St. Stephen's college incident
Encyclopedia
The St Stephen's college incident (聖士提反書院大屠殺) was a case of acts of extreme cruelty committed by the Imperial Japanese Army
on December 25, 1941 during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
at St. Stephen's College
.
, Japanese soldiers entered St. Stephen's College, which was being used as a hospital on the front line at the time. The Japanese were met by two doctors (Black and Witney) who were marched away (they were later found dead and mutilated). They then burst into the wards and bayonet
ed a number of British, Canadian and Indian wounded soldiers who were incapable of hiding. The survivors and their nurses were imprisoned in two rooms upstairs. Later, a second wave of Japanese troops arrived (after the fighting had moved further south, away from the school). They removed two Canadians from one of the rooms, and mutilated and killed them outside. Many of the nurses next door were then dragged off to be gang raped. Three British and five Chinese nurses were then murdered. The following morning, after the surrender, the Japanese ordered that all these bodies should be cremated just outside the hall. Other soldiers who had died in the defence of Stanley were burned with those killed in the massacre, making well over 100 altogether.
.
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
on December 25, 1941 during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began after the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young, surrendered the territory of Hong Kong to Japan on 25 December 1941 after 18 days of fierce fighting by British and Canadian defenders against overwhelming Japanese Imperial forces. The occupation lasted...
at St. Stephen's College
St. Stephen's College, Hong Kong
St. Stephen's College is a Christian DSS coeducational secondary school located in Stanley, Hong Kong. With an area of about 150,000 sq. ft., the College is the largest secondary school in Hong Kong, and is also one of the very few boarding schools in the territory, many buildings in the campus...
.
Incident
Several hours before the British surrendered on Christmas day at the end of the Battle of Hong KongBattle of Hong Kong
The Battle of Hong Kong took place during the Pacific campaign of World War II. It began on 8 December 1941 and ended on 25 December 1941 with Hong Kong, then a Crown colony, surrendering to the Empire of Japan.-Background:...
, Japanese soldiers entered St. Stephen's College, which was being used as a hospital on the front line at the time. The Japanese were met by two doctors (Black and Witney) who were marched away (they were later found dead and mutilated). They then burst into the wards and bayonet
Bayonet
A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear...
ed a number of British, Canadian and Indian wounded soldiers who were incapable of hiding. The survivors and their nurses were imprisoned in two rooms upstairs. Later, a second wave of Japanese troops arrived (after the fighting had moved further south, away from the school). They removed two Canadians from one of the rooms, and mutilated and killed them outside. Many of the nurses next door were then dragged off to be gang raped. Three British and five Chinese nurses were then murdered. The following morning, after the surrender, the Japanese ordered that all these bodies should be cremated just outside the hall. Other soldiers who had died in the defence of Stanley were burned with those killed in the massacre, making well over 100 altogether.
Aftermath
When Stanley became a civilian internment camp, the internees gathered up the burnt remains, shards of bones, buttons, and charred effects from the cremation and buried them. A gravestone marks the spot where these items were interred at Stanley CemeteryStanley Military Cemetery
Stanley Military Cemetery is located near St. Stephen Bay in Stanley, Hong Kong. It is the only military cemetery of the early colonial era, used for the burials of the members of the garrison and their families between 1841 and 1866...
.