The Lone Flag

John Pownall Reeves

ISBN 10: 9888208322 / ISBN 13: 9789888208326

Published by Hong Kong University Press Apr 2014, 2014

About this Item

Neuware -When Hong Kong fell to the Japanese on Christmas Day 1941, Macao was left as a tiny isolated enclave on the China Coast surrounded by Japanese-held territory. As a Portuguese colony, Macao was neutral, and John Reeves, the British Consul, could remain there and continue his work despite being surrounded in all directions by his country's enemy. His main task was to provide relief to the 9,000 or more people who crossed the Pearl River from Hong Kong to take refuge in Macao and who had a claim for support from the British Consul. The core of this book is John Reeves' memoir of those extraordinary years and of his tireless efforts to provide food, shelter and medical care for the refugees. He coped with these challenges as Macao's own people faced starvation. Despite Macao's neutrality, it was thoroughly infiltrated by Japanese agents. Marked for assassination, he had to have armed guards as he went about his business. He also had to navigate the complexities of multiple intelligence agencies--British, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese Nationalist--in a place that was described as the Casablanca of the Far East. 250 pp. Englisch.

Seller Inventory # 9789888208326

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Lone Flag
• Publisher: Hong Kong University Press Apr 2014
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9888208322
• ISBN 13: 9789888208326
• Binding: Buch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 236W x 159H x 22D millimeters 236 millimeters width by 159 millimeters height by 22 millimeters depth
• Weight: 537 grams

About this title

Synopsis

When Hong Kong fell to the Japanese on Christmas Day 1941, Macao was left as a tiny isolated enclave on the China Coast surrounded by Japanese-held territory. As a Portuguese colony, Macao was neutral, and John Reeves, the British Consul, could remain there and continue his work despite being surrounded in all directions by his country's enemy. His main task was to provide relief to the 9,000 or more people who crossed the Pearl River from Hong Kong to take refuge in Macao and who had a claim for support from the British Consul. The core of this book is John Reeves' memoir of those extraordinary years and of his tireless efforts to provide food, shelter and medical care for the refugees. He coped with these challenges as Macao's own people faced starvation. Despite Macao's neutrality, it was thoroughly infiltrated by Japanese agents. Marked for assassination, he had to have armed guards as he went about his business. He also had to navigate the complexities of multiple intelligence agencies―British, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese Nationalist―in a place that was described as the Casablanca of the Far East.

About the Author

John Pownall Reeves (1909–1978) was British Consul in Macao from 1941 to 1946.