Virtual event: WW2 Civilian Internment in Hong Kong

This month for the Hong Kong Veteran Commemorative Association's virtual events, historian Martin Heyes from Hong Kong and Julien Lehoux, our content manager, were invited!

Official description: “Beginning in December 1941 well over 100,000 Allied civilians across China and Southeast Asia were taken prisoner by the Japanese, including entire families. Although at the outset these civilians were in general not treated quite as harshly as were military POWs, their internment was extremely unpleasant, and for many, deteriorated drastically later in the war. Some 2,800 civilians, among them a number of Canadians, were interned in Hong Kong.

Our two speakers, Martin Heyes of Hong Kong and Julien Lehoux of Montreal, will tell you about Hong Kong’s civilian internees and how they lived during their imprisonment, the complex negotiations to repatriate the Canadians among them, and the impacts on their lives after their return to Canada.”

The lecture is available on the Hong Kong Veterans Commemorative Association’s YouTube channel. Many other lectures are also available on their channel and on their website. The list of their lectures is available right here. Enjoy your listening!