Admiral Chan Chak with Cmdr Hugh Montague RN (Rtrd) / Coxswain Yeung Chuen at Kukong. Centre: The Admiral again after the war. Right: Being greeted in Kukong.
Admiral Chan Chak was featured on the front page of the British Daily Express during the escape along with Cmdr Montague
The New Zealand Presbyterian Church Methodist Mission at Kukong was run by Peredur Jones and his wife Muriel with a staff of
six missionaries and their wives. Located on the west bank where the rivers Mo Shui & the Ching Shui merged.
"At the southern end of this shanty town, there were two Christian Mission stations; one was Catholic, operating a school by the Salesian Fathers; the other was Protestant, operating a sizable hospital by the Methodist. The latter, the "Ho Sai" Hospital, literally meant the Hospital on the West Bank, was well staff and well run. The medical superintendent of the hospital was a New Zealander of Irish origin. He was Dr. S. H. Moore. Assisting him was a team of good Chinese doctors, backed up by a nursing school. It was perhaps the one and only really decent and dependable hospital in the whole of war time South China. Along with Dr. Moore, were a few European Missionaries, doing their evangelical work. To reach the mission from downtown Kukong, one had to cross the Western River, by one of the two pontoon bridges, and then walk southwards for about 15 minutes. Inside the hospital campus, there were built, apart from the main hospital buildings for wards and for nurses quarters, three blocks of two storied European style buildings; one was the Medical Superintendent's Living quarters; one was for the Chinese Assistant Medical Officers; and the other for the expatriate Missionaries. In between the blocks, were well tended gardens. In the Medical Superintendent's Quarters, there was a spare guest room"45.
It was here that Admiral Chan Chak finally had the bullet
removed from his wrist by Dr S H Moore (Mooi) at the "Ho Sai" hospital. The Admiral kept the bullet and had it mounted on a gold chain which he wore from his left lapel. " Mooi had removed the bullet from his wrist but he had haemorrhaged from a gastric ulcer which was no longer quiescent due to congratulatory feasts en route to Kukong. He was given a blood transfusion directly from Peredur Jones, our Welsh missionary, whom he later rewarded with a bottle of whisky".21. After his surgery Admiral Chan Chak stayed as a guest in Dr Moore's young daughter's bedroom decorated with Mother Goose posters, receiving many VIP visitors including a decoration from President Chiang Kai Shek. "After the arrival of the sixty-five men, the next group of escapees from Hong Kong was headed by Colonel Lindsay Ride, Professor of Physiology at Hong Kong University, with two other university lecturers and Francis Lee, one of his Chinese students. Colonel Ride joined Harry Owen Hughes in the spare bedroom and it was there that the British Army Aid Group was born, a type of Ml6 organisation whose first objective was to organise en masse escapes from the prison camps in Hong Kong"21. Gen Chiang, David M MacDougall, Cmdr Hugh M Montague RN, General Yu Han Mow, Admiral Chan Chak, Col Owen H Hughes, & Gen Wong at Shaoguan 7th January 1942 Admiral Chan Chak kept the bullet removed from his left wrist, and had it mounted on a gold chain to wear on his lapel as a permanent reminder of his incredible escape from Hong Kong. After the war Chan became the first post war Mayor of Canton. Chan's exploits during the 18 day battle and the epic escape are the stuff of legend. He became known as the Nelson of the Far East after the legendary Admiral Lord Nelson. The bullet that was removed from Admiral Chan Chak's wrist along with his pocket watch. The Author, Buddy Hide's son Richard with Admiral Chan Chak's son Donald Chan Having met Donald and Mason Chan back in 1999 and many times since, I would like to express my pleasure in meeting and becoming friends with such nice people. They came to my part of the World and insisted on wining and dining me as a token of their and the whole Chan family including Henry Hsu's
appreciation for the research and effort in building and publishing this web site. Let me say it has been my pleasure, it has been a fascinating journey researching the events that led up to and including the epic escape from Hong Kong on Christmas day 1941. This all started with a short newspaper article and a few photos with minimum detail after the death of my father in 1977. I never in my wildest dreams imagined the huge response I was to get when I published the original one page website requesting information all those years ago. I have had hundreds of Emails from all over the World from survivors and 2nd & 3rd generation descendants of those involved. I thank you all. Without the strength and resourcefulness of Admiral Chan Chak I would not be here today. I am pleased that his extended family down the generations have had the pleasure of reading about their forefather who was a giant amongst men. May you all enjoy a healthy, happy, and extended life. The 6.5mm bullet removed from Admiral Chan Chak's wrist in Kukong The 6.5mm bullet removed from Admiral Chan Chak's wrist in Kukong Admiral Chan Chak's pocket watch & the bullet removed from his wrist, the bullet was a 6.5mm used in the standard Type 96 Japanese light machine-gun which only had a ground level range of 600 yards (550m) A portrait of Chan while Mayor of Canton in 1945 with the bullet removed from his wrist on a gold chain on his left lapel. The KBE presented to Admiral Chan Chak. Click here to read some tributes to Admiral Chan Chak Chan Chak became the first post war Mayor of Canton after the Japanese surrender in 1945. He held this post for two years. His death was announced unexpectedly on 1st September 1949 aged 56 in Canton. On August 31, 1949, Chan had a party at his residence. His wife Leung Siu Chee who he had married in 1925 had just passed away two months earlier in Hong Kong. Amongst the guests at Chan's party was Leung Wingyuen who of course had aided in the Admiral's escape in 1941. The following day Chan was found dead, he had suffered stomach ulcers during the escape and the doctor said it had flared up and burst. Chan Chak was promoted to full Admiral and was given a state funeral and buried with full Military Honours in Canton attended by over five hundred military and Government officials. . In 1930 he was promoted to Rear Admiral and Commander In Chief of the Chinese Navy by Dr. Sun Yat Sun Admiral Chan Chak's parents Chan Hiu Shan (陳曉山) and Ng Lin (吳蓮) Chan Chak was born in 1895 in Shakong village in Wenchang city, King Shan County, Hainan China. When Chan was three his father took him to Singapore to make a living. His father was a messenger between Hoi Nan and Singapore. He also pulled the rickshaw on the side. Chan came back to his homeland at 8. By then he had two brothers. He became the leader of the village boys. When they played battle games, he won constantly. Although Chen's family was very poor, he was fortunate to attend primary school. He was a high achiever and a hard worker. Chen used all his pocket money towards books. He also attended secondary school. In 1911 he joined Tongmenhui (“Alliance Society”) (同盟會), a revolutionary coalition led by Dr. Sun Yat Sen (孫中山) with the goal of overthrowing the Qing Dynasty. After the military uprising in Wuchang (武昌起義) on October 10, 1911, the revolutionary forces were successful in ending over 2000 years of Imperial rule.
Sun Yat Sen was then elected President of the Provisional Government, and on January 1, 1912 the Republic of China was officially established. After the establishment of the Republic of China, the country was greatly divided by different military leaders, warlords. While the Southern provinces were supporters of Sun Yat Sen, most of the Northern provinces were under Yuan ShiKai (袁世凱). Yuan Sai Kai had died in 1916, and by 1921 Sun had returned to Canton from Shanghai and became “Extraordinary President” of Southern Military Government. Sun appointed Chan Jiong Ming as governor of Guangdong province. Chan Jiong Ming, who had been a follower of Sun, now differed with Sun. Sun was focused on unification of the country by mounting a military expedition against the Northern militarists (Northern Expedition), while Chan Jiong Ming wanted a ‘federalist’ approach, i.e. “Guangdong people govern Guangdong”. They parted ways. In June 1922 Chan Jiong Ming rebelled and attacked Sun’s presidential palace and forced Sun to seek safety on board Yung Fung warship (永豐艦), escorted safely by Chan Chak and other loyal followers. Chan lost his leg as a young man after cutting his foot and failing to get medical treatment, it became infected and finally he had to have his leg amputated. Wing Commander Max Oxford , Admiral Chan Chak K.B.E., & Commander Henry Heng Hsu O.B.E. on 17th March 1944 Admiral Chan Chak accepting the Japanese instrument of surrender in Canton, 3rd September 1945 51 and with Lt-Col Dick Hooper behind leaving the surrender ceremony. The one eyed & one armed Lt-General Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart, VC, KBE, CB, CMG, DSO who was Winston Churchill's representative to Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek with the one legged legendary Chinese Admiral Chan Chak KBE and other British and Chinese Military officials after de Wiart arrived in Chungking in early December 1943 Admiral Chan Chak with officials including Hong Kong Governor Sir Marc Young who returned as Governor on 1st May 1946, and Major-General Alexander Patrick Drummond Telfer-Smollett ??, C-in-C International Garrison Shanghai, China 1937-1939 which included the 1st Battalion, Durham Light Infantry (The DLI Association site) An exhibition in the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence is on display to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the incredible escape led by this legendary figure. A post war photo of Admiral Chan Chak with Major-General Alexander Patrick Drummond Telfer-Smollett ??, C-in-C International Garrison Shanghai, China 1937-1939 which included the 1st Battalion, Durham Light Infantry (Photos in Shanghai & Peking 1937) Up Admiral Chan Chak's unexpected earl death on 1st September 1949 he was afforded a full military funeral after lying in state in Canton where he had been the first post war Mayor. Tributes to Admiral Chan Chak KBE CN HERO Vice-Chairman Duncan On Pong Chan 29th Nov 1934 - 2nd Nov 2009 Duncan is buried at the Tsun Wan Cemetery alongside his father Admiral Chan Chak KBE CN RIP 
Photo from Admiral Chan Chak's collection ©
Photo from Russell Joyce, grandson of A/B Les Barker MTB 11 ©
His group of Northern military leaders were known as Beiyang army. Long Jin Guang (龍覲光), an official in Guangdong, and his brother Long Jin Guang (龍濟光) were all Yuan’s men, and there was a well known incident when Chan Chak and his fellow naval students threw grenades trying to assassinate Long Jin Guang while Long came to the naval school for inspection. Long was seriously wounded but not dead. Chan Chak etc. went into hiding for a few days before returning to the school. In 1914 Chan Chak recruited 20 some fellow pro-Sun students to orchestrate a daring capture of Long’s flagship. They bravely and successfully also took Baupi ship, as well as the nearby Kanghung ship. They went straight toward Long’s government mansion, but were outnumbered by Long’s army as well as several gunboats. Defeated, Chan Chak escaped to Hong Kong. Later in 1915 he returned to Canton to resume his naval studies and graduated – at that time he was only 21 years old. Remarkable bravery and heroism at such a young age!
A naval battle ensued. Sun was at Yung Fung warship for 50 some days, under the loyal, safe protection of Chan Chak. In the end Chan Jiongming recaptured Canton and forced Sun to flee to Hong Kong enroute to Shanghai. This famous incident demonstrates Chan Chak’s heroism and loyalty to Sun Yat Sen. Later Yung Fung warship (永豐艦) was renamed Zhong Shan warship (中山艦) in honour of Sun.6
Photo from Admiral Chan Chak's collection ©
Photo from Admiral Chan Chak's collection ©
Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence
