Prisoner of the Turnip Heads: Horror, Hunger and Humour in Hong Kong 1941-1945: Horror, Hunger and Humour in Hong Kong, 1941-45

by George Wright-Nooth

As a police officer in pre-war colonial Hong Kong, George Wright-Nooth was studying for his Chinese language exams when the Japanese invaded on Christmas Day, 1941. He spent the next four years incarcerated in the Japanese Military Internment Camp at Stanley. Daily life became marked by hunger and appalling suffering at the hands of the guards. He regularly witnessed death and torture, and his account of a multiple execution by sword is as moving and horrific as anything one is ever likely to read. While many of his fellow prisoners cracked beneath the terror of such atrocities, the author repaid such treatment with subversive activities, such as the running of secret radios, and the smuggling of food and messages to and from some of those held by the dreaded Japanese Gendarmerie. Perhaps most remarkably of all, the author kept a diary throughout his incarceration which, miraculously, was never discovered by his captors.

Genres: History

359 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 1994

Reviews

[Gena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Premise was interesting but gave up after 18%.

[Peter]

Excellent but gruesome

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

In great detail, George Wright-Nooth, nicknamed 雷老虎 later by Chinese fellow officers, described their tragic plight in Stanley Internment Camp. Those were genuine happenings that were worth remembering by people of this era. He might not be the most gifted storyteller, but nevertheless, he managed to recollect as many of the details in the camp, effectively assisted by his diary. Worth translating!