Escape from Hong Kong - The Final Hours

D M MacDougall 1904 - 1991

Mr. D. M. MacDougall, Cadet Officer, was seconded to the Colonial Office 1st February, 1937.

David MacDougall of the Ministry of information, escaped along with his assistant Ted Ross from Aberdeen in HMS Cornflower's motor launch under heavy machine gun and mortar fire before joining up with the 2nd MTB Flotilla on the South West of Ap Lei Chau Island.

Some of David's personal letters from his time in Hong Kong, including his experience escaping in HMS Cornflower's launch from Aberdeen give a detailed insite into the events of Christmas Day 1941.²⁸

The Ministry of Information (MoI) was a Government department to maintain public morale through the use of publicity and propaganda via the media. Home intelligence was a department within the MoI used to observe the public and monitor their mood, gathering intelligence from the likes of shop keepers, publicans, clergymen, shop stewards, as well as G.Ps, letter opening and phone tapping. The MoI also produced propaganda films for public showing. Admiral Chan Chak and his liasion party were brought in to work with Mac in keeping the majority Chinese population onboard.

Admiral Chan Chak had set up office in the Asiatic Petroleum Company building (APC) better known as Shell House in Queens Road trading in stocks under the cover of Wah Kee & Co. [China & Company] in 1938. He was in fact working under cover 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.⁴³ He also had a private office on the fourth floor of the Pedder building in Pedder Street next door to the Gloucester hotel. Their task was to co-ordinate the activities of the Nationalist agents, many of whom were northern Triad members, feeding the Chinese population, & keeping morale up as well as winkling out Japanese sympathizers. Admiral Chan Chak the Sino-British C-In-C was the Commander of the Chinese 4th Naval Squadron, his staff consisted of Colonel Yee Shiu Kee of the Chinese Secret Service,  Flag Lt-Commander Henry Heng Hsu his ADC, and Coxswain Yeung Chuen his bodyguard.

In 1944 he was appointed head of the Hong Kong Planning Unit within the authority of the Colonial Office. The unit was eventually incorporated into the armed forces as civil affairs staff, and MacDougall given the rank of Brigadier. Thus began a game of political chess with the Americans and Chinese for the restoration of British Sovereignty in Hong Kong as the prize.

He returned as Brigadier Colonial Secretary, Hong Kong 1945 - 1949, and was acting Governor from May 1947 - 25 Jul 1947

David sailed for Hong Kong as a cadet within the British Colonial service in 1928 aged 23. He had very strong views and was not at all comfortable with Colonialalism refusing to aquire a sword or uniform. As well as achieving academically he excelled at sports winning awards for Golf, Rugby, and tennis. He was an ardent reader of the Polish author Joseph Conrad which inspired him to travel. He was a modest man and learnt Cantonese fluently and a little Mandarin which put him in good stead for his post-war posting as Brigadier Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong. David socialised and played tennis with Admiral Chan Chak, the President of the Southern Kuomintang Nationalists party in the pre-war years. Brigadier David MacDougall arrived back in Hong Kong on 7th September 1945 and witnessed the surrender to Admiral Harcourt in Government House on the 16th September.  Harcourt was head of the military administration with MacDougall looking after the civil administration. MacDougall was responsible to Harcourt ‘on matters which the Admiralty’ or War Office had an interest and to ‘the Secretary of State for the Colonies with regard to other matters’. Even for affairs in the latter category, MacDougall had to report through Harcourt and the Admiralty as Harcourt was given the right ‘to make such comment on such communication’ as he saw fit on grounds of military consideration. Harcourt gave support to MacDougall, which enabled him to focus his limited resources dealing with Hong Kong’s urgent needs. He quickly restored the administration in Hong Kong to a level of efficiency that made it the most shining example of all the territories liberated from the Japanese.

Among his staff were Lt-Colonel Owen-Hughes & Lt-Colonel Arthur Pittendrigh of the great escape on Christmas Day 1941 He focussed on the immediate needs of the Colony, feeding the local population and maintaining stability. Two months in and he still only had 18% of the required administrative staff needed. He was a doer, and believed in getting on with the job and informing London afterwards, this kept bureaucracy down to a minimum and kept the momentum going. He inspired all who worked with him to take initiatives and responsibilities in finding practical solutions to problems they encountered. Many who served in the eight month military administration stayed on in Government and declared it was one of the most rewarding times in their Colonial administrative careers.

Other Christmas Day escapees to return included Max Oxford as Deputy Director of Civil Aviation, SOE agents Colin McEwan as Head of the Physical training Department and John Talan as a director of a laundry business. Arthur Gee also returned to his pre-war employers as night editor on the China Mail. Admiral Chan Chak became the first post-war mayor of neighbouring Canton.

 

The Gloucester Hotel in Queens Road on the corner with Pedder Street, where David MacDougall had set up his office next door to Admiral Chan Chak's office in the Pedder Building.

Photo from C J Collingwood collection ©

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back: Supt. Bill Robinson I.P., W. O. William M Wright HKRNVR, Capt. Peter Macmillan R.A.,Capt. Reginold Guest 1st Mdsx, Coxswain Yeung Chuen CN, Ted Ross MoI.

2nd: David MacDougall MoI, Admiral Chan Chak CN, Major Arthur Goring Probyns Horse, Sq-Ldr. Max Oxford RAF

1st: Cadet Holgar Christiansen MN, Lt-Cmdr Henry Heng Hsu CN.

Photo from Ted Ross collection ©

 

 

Admiral Chan Chak and David MacDougall were treated by Dr So for their bullet wounds while the party rested at the former American Seventh Day Adentists Wai On hospital complex by the river in Waichow.⁴²

 

 

 

David MacDougall, Admiral Chan Chak (Mayoy of Canton) and Wing Commander Max Oxford

Photo from the Oxford collection ©

 

 

 

 

Photo from the MacDougall family collection ©

David MacDougall socialising with the Chan & Hsu families in Hong Kong 1969

 

 

 

 

 

General Chiang, David MacDougall, Commander Hugh Montague RN, General Yu Han Mow, Admiral Chan Chak, Lt-Colonel Owen H Hughes, and General Wong at Kukong [Shaoguan] 6th January 1942.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"David retired from the Colonial Service and farmed in Suffolk until the late 1960s. Latterly he divided his time between East Anglia and Scotland, and passed away in Strathtay, very close to his home town of Perth, in May 1991 at the age of 86.”