| Internment camp | |
  Location of within Hong Kong | |
| Coordinates | 22°17′32″N 114°12′11″E / 22.2923°N 114.2031°E |
|---|---|
| Location | North Point, Hong Kong |
| Built by | Government of Hong Kong |
| Operated by | Japan |
| Original use | Refugee camp |
| Operational | 1941 |
| Inmates | Prisoners of war |
North Point Camp was a Japanese World War II Prisoner-of-war camp in North Point, Hong Kong which primarily held Canadian and Royal Naval prisoners.
History
Built by the Hong Kong government as a refugee camp before the war, it was severely damaged during the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong Island on the night of December 18, 1941. It began life as a POW camp almost immediately after, as non-Chinese civilians from the area were interned there, as were the first men of West Brigade who were captured in the battles at the beachheads, Jardine's Lookout, and Wong Nai Chung Gap. After a few months, the Royal Naval prisoners were moved to Sham Shui Po POW Camp and North Point became purely Canadian. The Canadians themselves moved out to Sham Shui Po on September 26, 1942, at which point the camp was closed. Conditions at camp were overcrowded and unsanitary. The two main threats that the prisoners faced were disease and the lack of food, which proved fatal for many interned at the camp.[1]
Today part of the old camp site is the King's Road Playground, but there are no memorials of any kind.
See also
References
- ↑ "Military History: Second World War: War Experiences: Prisoners of War". The Loyal Edmonton Regiment Museum. Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 14 November 2007.
Further reading
- Charles G. Roland (2001). Long Night's Journey Into Day: Prisoners of War in Hong Kong and Japan, 1941-1945. Wilfrid Laurier University Press. ISBN 0-88920-362-8.
- Tony Banham (2009). We Shall Suffer There: Hong Kong's Defenders Imprisoned, 1942-1945. Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 978-962-209-960-9.
