The hill behind the Fortress Hill MTR station is actually the North Point Mid-Levels. The name Fortress Hill comes from the cannons that were once stationed on the hill above Fort Street. These cannons were rarely used until December 1941. At that time, the Japanese forces had breached the defenses in the New Territories and Kowloon and were preparing to land on Hong Kong Island. As Tiu Keng Leng to Shau Kei Wan was the shorter sea route to cross the Victoria Harbor, the Japanese decided to use it as the landing spot. However, the cannons at the Mid-Levels of eastern Hong Kong Island delayed their advance. Despite this, the Japanese managed to land Hong Kong Island and engage in fierce battles with the defenders. After 18 days of fighting, in the afternoon of Christmas Day, December 25, 1941, the Hong Kong Governor decided to surrender. That day, remembered as “Black Christmas,” marked the beginning of three years and eight months of horrendous Japanese occupation.

       That Christmas Day was the most devastating day of the Battle of Hong Kong. Heavy fighting between the Japanese forces and the Hong Kong garrison took place on hills like Wong Nai Chung Gap. Among the defending forces were 1,975 soldiers who came to Hong Kong from Canada. After 18 days of battle and subsequent days in concentration camps, only 1,418 were able to leave Hong Kong alive.

        Over 70 years later, veteran Philip Doddridge still remembers the heroic acts of Sergeant John Robert Osborn.[1] During an assault on the defenders’ bunker, Japanese forces threw several grenades. Osborn picked up two and threw them back at the attackers. When another grenade was about to explode, he shielded it with his body. He chose to sacrifice himself to save at least six of his comrades. Today, a bronze statue in Hong Kong Park commemorates him.

       At another WWII memorial event, a child asked Ralph MacLean, an aged Canadian veteran who had fought in the Battle of Hong Kong, “If you had the chance to do it again, would you still go to Hong Kong to fight?” His answer was simple yet profound: “Yes, for you.”[2]

       These Canadian soldiers, who had little connection to Hong Kong, sacrificed themselves for Hong Kong. They are truly admirable. In the same way, the Son of God, who came into the world to sacrifice for you, for me, and for all humanity, must not be overlooked.

       Veteran Philip Doddridge recalls spending that “Black Christmas” fighting in Stanley. Later, he was imprisoned in the North Point concentration camp (near today’s Tsat Tsz Mui Road). Among his belongings was a Bible his mother had given him before he left home. He said that Bible became his most important support during his 44 months as a prisoner of war. Despite having to endure torture by the Japanese, another veteran, Ralph MacLean, allowed his daughter to marry a Japanese-Canadian after the war ended. He expressed that that was because of his faith in Jesus. Because of Jesus, he chose to forgive.

       Indeed! The meaning of Christmas is not difficult to understand. Is it not in the truth “God so loved the world” and “Christ came into the world to save sinners”?

[1] See Chinese article 【香港保衛戰75周年】從魁北克到深水埗，加拿大衛港老兵親述戰俘歲月at Ming Pao Weekly  

[2] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3317156/Heartwarming-moment-war-veteran-tells-little-girl-d-fight-freedom.html