Britain’s Reconquest of Hong Kong and Chiang Kai SHek’s Humiliation
I was curious how Britain got Hong Kong back from the Japanese and CHinag Kai Shek didn’t so did a little research.
During the war Hong Kong was designated part of the Chaing Kai Shek operational control zone. US presidental general order no1 stated all Japanese troops had to surrender to general Chiang Kai Shek. Shi Ju’s corps was located 300 miles from Hong Kong and sent of to occupy the island and take the Japanese prisoner. Meanwhile a second elite corps of Burma veterans under Sun Liren was ordered to Canton, giving the Chinese 60,000 troops heading south.
Meanwhile on the day Japan surrendered Britain sent a naval task force to Hong Kong. Britain not wishing to have to ask Chinag Kai Shek for the return of Hong Kong. Britain informed Chiang Kai Shek the force was steaming there who responded by formally asking the British government to obey presidental order no1, however he didn’t order his troops to try and beat the British to Hong Kong.
The Americans tried some diplomatic mediation and after discussing things with the British, they informed Chiang Kai Shek Britain would not give up Hong Kong without a fight.
Chinag Kai Shek saw the wisdom of allowing Hong Kong to go. He did not wish to tie up 60,000 of his best troops in the south, when he needed them to fight the communists. Also he needed British cooperation against the communists.
The Chinese tried a diplomatic solution instead, assuring the British they had no intent of keeping Hong Kong and would return it after the surrender. Britain didn’t believe China. Britain asked Truman to tell the Japanese on Hong Kong to surrender to the British instead. Truman agreed.
Now it was turning into a major loss of face for Chiang Kai Shek. He tried to salvage some dignity and tried to pusuade the British and Americans to let him not the Americans be the one to authorise the japanese to surrender to the British and that the British should not ask the Japanese to surrender on Hong Kong until they had surrendered to him in the rest of China first. He was turned down.
On the 30th of Augsut a powerful fleet of 2 aircraft carriers, a battleship, 3 cruisers and several frigates and destroyers arrived at Hong Kong and took control.
The Flashman Papers
Quite by chance in a household furniture sale in Leicestershire in 1965, one of the most remarkable historical discoveries of recent times was made. A series of manuscripts dubbed, “the Flashman Papers,” were unearthed. They appeared to be the personal diary of Sir Harry Flashman (1822 – 1915), the great hero of the Victorian Age, written by him between 1900 and 1905 and hidden by members of his family.
The Flashman Papers were to immediately raise considerable controversy confirming the rumour that Sir Harry and “Harry Flashman” the bully, cad and drunk mentioned by Tom Brown in Tom Brown’s Schooldays were one and the same.
Brigadier-General Sir Harry Paget Flashman was the most decorated soldier of the Victorian Age. The only person ever to win the Victoria Cross, Chevalier, Legion of Honour and Congressional Medal of Honour and was hero of a dozen military campaigns, from the Burning of the Summer Palace and witnessing the death of Gordon in Khartoum, to acting as liaison to Sitting Bull and being with the French Foreign Legion in Mexico. Sir Harry had already written a series of memoirs in his younger days entitled “Dawns and Departures of a Soldier’s Life.” These seemingly gave the definitive account of his life story, his leading of The Light Brigade, his recovery of the Ko-He-Noor for the British crown, his stand at Rourke’s Drift and his clashing of swords with Custer while serving in Jeb Lee’s cavalry.
The Flashman papers contradict this and cast a huge shadow over the life of the great British hero. Written by Flashman just before his death, he opens by admitting that he no longer has any reason not to tell the truth. Flashman redresses many of his roles in the great military actions of the day. He admits that while Cardigan calmly smoked a cheroot all the way to the Russian guns, he wet himself.
What makes the Flashman Papers remarkable is Flashman’s candid honesty. Flashman openly admits from page one that he is a coward and a bounder, has no morals, cares nothing for anyone but himself and never did anything in a military action but run away. Flashman, however is more than this – he is an honest objective narrator of events of the time caring not a fig for either the British or the enemy, just for his own skin and he gives a totally unbiased account of history. Even more he is a philosopher not swayed by any ideology or ever caught up in any patriotic or righteous spirit, but simply viewing any event from a perspective of personal survival.
The Flashman Papers give uncompromising cynical first hand accounts of some of the most famous events of Victorian history. Standing beside the great men of the day Flashman condemns patriotism filled heroes as damned fools. Flashman also tells of the non military aspects of his life – how he pimped for the Prince of Wales, led a wagon train west in 49, personally smuggled a shipload of slaves from Africa and even became a captive in the harem of the queen of Madagascar. Flashman was also a renown sportsman, in 1843, Flashman played for Rugby-Old-Boys vs England, where he bowled a hatrick, taking out England’s three best batsmen and only cheating in two of his bowls. He was invited to tour with the England team.
Amorist
Apart from Flashman being a great coward, he was one of the foremost amorists of the day. Frequenting brothels from Calcutta to New Orleans and even owning one once, Flashman counted almost every woman he met amongst his admirers, from queen to harlot, and made little personal distinction. Flashman bedded some of the great beauties of the age including Lola Montez and Lily Langtry. He also had exotic tastes and found himself in the beds of Yenola (later Empreress Cixi), the Maharani Jindan and Rani Lakshmibai during diplomatic missions to their courts. On many occasions his amourous adventures would get him into trouble. Once, he tried to hide in Bismark’s cab when fleeing the police who had just raided a London brothel he was in, Bismark immediately called the police and turned him in. Another time, whilst crawling out of the Singapore brothel he bumped into James Brooke, the white Maharaja of Sarawak, and wound up reluctantly pirate hunting in Borneo with him. Flashman also bedded some of the strongest and most independant women of the age, such as the war correspondent Fanny Duberly, Szu-Zhan the Chinese Bandit Queen and even married Sonsee-Array, the Apache Princess, his 3rd wife at the time.
Flashman’s Who’s Who Entry, one of the longest in the publication,
Flashman, Harry Paget. Brigadier-general, V.C., K.C.B., K.C.I.E.; Chevalier, Legion of Honour; Order of Maria Theresa, Austria; Order of the Elephant, Denmark (temporary); U.S. Medal of honor; San Serafino Order of purity and truth, 4th Class. b May 5, 1822, s of H. Buckley Flashman, Esq., Ashby and Hon. Alicia Paget; m. Elspeth Rennie Morrison, d. of Lord Paisley; one s., one d. educ. Rugby School. 11th Hussars, 17th Lancers. Served Afghanistan, 1841-42 (medals, thanks of Parliament); chief of staff to H. M. James Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak Batang Lupar expedn, 1844; milit. advisor, H.M. Queen Ranavalona of Madagascar, 1844-5; Sutlej campaign, 1845-6 (Ferozeshah, Sobraon, envoy extraordinary to Maharani Jeendan, Court of Lahore); polit. advisor to Herr (later Chancellor Prince) Von Bismarck, Schleswig-Holstein, 1847-8; Crimea staff (Alma, Sevastopol, Balaclava), Prisoner of war, 1854; Artillery adviser to Atilik Ghazi, Syr Daria campaign, 1855; Sepoy Mutiny, 1857-8, dip, envoy to HRH the Maharani of Jhansi, trooper 3rd Native Cavalry, Meerut, subseq. att, Rowbotham’s Mosstroopers, Cawnpore, (Lucknow, Gwalior, etc., V.C.); Adjutant to Captain John Brown, Harper’s Ferry, 1859; China campaign 1860, polit. mission to Nanking, Taiping Rebellion, polit. and other services, Imperial Court, Pekin U.S. Army (major, Union forces, 1862; colonel (staff) Army of the Confederacy, 1863); a.d.c. to H.I.M. Maximilian, Emperor of Mexico, 1867; interpreter and observer Sioux campain, U.S. 1875-6 (Camp Robinson conference, Little Bighorn, etc.); Zulu War, 1879 (Isandhlwana, Rorke’s Drift); Egypt 1882 (Kassassin, Tel-el-Kebir); personal bodyguard to H.I.M. Franz-Joseph, Emperor of Austria 1883; Sudan 1884-5 (Khartoum); Pekin Legations, 1900. Travelled extensively in military and civilian capacities among them supercargo, merchant marine (West Africa); agriculturist (Mississippi valley); wagon captain and hotelier (Santa Fe Trail); buffalo hunter and scout (Oregon Trail); courier (Underground Railroad); majordomo (India), prospector (Australia); trader and missionary (Solomen Islands, Fly River, etc.); lottery supervisor (Manila); diamond Broker and horse coper (Punjab); dep. marshall, U.S.; occasional actor and impersonator. Hon. mbr of numerous societies and clubs, including Sons of the Volsungs (Strackenz), Mimbreno Apache Copper Mines band (New Mexico), Kokand Horde (Central Asia), Kit Carson’s Boys (Colorado), Brown’s Lambs (Maryland), M.C.C., Whites and United Service (London, both resigned), Blackjack (Batavia). Chmn, Flashman and Bottomley, Ltd.; dir. British Opium Trading Co.; governor, Rugby School; hon. pres. Mission for Reclamation of Reduced Females. Publications: Dawns and Departures of a Soldier’s Life; Twixt Cossack and Cannon; The Case Against Army Reform. Recreation: oriental studies, angling, cricket (performed first recorded “hat-trick”; Wickets of Felix, Pilch and Mynn for 14 runs; Rugby Past and Present v Kent, Lord’s 1842; 5 for 12, Mynn’s Casuals v All Engand XI, 1843). Add. Gandamack Lodge, Ashby, Leics.
11 Volumes of the Flashman Papers have been published so far. They are edited by George MacDonald Fraser and are published by HarperCollins.
The Forgotten Wonder of the World
Built by the irrepressible Isambard Kingdom Brunel the Great Eastern is perhaps the greatest ship ever built and was to be the crowning achievement of his life. Twice the length and five times the weight of any previous ship and a bigger ship wouldn’t be built until 60 years later, the Lusitania in 1906.
So well built was the ship with its innovative double hull that it would have survived the Titanic iceberg. Also the first iron military ship, HMS Warrior(1860), wasn’t built for another four years. So it was civilian technology way ahead of the military technology of the most advanced navy in the world.
Able to hold 4000 passengers, dwarfing the Titanic’s capacity, the Great Eastern was designed for the East Indies run but unable to fit down the new Suez Canal, it was instead used as a transatlantic ship. However after just five years the company running it went into liquidation, failing to find enough passengers. The ship was used again in 1865 when it laid the transatlantic cable and later became floating fairground before being broken up for scrap iron in 1889.
East India Company
One subject I’ve become quite interested in lately is the East India Company. Often mistaken for an extension of the British State, ‘John’ Company was a private corporation owned by private investors.
Rather like, if when Saddam invaded Kuwait and no country had objected and the world just let him have it. He then said, Iraq doesn’t want to rule it, instead we are going to put the ruling of Kuwait out for tender and any company in the world can bid for the contract.
The Company of course had a powerful lobby in parliament, but it also had numerous run-ins and the British government made several moves to limit its power and break its monopoly, but most failed.
The Company had its own army and regularly came into conflict with the government for invading regions in its own interest not Britain’s, in fact the company clearly saw its designation to act in its own interest and profit not Britain’s.
It could go even further than this. With the East India Company all the territory they conquered before the act of 1773 belonged entirely to them and was not part of the empire, which is quite astonishing to the modern mind, a company not nation, invading a sovereign state and it becoming purely their financial assets.
Many modern day Sci-Fi books and movies such as Alien and Cyber Punk create a future where companies are more powerful than governments, have their own territory and military forces. This is considered a nightmare version of the future.
Also today in the 21st century many things that would be considered sacred to the government a few decades ago, such as prisons, policing, public schools, military actions (blackwater) and so on have been privatised.
The often forgotten East India Company far surpassed anything we have today in scope, in fact, anything in contemporary Sci-FI.
A glimpse of the future perhaps or strictly a behemoth of the past?
