The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru: Britain's Forgotten Wartime Tragedy

4 - The Ship: Lisbon Maru

4The Ship: Lisbon Maru In few, they hurried us aboard a barque, Bore us some leagues to sea, where they prepared A rotten carcass of a butt, not rigged, Nor tackle, sail, nor mast the very rats Instinctively have quit it. There they hoist us To cry to th' sea that roared to us, to sigh To th' winds The Tempest, Act 1, Scene 2 For the second transportation, the Japanese demanded two thousand 'fit' men. As well as providing slave labour for the docks, mines, factories, and ports of Japan, this would free up enough space at Sham Shui Po camp for North Point camp to be finally closed.59 Wright of the Middlesex, who was in Captain Martin Weedon's B Company: "This was a most difficult time for our officers. They refused to select men who were obviously unfit for the journey and, in the end, the Japanese took the responsibility of choosing men for the draft". Both Wright and Weedon would be included. Men anxiously waited for the public posting of the list of 'draftees'. Unlike the previous draft, they included many officers who had been moved to Argyle Street camp some five months previously, and a few hundred Royal Naval personnel. However, the majority of men were regular army Other Ranks60 already at Sham Shui Po, and one of the names that appeared on the list was that of Jack Etiemble of the Royal Artillery. He was still a young man and had already had enough of the Spartan and brutal POW experience in Hong Kong. 36 THE SINKING OF THE LISBON MARU Etiemble: "After several months I needed dental treatment. Our Dental Officer had brought some kit with him, and had a look and said he hadn't got any filling so he had better pull it out. He sat me in a chair and a couple of POWs held me, a quick pull, and it was out. Japs were still committing atrocities, for not bowing to them; made to stand holding a fire bucket full of sand above your head. Two young Chinese waved at us, the Japs saw them and called them, two of the guards took them through the camp onto a small jetty. One sentry took them to the end and pointed to things in the harbour, the other ran up and bayoneted them and tossed them into the harbour, then left laughing and joking. Later, small work parties were sent to Kai Tak61 filling in bomb holes. I got a hiding for not handing over my watch, when the guard demanded it. Life continued in a similar vein until boarding the Lisbon Maru." Born in Jersey on 27 June 1923, Etiemble left school at the age of fourteen. His father was a builder, but Jack - like Garfield Kvalheim wanted to see the world. He joined the Royal Artillery in September 1937, trained for a year at Woolwich, and passed out as a trumpeter in September 1938. Sailing for Hong Kong in HMT Dilwara in December 1938, he joined 8th Coastal Regiment, becoming a Gunner on his eighteenth birthday, and helped man the big 9.2-inch guns that defended Hong Kong's famous harbour. Etiemble had been due to leave Hong Kong in January 1942, but the Japanese attack had spoiled his plans. Now, unavoidably delayed by nine months as a prisoner of war, he would finally be leaving - but bound for Japan. Once the draftees knew they would be on the move, many took the opportunity to send a quick letter home. Sam Atkins, whose family most recently received communication from the government about his financial affairs, was one: S. ATKINS HONG-KONG, PRISONER Of WAR CAMP S. 24 SEPT. [1942] DEAR MARIE THIS IS MY 2nd CARD TO YOU AND I HOPE THE SHIP: LISBON MARU THAT BY NOW YOU HAVE RECEIVED IT. I AM QUITE ALL RIGHT, AND AM LONGING TO SEE YOU AND THE CHILDREN. WE ARE ALLOWED TO WRITE 3 TIMES AYEAR SO YOU MUST NOT EXPECT ( illegible ) AND THE LIMIT IS 200 WORDS. GIVE ANNE, BARBARA A BIG KISS FOR ME & KEEP CHEERFUL DARLING. WE ARE MOVING TO ANOTHER CAMP AND I WILL LET YOU KNOW MY NEW ADDRESS WHEN I ARRIVE, YOUR LOVING HUSBAND LENY ATKINS 37 A lucky few found their names on the list but were declared too sick to embark. They remained in Sham Shui PO.62 Painfully...