Life within Sham Shui Po Barracks was more than comfortable and the local Chinese population were happy to shine shoes, make beds and run errands for a chance to earn a few Canadian dollars. (A boy who earned two dollars a week would be considered a ‘millionaire’.) The arrival of the Canadians was good for the local economy and for morale. No one really believed the Japanese would have the audacity to invade this Crown Colony but they felt safer, all the same, to have the increased military presence. What the locals probably didn’t realize was that in terms of numbers and equipment the island was still poorly defended. On paper there were now over 14,500 military personnel on the ground but this figure included several senior nursing staff, St John Ambulance representatives and the Hong Kong Mule Corps. When Kowloon welcomed the Royal Rifles and the Winnipeg Grenadiers the sight of the men in uniform reinforced the notion that Hong Kong was immune to invasion.
To a large extent, the life of the native people carried on as normal. It was the cool season and the mud flats close to the garrison were a hive of industry, with locals digging for clams. In the town their daily working lives continued, and the lively nightlife of theatres and bars hummed with the sound of laughter.
There was time for the men and Gander to familiarize themselves with the area and the equipment being delivered for the defence of the island. The Bren guns that would be used on the border with Japanese-occupied China were made ready, along with the rifles, shells and grenades. Constructing the dugouts, shelters and pillboxes that were to be the primary line of defence was a priority and, even in the stifling heat, three sessions of guard duty and two hours of morning parade became part of the daily routine. Gander accompanied the men on patrol and whenever Fred Kelly was on guard duty Gander was sure to follow. The big black dog enjoyed being on duty, as long as he could take a nap in the shade when the mood took him. And at night Gander would join the men in the pillboxes. They felt safer having Gander beside them.
Given the beautiful surroundings the men could not be blamed for sometimes thinking they might be spared the hostility of conflict. Gander adapted well to the life of a soldier dog on a pass. It was not unusual for him to accept a bottle of beer from one of his many friends and an invitation to shower in their washroom several times a day. He lounged on their cots, shared their rations, enjoyed being groomed and played with and generally treated as a VIP. Fred was never far from Gander’s side if he could help it. When the men were on parade or on a training session and Gander was not allowed to join them, it was Fred who made the dog comfortable while they were away. For Fred it was a little like having a child to care for, only this ‘child’ liked to hog the shower and drink beer out of a sink. He also liked to help out where he could and if there was a job that needed a dog to pull an ammunition cart, Gander got the job. Looking after Gander could have been a full-time job but Fred had it down to a fine art a little while after they were partnered in Canada. He could almost think ahead of the big dog and that came in useful, particularly after showers. Fred learnt that if you didn’t get out of the way fast enough Gander would shake and cover you in water, but you also had to be double-quick and catch him and dry him off before he headed out to roll in the dirt. As soon as Fred caught up with Gander the dog would stop Fred in his tracks by standing on his hind legs and planting his paws firmly on Fred’s shoulders.
His relationship with the local Chinese population was not so friendly. It started after the parade on the day Gander and his friends arrived. Fred and several Royal Rifles were walking with Gander near to the barracks when they were approached by two men who were paying particular interest to Gander. They seemed friendly and Fred thought he had no reason to be suspicious. But then one of the men started to run and Gander decided to follow him. The other man then ran after Gander. By the time Fred and his friends arrived on the scene it was obvious the men had tried to pull and push Gander through a hole in a fence and had only succeeded in scaring the dog. Immediately, Fred dashed in to take Gander back to the camp while the others made it clear to the two gentlemen that Gander was off limits. They never had trouble again. But the encounter was enough for Gander to decide on a dislike for the look and sound of the local people. He must have thought they would all try to drag him away. The word on the street was that the dog was destined for the dinner table, so it was good that his friends were soon on the scene to rescue him. From that day on, Gander treated all Chinese people with suspicion. He was automatically wary and if they approached him he would growl and bare his teeth.
For a while life in the barracks was calm and slightly unreal but by mid November (19 November according to a veteran’s account) news reached the Hong Kong garrison that the Japanese Army was only 23 miles away. In October the Japanese had moved over 20,000 troops in Southern China and a rumour that the Imperial Army was about to move several thousand more troops was sounding more like fact than mere scaremongering.
On Sunday 7 December 1941, the Japanese finally showed the world their military might with a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the Hawaiian port that was the headquarters of the US Pacific Fleet. In one morning 353 Japanese navy aircraft from six aircraft carriers sank or damaged many US warships, destroyed 188 aircraft on the ground and killed over 2,000 US service personnel and civilians. The attack brought the Americans into the Second World War, and the war in the East was on with a vengeance.
At first light the following day, the Japanese Army set its sights on Hong Kong. Gander’s war had begun.
General Maltby, Commander of the British Garrison in Hong Kong, who was now fully convinced of the Japanese intent to invade Hong Kong, gave the order to activate the garrison. Maltby had always feared that the Japanese would launch a seaborne attack, which explained the concentration of defences on the south of the island. The north side, facing the mainland, was less well fortified; this area included the Lye Mun Gap, which at its narrowest point was only 450 yards across. In an attempt to cover as much ground as possible the general decided to split his defences. West Brigade, comprising the Winnipeg Grenadiers, was commanded by Brigadier Lawson. Gander and the rest of ‘C’ Force formed part of East Brigade, under Brigadier Wallis. They were to be stationed in the Lye Mun region, with three company platoons and four reinforcement platoons. Scattered amongst them were small detachments of the Scots Guards, the Middlesex Regiment, the Hong Kong Defence Corps, and the Rajputs and Punjabis of the Indian Army.
After news broke of the attack on Pearl Harbor the men had been confined to barracks. As a result of a breakdown in communications, Gander and the men had no idea that the battle for Hong Kong had begun just hours after the Japanese attack. The first the British heard of it was when an Intelligence Officer assigned to monitoring the Japanese broadcasts picked up the following message at 4.45 a.m on 8 December 1941:
The Army and Navy division of Imperial Headquarters jointly announced at six o’clock this morning (Tokyo time), December 8, that the Imperial Army and Navy forces have begun hostilities against the American and British Forces in the Pacific at dawn today.
Within hours of receiving Maltby’s orders to leave the mainland, every kitbag was packed and ammunition was being loaded onto the ferry that would take them from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island. It was the first clue the men received to there being a declaration of war. The second clue was the appearance of Japanese bombers overhead and the howl of the air-raid siren over Kowloon. Then the bombing began.
The wind and rain lashed down as the soldiers landed on the island, laden with kitbags, ammunition, supplies and a very wet Newfoundland dog. ‘Come on buddy, not far to go now and we’ll be home and dry,’ said Fred Kelly, as he gently persuaded Gander to keep up with the rest of the Royal Rifles who were hurrying to take up their positions across 15 miles of the eastern part of the island.
Safely ashore, Gander stayed close to Fred. His dense coat hung heavy with rainwater and it slowed his pace as he clambered to keep up with his fellow soldiers. Fred was concerned that the dog might catch a chill and so he promised Gander a drying down when they reached their camp. Makeshift camps were being set up, and men and ammunition moved into position. There were not enough tents for every man there but the men were tired enough to sleep anywhere as the rumble of artillery continued throughout the night.
The assortment of coastal guns, manned pillboxes, minefields and barbed-wire fences that encircled the island came immediately