Bidspirit auction | THE JAPANESE SURRENDER OF HONG

THE JAPANESE SURRENDER OF HONG KONG TO THE BRITISH, SIGNED BY THE BRITISH AND JAPANESE REPRESENTATIVES - THE JAPANESE SURRENDER OF HONG KONG TO THE BRITISH SIGNED BY THE BRITISH AND JAPANESE REPRESENTATIVES On the same morning as the attack on Pearl Harbor December 8 1941 (local) forces of the Empire of Japan attacked the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong. The attack was in violation of international law as Japan had not declared war against the British Empire. The Hong Kong garrison consisted of British Indian and Canadian units in addition to Chinese soldiers and conscripts from both within and outside Hong Kong. The valiant defenders were overcome by vastly superior Japanese forces after 18 days of fierce fighting. During the ensuing three and a half years of occupation by the Japanese an estimated 10 000 Hong Kong civilians and British and Commonwealth prisoners of war were executed while many others were tortured raped or mutilated. In December 1941 a group of Japanese soldiers killed ten Red Cross stretcher bearers at Wong Nai Chung Gap despite the fact that the stretcher bearers all wore the Red Cross armband. Other notable massacres include the St. Stephen's College massacre and a mass murder at Mui Wo. Japan effectively surrendered on 15 August 1945 following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As soon as he heard word of the Japanese surrender Franklin Gimson Hong Kong's colonial secretary left his prison camp and declared himself the territory's acting governor. British Rear Admiral Sir CECIL HALLIDAY JEPSON HARCOURT (1892-1959) sailed into Hong Kong on board the cruiser HMS SWIFTSURE to re-establish the British government's military control over the colony. On 16 September 1945 he formally accepted the Japanese surrender from Major General UMEKICHI OKADA (1891-1967) and Vice Admiral RUITARO FUJITA at Government House. Offered her is a contemporarily-signed copy of the Japanese surrender of Hong Kong 13 x 14 inches signed by the three original signatories on the same day or very soon after the Japanese surrender of the city. In the early 1980s Sotheby’s offered this same document at auction and an image of the original description and its bill of sale to our consignor are available. The description reads in part: “The Property of F. H. T. Panter D.S.C. R.N. (Retd) HONG KONG. THE INSTRUMENT OF SURRENDER OF HONG KONG BY THE JAPANESE 16 SEPTEMBER 1945 signed and sealed by Major General Umekichi Okada and Vice Admiral Ruitaro Fujita who on behalf of the Emperor of Japan and the Imperial Japanese Headquarters “do hereby unconditionally surrender ourselves and all forces under our control to Rear Admiral Cecil Halliday Jepson Harcourt C.B. C.B.E. and undertake to carry out all such instructions as may be given by him or under his authority and to issue all necessary orders for the purpose of giving effect to all his instructions…” counter-signed twice by Harcourt as witness on behalf of the Government of the United Kingdom and of the Commander-in-Chief China Theatre 1 page folio the text type-written…Government House Hong Kong 16 September 1945. This document was given by Admiral Harcourt to the present owner who was then serving as Damage Officer on H.M.S. Anson with responsibility for re-opening the dockyard. It is interesting to note that the surrender is made to Admiral Harcourt in person and not as representative of the British Government or the Commander-in-Chief. A photograph of the signing is included in the lot.” The document is accompanied by the original ca. 1940s envelope which contains Panter’s original photo of the surrender ceremony. Frank H. T. Panter (1906-2000) was a hero in his own right. According to his obituary during World War II Panter served in many of the fiercest-fought combat areas in the Atlantic Mediterranean and the Far East. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross as the Damage Control Officer aboard HMS AJAX at the Battle of the River Plate. He was thrown into the air when one of the 11 inch shells from the GRAF SPEE crashed into the AJAX. Panter was in service aboard the HMS ANSON which joined the Pacific Fleet for the final stages of the war and he witnessed the surrender of the Japanese in Hong Kong. This historic document has resided in the same prestigious collection for over thirty years and has not been offered for sale since its purchase. An exceptional item of great historic importance.