became the first post war Mayor of Canton.
SK went into banking with the independent United Chinese Bank in Hong Kong, now The Bank of East Asia Ltd. Shiu Kee Yee. passd away 25th April 1993
Members of the Christmas Day escape who returned to help rebuild the Colonony of Hong Kong after its return to British control in 1945 included
- David MacDougall Returned on 7th September 1945 as Brigadier Colonial Secretary with the Military Administration. Mac took early retirement in 1949 to take up farming in Suffolk, East Anglia, UK.
- Ted Ross Returned briefly with the British Military Mission before going on to Japan in 1946 where he worked closely with Douglas MacArther's administration. Ted returned to Hong Kong in 1951 following a year long round the world honeymoon with his bride, staying untill 1965.
- S K Yee Returned with the British Military Mission before going into banking then forming the S.K. Yee Medical Foundation
- Lt-Cmd Henry Hsu ROC Returned after retiring as Vice Admiral ROC, in business then became an international hotelier based in Hong Kong
- Colonel Harry Owen-Hughes Returned to work in D M MacDougall's administration & as Commandant of the post war HKVDC
- Lt Arthur Pittendrigh Returned to HK in 1945 to command the Maritime Police Service with the rank of Colonel.
- Lt Tommy Parsons Returned to Jardine Matheson's
- Sub-Lt Arthur Gee Returned as night editor of The China Mail
- Sq-Ldr Max Oxford RAF Returned in mid October 1945 as Deputy Director of Kai Tak International Airport
- F W (Mike) Kendall Returned working for the Philippines Airline and was based in both HK and Manila
- Monia (John) Talan Returned to run a travel business before going into laundry.
- Colin McEwan Returned as Director of physical education
- Guerrilla leader Leung Wingyuen was appointed as Colonel Advisor in the Chan Chak administration in Canton. [6]
- Admiral Chan Chak was appointed to be the first post-war Mayor of neighbouring Canton on 1st April1945. The following year he resigned to become the first post war C-in-C South China Navy. [6] [85]
The SOE escape team
Mike Kendall
Colin McEwan
[John] Monia Talan
In November 1983 he set up the S.K. Yee Medical Foundation with the considerable wealth he had built up from his banking career.
His wife Hannah founded the Hong Kong Family Planning Association.
Although he married a German-trained Methodist minister's daughter (one of seven) Hannah (Hu Zhujun), a medical doctor he met in the USA, they did not have any children. However his nephew (by marriage) Richard Hu Bellamy went on to become a celebrated New York art dealer in the 1960's. [75] SK was referred to simply as "The General" locally.
Research and web publication by Buddy Hide Jnr ©
The contents of this web site led to a considerable number of escapee families contacting me and now each other, and remains the principle source of contact and private information for the spin off projects that have followed. The personal accounts enabled me to record the complete and true account of this remarkable episode of Sino-British war time co-operation. The information compiled here has directly resulted in a museum exhibition in Hong Kong, a re-enactment of the escape in Hong Kong and China, with a movie drama and documentary in the making.
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