Uncorking history(2)
Hong Kong officially surrendered on December 25, 1941. But on December 27, the Japanese commander was alerted that Little Hong Kong was still under the control of the British. "They (the Japanese) had two choices: They could attack and stand the chance of losing more soldiers. Or, they could negotiate," says De'eb.
To negotiate appeared to be the right choice, according to Tony Banham, one of the historians whose help De'eb enlisted during the site's renovation in 2002.
"The bunkers were almost impervious to attack, and would have contained sufficient food, water and ammunition for the defenders," he writes in an email interview. "Once locked inside, there was relatively little the Japanese could do to dislodge them."
Captain Suzuki, who was sent by the Japanese commander to negotiate the surrender, finally made the decision upon being informed that Major Dewar, the British commander, had wired up all the 24 bunkers to a central detonator.
"He (Major Dewar) was basically saying: Attack if you want to and we will all die," says De'eb. "The Japanese captain was very impressed by his British counterpart's willingness to defend the site at all costs and therefore agreed to an honorable surrender."
The surrender finally took place later in the day. And thus Little Hong Kong lasted two days longer than "Big" Hong Kong.
Here comes De'eb's "energy theory". "This place has fantastic fengshui," says the man, referring to a typical Chinese concept. "No one died here - the British and the Japanese came very close but they didn't collide."
After the war, the British military ceased its use of the site in the 1970s, and transferred control to the Hong Kong Police Driving School until the early 1980s. At least four pairs of the bunkers were destroyed in the mid-1980s as a result of the development of two residential apartments.
