About Judy
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www.judymaxwell.com

Hong Kong is an incredible treat for the senses. In a region less than half the size of Greater Vancouver, with three times the population (almost 7 million), the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong is a dynamic concentration of chaotic traffic, contrasting architecture, and teeming crowds of people. With a British colonial past and a reputation as a major international crossroad, Hong Kong seems more familiar than foreign. And although English continues to be widely used in public domains, Cantonese serves as the lingua franca for most Chinese people in the region. Other than the lack of street signs, getting around is uncomplicated. Safety isn't a concern, and the efficiency of the subways and buses is impressive. Taxis are an accessible alternative, and very inexpensive. (The way the drivers manage the hilly labyrinth of narrow, twisting streets with such dexterity is quite amazing.) The semi-tropical November climate (28°C, 90% humidity) was a welcome relief from chilly Vancouver weather, and it helped to make my adventure enjoyable. What a great experience!

It was more than twenty years ago when I last visited this dynamic metropolis, so I wanted to make sure that I took in as much as possible. Not only did I tour much of the city independently, but I went on a guided tour given by my knowledgeable architect-friend. Because of Daniel's profession and his keen interest in structural design, he shared intricate and lesser-known details of the city's ever-changing skyline and its most modern structures. We toured Central, Soho, and Causeway Bay together, and I saw an interesting esthetic combination of colonial buildings, impressive skyscrapers and high-rise apartments, crumbling shantytowns, and traditional Chinese structures. In addition, he explained that only 250 semi-detached European-style houses remain. He also made a point of saying that despite Hong Kong's popular image as a place crammed with high-rise apartments and office buildings, in reality, more than a third of the region is parkland or undeveloped greenery. All these facts and every commanding, panoramic view provided me with a deep appreciation for this exhilarating city.

But the purpose of my visit wasn't pleasure; it was for research purposes. As a graduate student in Chinese Canadian History at the University of British Columbia and a Research Associate of the Chinese Canadian Military Museum, my focus wasn't to sightsee, but, primarily, to attend an important talk at the History Department of Hong Kong University (HKU), and to meet the Curators of the Hong Kong Museums of History and Coastal Defence. I purposely timed my trip to coincide with other events that I wanted to participate in, such as the observance of Remembrance Day, the statue unveiling of Sun Yat-sen to celebrate his 137th birth year (he was a graduate of HKU Medical School), and a brief visit to Guangdong province in South China.

A few days after I arrived in Hong Kong, I attended the Remembrance Day ceremonies. This was very important to me since my research is on the Chinese Canadian veterans from World War II, and because I have a special interest in military history. At Statue Square in Central, where the cenotaph war memorial is located, there was an elaborate ceremony with high-ranking multinational military officials, politicians, and elderly World War II veterans and their families. The ceremonies were very similar to commemorations that I have attended in Canada, however, there is one big difference: Hong Kong was a war zone during World War II.

Starting in late 1941, Hong Kong experienced tremendous violence and destruction by the Japanese Army: mass bombings of cities, civilian casualties, and a reign of terror on the survivors. Little known, but of considerable importance, is that Canada's Winnipeg Grenadiers and Quebec Royal Rifles (2000 altogether) helped to defend Britain's colony. When the region fell to the Japanese on 25 December 1941, the surviving Canadians became prisoners of war. In captivity, these men dwindled in numbers until the Japanese surrendered and Hong Kong was liberated on 30 August 1945. The 1418 remaining were liberated by a British fleet, which included a young Chinese Canadian staff lieutenant, William Lore. These events surrounding the defence and occupation of Hong Kong during the Second World War helped to cultivate Canada's connection to this island colony.

Two days after Remembrance Day, I met with Elizabeth Ride, the scheduled HKU History speaker that I came to Hong Kong to see. Elizabeth and I had been in correspondence for several months, and I knew that she was temporarily living in Hong Kong to organize her father's intelligence papers in HKU Library's Special Collections. Elizabeth's father, the deceased Sir Lindsay Ride, was a famous figure from wartime China and the Fifth Chancellor of Hong Kong University. Col. Ride had been in both World Wars, but in WWII he established the British Army Aid Group (BAAG) in Hui Zhou (Waichow), Guangdong province. The BAAG was of great historical interest to me as it was an obscure clandestine organization, and also because I am close friends with one of BAAG's former intelligence agents: 93-year-old Bill Chong of Nanaimo (Agent 50). Elizabeth and I discussed Bill, and she showed me documentary evidence of his various missions. When I expressed my great interest in these papers and BAAG's history, Elizabeth mentioned that she and a few others were planning to go to Hui Zhou the following day. Their intent was to try to locate the old Advanced Headquarters (AHQ) and other former BAAG buildings. I asked her if I could participate in this expedition, and Elizabeth graciously invited me to join her and her friends.

Bright and early the following morning, I left my accommodations at HKU's Robert Black College and I commuted across Victoria Harbor to our meeting point in Tsim Cha Tsui. I met up with Elizabeth, Dr. Patrick van de Linde, a former Major and Medical Officer of the BAAG, his wife and daughter, then we all boarded the Hui Zhou coach. Our ride was uneventful until we arrived at the People's Republic of China border crossing, where we had to disembark, fill out numerous customs and health documents, get our passports scrutinized and stamped, then board a different coach to take us to our destination. By the time we arrived in Hui Zhou, it was mid-day so we decided to plan our mission over a hearty Chinese meal. We sat down and compared a map from the 1940s to a current map, then we fixated on a location to shortly begin our investigation.

After lunch, we trekked toward the vicinity in question. We walked a great distance, and along the way we attracted a great deal of attention as "foreigners." Every once in a while, we stopped to ask local residents directions and their recollections of old buildings. After five hours of walking and exploration, we decided to call it a day. When we returned to our hotel, we went straight to the restaurant to recharge ourselves and plan our next morning's outing. Mrs. Van de Linde her daughter decided that they would go shopping, so that the three of us could "finish what we had to do."

The following day Patrick, Elizabeth and I returned to where we left off. We took a slightly different route from before to get to this location, and it turned out to be a blessing. Elizabeth took out some old photos of the buildings that we were looking for so that we could carefully examine the structures in the neighbourhood. Lo and behold, within 200 m, there was the old AHQ! It was quite rundown with crumbling walls, holes in the plank floors and a dangerously loose staircase, but it was clearly the same building as in the photographs. Following this discovery, the remainder of our day was spent successfully tracking down two other former BAAG intelligence buildings: the Tam Ok Buddhist Temple, and St. Joseph's Catholic church. These sites had served as medical treatment and healthcare facilities where Dr. van de Linde had attended to both civilians and soldiers who were Communists, Nationalists, Japanese sympathizers, and guerillas. And in addition to his medical duties, Dr. van de Linde had been in charge of translating secret shipping report codes. It was a great privilege to have had this experience with these people.

Following our return to Hong Kong on 13 November 2003, Elizabeth delivered her talk on the BAAG. Attendees were to convene in one of the History Department's seminar rooms. When I arrived, the fair-sized room was already packed with numerous distinguished-looking people. Many of these people were former BAAG agents -- all elderly -- and their relatives. As it turned out, both Elizabeth and Dr. van de Linde were to give talks. Elizabeth shared the importance of her father's intelligence work and documents; Dr. van de Linde shared his history with the British Army and the BAAG. He also revealed to everyone that the following day marked the 60th anniversary since 14th November 1943: when he first landed in Hui Zhou and took the position as a BAAG Medical Officer. When the talks were over and I had said my good-byes to everyone-- History faculty, various BAAG members, Elizabeth, and Dr. van de Linde and his family -- I felt that my research trip was coming to an end.