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Captain Saito

Captain Saito

About 50 men, including Mr. Flegg, witness one of Doolittle's bombing raids while he is a patient at Bowen Road Hospital. Their cheers enrage Captain Saito, the chief medical officer and a judo expert. He lines up the men, judo chops them all unconscious and has his guards "put the boots" to them to wake them up.

Kamloops Kid Aka Inouye

Kamloops Kid Aka Inouye

The Kamloops Kid was a notorious guard at Sham Shui Po. Mr. Flegg provides two examples of how devious and sadistic this man was.

Kiotski! Kiotski!

Kiotski! Kiotski!

Mr. Flegg describes being harassed by the guards in the barracks. The command 'Kiotski!' or 'Attention!' was quickly learned. A slow reaction or an improper bow usually resulted in being rifle butted.

Japanese Atrocities Against the Chinese

Japanese Atrocities Against the Chinese

The atrocities he witnessed against Chinese civilians still weighs heavily in Mr. Flegg's memories.

Parasites And Cockroaches

Parasites And Cockroaches

Mr. Flegg describes crabs, lice, bedbugs and cockroaches, which were often roasted and eaten, as being persistent pests in the POW camps in Hong Kong.

Beriberi

Beriberi

Beriberi was another serious condition afflicting the POW’s at Sham Shui Po. There were two types; dry and wet. Mr. Flegg describes how the dry beriberi, or electric feet, made grown men cry. He contracted the wet variety, which caused massive fluid retention in different parts of the body. Mr. Flegg discusses the consequences of this edema.

Malaria and Dysentery

Malaria and Dysentery

Mr. Flegg describes praying to die during his worst episodes of malaria. Also a victim of dysentery, he describes the disgusting living conditions in the isolation ward.

Dr. Reid was a Saint!

Dr. Reid was a Saint!

Mr. Flegg credits their regimental doctor, Dr. Reid, with helping many of the men through their prison ordeal. Despite having no medical supplies, his kind and sympathetic treatment of the inmates makes him a saint in Mr. Flegg's opinion.

Moving A Mountain

Moving A Mountain

Mr. Flegg gives a brief description of the work done at Kai-Tek Airport.

Witnessing “The Horror”

Witnessing “The Horror”

Now a POW, Mr. Flegg experiences what he describes as the horror for the first time. From inside the building where he is held captive, he helplessly listens to Chinese women being raped and murdered by the Japanese.

Desperate Thirst

Desperate Thirst

Mr. Flegg describes being provided water by their Japanese captors. It is delivered in an unwashed gasoline drum. Despite the contamination, the men are so thirsty, they drink it anyway.

Close Quarter Fighting and Fear of Reprisal

Close Quarter Fighting and Fear of Reprisal

Mr. Flegg gives a vivid account of the close quarter fighting at the Aberdeen Reservoir. He describes fatigue and hunger, and destroying a cache of liquor because of a fear of Japanese brutality should they find it and get drunk.

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