Escape from Hong Kong - The Final Hours

**/**/1914 - **/**/1965

 

 

 

A/Sub-Lt Gee with Lt Collingwood's dog Bruce at Waichow 30th December 1941.

Photo from Buddy Hide's collection ©

Acting Sub-Lt Gee had replaced Sub-Lt G S McGill on 07 who was later lost in action on MTB 12 on 19th December 1941.

Sub-Lt Gee manned a stripped down Lewis Gun on the conning tower of MTB 07 when they led the daylight attack on the Japanese crossing from Kowloon to North Point on Hong Kong Island on 19th December 1941.

Sub-Lt Arthur Gee was born in Hong Kong in 1914 and was brought up in Shanghai along with his sister by their father, a Customs and Excise officer. Arthur later returned to Hong Kong to work on the China Mail as a journalist and witnessed the Japanese bombing of China. On the outbreak of war Arthur joined the HKRNVR as an Acting Sub- Lieutenant and replaced Sub-Lt McGill on MTB 07 just prior to the Japanese invasion. During the escape Arthur was seconded along with Sub-Lt Legge to work on cyphers at the British Embassy in Chungking. In June 1942 he was seconded to the Army until October. Enroute to the UK the ship was torpedoed and Arthur was adrift in a waterlogged raft splashing the water to keep the marauding sharks at bay. He was commissioned into the Imperial RNVR and in 1944 he served as 1st Officer on ML 237 and married. After the war Arthur returned to Hong Kong as night editor on the China Mail. Among others in the Christmas Day escape to return were Arthur Pittendrigh along with Harry Owen-Hughes who both joined Colonial Secretary David MacDougall's team getting Hong Kong running as a going concern again after the Japanese occupation. Also to return were Max Oxford as the Deputy Director of Civil Aviation, SOE agents Colin McEwan as Head of Physical Training and John Talan who went back into the travel sector before becoming a Director of a laundry business. Admiral Chan Chak became the first post-war mayor of neighbouring Canton. Later Arthur moved to Canada and after a while joined the Royal Canadian Air Force as a Flight Lieutenant ground crew. Here his skills in cypher were utilised and he went on to become an expert in Nuclear Warfare before he was medically discharged from the RCAF. Arthur then came back to England where he worked for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office as a Cypher Officer. Arthur passed away prematurely aged 51 in 1965 survived by one son & daughter.

 

 

Back Row: Lt Kennedy RNVR, Lt-Cmdr Henry Hsu CN, Lt-Cmdr Gandy RN (Rtrd), Lt-Cmdr Yorath RN (Rtrd), Supt Robinson Indian Police, Lt Parsons HKRNVR, Lt Ashby HKRNVR, Lt Collingwood RN,

Front Row: Sub-Lt Gee HKRNVR, Sub-Lt Brewer HKRNVR, Sub-Lt Legge HKRNVR, and nurses at Waichow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hiding in Telegraph Bay on Christmas day prior to the escape that evening.

 

 

 

 

Photo from Ron Ashby's collection ©

MTB 07 alongside the stone pier with 09 covered in straw and branches hiding from enemy aircraft in Telegraph Bay on the day of the escape, Christmas day 1941. 07 still has a full complement of depth charges on deck.

A 1/24 scale model of MTB 07 takes to the water in 2009 in memory of Lt Ron Ashby & the crew. MTB 07 on patrol in Hong Kong

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sub-Lt George Spedding McGill HKRNVR

 

 

Sub-Lt McGill on 07. He later transferred to 12 & subsequently lost his life when 12 took a direct hit on the Bridge weilding a stripped down Lewis Gun on the 19th December 1941.

 

 

Photo from C.J Collingwood & Ron Ashby's collections ©

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo from Buddy Hide's collection ©

Sub-Lt G S McGill on the bridge of MTB 07

McGill was lost in action on MTB 12 on 19th Dec 1941

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The crew of MTB 07 on patrol in 1940.

Photo from Ron Ashby's collection ©

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sub-Lt McGill on 07. He later transferred to 12 & subsequently lost his life when 12 took a direct hit on the bridge on the 19th Dec 1941.

Photo from Ron Ashby's collection ©

 

 

 

 

Sub-Lt McGill on the conning tower of MTB 07

 

 

 

MTB 07 Ship's Fair Log reads:

Thurs Oct 16th.
2025.
Slipped "Tern" proceeded past Lamg Tong point to intercept destroyer coming in from Ninepins. Sea 5, wind 5, no attack made, returned to harbour when Ist Lieut was injured and damage sustained by boat owing to extremely bad weather.

To read more on S-Lt Gee click here

Kweiyang 26th January 1942

Some of the Officers enjoying a day out in Kweiyang with their female hosts including Dr Lim's 15 year old daughter Effie in the tartan kilt. Sub-Lt's Gee & Legge were both brought up in Shanghai and spoke Mandarin.

The officers left to right are Sub-Lt Gee [MTB 07], Sub-Lt Brewer [MTB 09], Sub-Lt Legge [MTB 11], Lt Parsons [MTB 27], & Lt Alexander Kennedy of MTB 09, the author of the privately published book "Hong Kong Full Circle 1939-1945".

Photo from Alex Kennedy's collection ©