This web site is dedicated to my father.
Major Maurice A. Parker
Commanding Officer, "D" Company, of the Royal Rifles of Canada,
and to the brave men and women who fought a long ago nearly forgotten
battle for the Island of Hong Kong. It was a battle that some say should
never have been fought, but it was. Now....it should never be forgotten.
Commanding Officer, "D" Company, of the Royal Rifles of Canada,
and to the brave men and women who fought a long ago nearly forgotten
battle for the Island of Hong Kong. It was a battle that some say should
never have been fought, but it was. Now....it should never be forgotten.
| My father, Major M.A. Parker, from Quebec City, Quebec, was This web site is in his honour. |
D" Coy, RR of C march past having taken the "stick" that day.
How this project began:
Get the book that tells the story of The Battle of Hong
Kong from a Canadian perspective in detail and in the
words of those who fought for 18 horrific days until
Christmas day, 1941. $19.95 US plus shipping
CLICK HERE.
Available at Amazon or Lulu On-line Publishing
Kong from a Canadian perspective in detail and in the
words of those who fought for 18 horrific days until
Christmas day, 1941. $19.95 US plus shipping
CLICK HERE.
Available at Amazon or Lulu On-line Publishing
| BUY THE BOOK THAT TELLS THE STORY OF THE FINAL BATTLE, "DEADLY DECEMBER" |
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 Click related sites See a list of other books on The Battle of Hong Kong. BOOKS ON THE BATTLE OF HONG KONG |
| Hear the March Of The Royal Rifles of Canada CLICK HERE It may take a while to load but it's worth the wait. |
Last updated October 1, 2009
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. That same
day, 6 hours later, at 08:00 hrs, they attacked the British Crown Colony
of Hong Kong. The world took little notice of that "incident". For those of
us who had a family member, or in many cases family members or friends
in mortal danger, it was a different matter. It was a day never to be
forgotten.
The saga of that long ago battle needs to be told. The defenders of Hong
Kong fought a valiant fight and they need to be honoured. It was a
hopeless effort from the beginning but they fought on anyway. They
fought, they were wounded, and they died. After 18 long cruel days of
non-stop struggle they were finally captured on Christmas Day, 1941.
Those who survived began a stint in hell that would last for 44 months
day, 6 hours later, at 08:00 hrs, they attacked the British Crown Colony
of Hong Kong. The world took little notice of that "incident". For those of
us who had a family member, or in many cases family members or friends
in mortal danger, it was a different matter. It was a day never to be
forgotten.
The saga of that long ago battle needs to be told. The defenders of Hong
Kong fought a valiant fight and they need to be honoured. It was a
hopeless effort from the beginning but they fought on anyway. They
fought, they were wounded, and they died. After 18 long cruel days of
non-stop struggle they were finally captured on Christmas Day, 1941.
Those who survived began a stint in hell that would last for 44 months
When I was in high school, my English Literature teacher assigned the
class the task of writing an essay on one of our personal heroes. We were
to write about what he or she did, when, where, why and how what he or
she did had impacted on history. I had just finished reading a book about
General George S. Patton, the U.S. Tank Commander who had landed in
Sicily and cut a swath through the German defenses all the way to Berlin. I
chose to write about him.
I got a pretty good mark for my effort, and a note from my teacher saying,
"Good work. Why did you choose Patton? You should have looked a
little closer to home." At that time I didn't understand what he meant. I
was only when I got a little older, and a wee bit wiser, that I understood
his message. I should have written about my Dad.
It dawned on me that this gentle, shy, ordinary down-to-earth man who
was my Father and whom I saw every day had done some extraordinary
things in his life. He had fought in the Battle of Hong Kong and survived
the hardship of 44 months of captivity at the hands of the Japanese in
WWII. Then he had come home and continued to raise a family. He was
an ordinary man who had done extraordinary things under extraordinary
circumstances. Is that not the essence of a hero?
It was not until after my Mother died in 1998 and I came into
possession of his memorabilia that I began to put together this account of
the things he endured. It is a story of great courage and great endurance.
It is the story of my Dad and of the men with whom he fought and
suffered. Dad died on August 10, 1985. I'm sorry I took so long to get
started on this "essay". I should have written about my Dad in the first
place. To me he is a bigger hero than George S. Patton.
The teacher who told me to look a little closer to home for my hero was
Major A.A. MacMillan, M.I.D., the best teacher I ever had. In December
1941 he was a Lieutenant in "D" Company of The Royal Rifles of
Canada. He had served with Dad and endured the same hardships in
Hong Kong. He has gone now, but I hope if he were to read this he
would give me an “A”, at least for effort.
class the task of writing an essay on one of our personal heroes. We were
to write about what he or she did, when, where, why and how what he or
she did had impacted on history. I had just finished reading a book about
General George S. Patton, the U.S. Tank Commander who had landed in
Sicily and cut a swath through the German defenses all the way to Berlin. I
chose to write about him.
I got a pretty good mark for my effort, and a note from my teacher saying,
"Good work. Why did you choose Patton? You should have looked a
little closer to home." At that time I didn't understand what he meant. I
was only when I got a little older, and a wee bit wiser, that I understood
his message. I should have written about my Dad.
It dawned on me that this gentle, shy, ordinary down-to-earth man who
was my Father and whom I saw every day had done some extraordinary
things in his life. He had fought in the Battle of Hong Kong and survived
the hardship of 44 months of captivity at the hands of the Japanese in
WWII. Then he had come home and continued to raise a family. He was
an ordinary man who had done extraordinary things under extraordinary
circumstances. Is that not the essence of a hero?
It was not until after my Mother died in 1998 and I came into
possession of his memorabilia that I began to put together this account of
the things he endured. It is a story of great courage and great endurance.
It is the story of my Dad and of the men with whom he fought and
suffered. Dad died on August 10, 1985. I'm sorry I took so long to get
started on this "essay". I should have written about my Dad in the first
place. To me he is a bigger hero than George S. Patton.
The teacher who told me to look a little closer to home for my hero was
Major A.A. MacMillan, M.I.D., the best teacher I ever had. In December
1941 he was a Lieutenant in "D" Company of The Royal Rifles of
Canada. He had served with Dad and endured the same hardships in
Hong Kong. He has gone now, but I hope if he were to read this he
would give me an “A”, at least for effort.
