Escape from Hong Kong - The Final Hours

Prest was "Mentioned in Despatches" for his action in Kowloon Harbour on the 19th December 1941.

4448 SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 13 OCTOBER, 1942

Jix Prest onboard the armed merchant cruiser (P&O-RMS) 'Narcunda' homeward bound in April 1942

Photo from Ron Ashby's collection ©

John was absent from the iconic group photo taken in Waichow on the 30th December 1941 having gone down with dysentery.

After 3000 miles travelling overland through China and Burma he arrived in a deserted Rangoon. After five weeks he left onboard the Armed Merchant Cruiser Heinrich Jessen bound for Calcutta along with Lt-Cmdr Gandy, Lt Collingwood, Lt Ashby & Jix Prest, Buddy Hide, Charlie Evans, Al Rutter, John pawley, Jack Holt, Les Barker, Ron Priestley, and others. From Calcutta it was a thirty six hour train journey across the Indian sub-continent to Bombay where they boarded the armed merchant cruiser "Narkunda" bound for Durban where they took onboard 657 Italian POW's before shaping course for Cape Town.

Lt Kennedy onboard the 'Larconia' in Cape Town wrote, "The 'Laconia' was followed into harbour by another troopship, the 'Narkunda', and to our surprise Gandy and the other half of the M.T.B. party were on board. The 'Laconia' party received a warm welcome, perhaps not so much as old ship-mates but as extra hands to share duties of guarding the six hundred Italian prisoners-of war being taken to England in the ship". On board the 'Narkunda' the MTB party was almost complete." ^[9] We set sail again on the 19th April, but had to return due to engine trouble. This time we anchored in Table Bay with no ships boats for a run ashore. We finally got under way on the 28th with a ten-day passage to Freetown.

After leaving Freetown they had to sleep fully dressed as they negotiated the U-boat packs in the north Atlantic continuously zigzagging enroute for the UK. Gandy, Ashby, & Kennedy along with 27 ratings finally arrived in the King George V dock, Sheildhall, Glasgow late afternoon on Friday 22^nd May 1942 onboard the "Narkunda".^[15]

Sub-Lt Brewer with Tel Chris Meadows, Cox P.O. Prest & S.P.O. Moore arriving in Shaoguan (Kukong) 6th january 1942.

C.P.O. Thums, S.P.O. Moore, A/B Downey, & Cox P.O. Jixer Prest in Kukong.

The crew of MTB 07 in Kowloon 1940

• Lt: R.R.W. Ashby DSC
• Sub-Lt: ???
• P.O. Coxswain: John.W. Prest P/JX.128494 [MiD]
• Telegraphist: T.G. Duckworth [killed 19th Dec 41 MiD]
• A/S.P.O.: S.J. Hide P/KX.82873 [MiD] Joined MTB 07 on 1st January 1940
• Leading Stoker: R. Barker [Killed 19th Dec 41]
• A/B: Albert E Rutter
• A/B: Pawley
• A/B Stoker: G. [Bones]Arnold [C/JX.154986]

Photo from Buddy Hide's collection ©

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

Coxswain Petty Officer John W Prest was too ill to attend the Waichow group photo. These photos were taken by his Skipper Lt Ashby on the way back to the UK from Bombay onboard the AMC "Narkunda" which sailed from Bombay on the 26th March 1942 at 15:30 hrs along with survivors from HMS Repulse and Prince of Wales. After stopping at Durban, we took onboard over 500 Italian POWs before shaping course for Cape Town, arriving on Sunday 12th April. The "Laconia" was just ahead of us and to Lt Kennedy and fifteen ratings were aboard her. ⁹ They then joined us on the "Narcunda" and we set sail again on the 19th April, but had to return due to engine trouble. This time we anchored in Table Bay with no ships boats for a run ashore. We finally got under way on the 28th with a ten-day passage to Freetown. Three officers & 28 ratings finally arrived in Glasgow late afternoon on Friday 22nd May 1942. ¹⁵

Photo from Ron Ashby's collection ©

A/B Al Downey, Cox P.O. Jixer Prest, & ?? arrive in Shaoguan (Kukong) 6th January 1942

Coxswain P.O. Prest with Tel A/B Purchase onboard MTB 07

Photo from Ron Ashby's collection ©

MTB 07 on patrol with the 2nd MTB Flotilla in Tathong Channel Hong Kong

Photo from Buddy Hide's collection ©

Photo from Ron Ashby's collection ©

Jix Prest with the crew of MTB 07

Photo from Ron Ashby's collection ©

MTBs 07 & 09 Hiding in Telegraph Bay

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.

Photo from Ron Ashby's collection ©

MTBs 07 & 09 hiding at the dairy farm pier in Telegraph Bay on Christmas Day just hours before the escape that evening.