EPIC DEFENCE BY HONGKONG GARRISON

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 304, 24 December 1941, Page 7

EPIC DEFENCE BY HONGKONG GARRISON

TOLL OF INVADERS Canadian Forces* Heavy Casualties U.P.A. and British Wireless. Rec. 1 p.m. LONDON, Dec. 23. Defence headquarters at Ottawa nave announced that Brigadier Lawson, commander of the Canadian contingent defending Hongkong, has been killed, and Canadian casualties have been heavy. Defence headquarters later announced that Canadian and British troops are stubbornly holding three positions in Hongkong. The senior staff officer, Colonel Patrick Hennessy, was killed by shellfire. Two Canadian counter-attacks failed to make progress. The situation late yesterday was critical despite heavy losses inflicted on the enemy. The Japanese have landed reinforcements and are attacking continuously. The continued resistance of Hongkong though invested by large Japanese forces on the mainland and in all the surrounding waters is regarded In naval circles in London as a remarkable achievement, it is pointed out that the defence has been built up during a time when many other more urgent calls on British war material had to be answered. The temporary complete Japanese control of sea communications in the South China Sea makes Hongkong extremely difficult to defend, but it is important to deny to the Japanese as long as'possible the use of this valuable deep water port, lying in the the sea communications in the area where the Japanese are now engaged in large scale expeditionary and navy campaigns. Naval commentators point out that it will be important to Britain to recapture this vital point, but such an operation cannot be undertaken until naval control in the western Pacific has been regained from the Japanese. The situation at Hongkong at 6 p.m. local time on Monday was that, the Japanese were in possession of the eastern half of the island, although even in this portion isolated British posts were still holding out. The main British garrison in the western half of the island is resisting Japanese attempts at further penetration westwards. In the meantime the advanced guard of the Chinese troops which are moving to the relief of Hongkong has reached Tamsui and Shamchung, respectively 40 miles, and 27 miles from Hongkong, while guerilla fighting is reported to have broken out at a point only 14 miles from the island. A TOkyo message states that the Domei News Agency gives the number of prisoner# taken at Hongkong so far as 1119, comprising 118 British, 814 Indian and 187 Chinese. The Domei Agency states that the Japanese were attacking » Mount Taping and Mount Kili, -the last British strongholds at Hongkong. They had occupied the defence works on Mount Cameron after a fierce attack on Monday. The German news agency says a message from Nanking reports that the Japanese military spokesman sajd the British were still bravely holding seven forts at Hongkong on Monday.