January 6, 2008
James Allan - witness to the Port Arthur massacre
James Allan was the son of a British businessman, after his father’s death he quickly squandered his inheritance gambling and partying in France.
In his autobiographical book “Under the Dragon Flag: My Experiences in the Chino-Japanese War” which you can read online in it’s entirety at the project Gutenberg website he describes how when he ran out of money he became a sailor through a chance encounter and joined up on a ship that was running guns to the Chinese forces in preparation with their conflict with the newly modernized Japanese empire.
After a skirmish with a patrolling japanese destroyer and witnessing the naval battle between the Chinese and Japanese forces from afar, Allan was accidentally stranded in Port Arthur when his ship left without him. Attempting to join his companions, he was captured by a Japanese warship, which detained him on suspicion of being a military instructor. After several weeks on board he took a chance and jumped overboard and managed to escape to Port Arthur which was by then under siege by the Japanese forces.
From his experience as a prisoner of the Japanese, Allan was sure the inevitable takeover of the city would be civilized and peaceful once the garrison had been defeated, but he underestimated the fury of the Japanese at the Chinese policy of torturing and executing all prisoners, and when the city quickly fell an indiscriminate massacre began to take place.
I directed my retreat towards the dockyards, with a view to getting round to the south part of the town, as far as possible from the quarter by which the Japanese were entering it. The idea of a general massacre never entered my mind, and I only thought of getting back to my inn, there to stay until things quieted down. My prevailing feeling was one of satisfaction that I should not after all have to face a long residence in a beleaguered town. I therefore paid little attention at first to the fact that people were flying on every hand, and I did not suppose that there could be any good reason for flight, beyond the desirability of getting out of the way of the conquering troops until the ardour of victory had cooled down. I was not long to be left undeceived. A deadly work of vengeance and slaughter had commenced Down the panic-crowded streets, louder and louder as I advanced, came ringing the volleys of the rifle-fire, the shouts of the infuriated soldiers, and the death-shrieks of their victims.
Escaping from the streets, he hid in a shop while being pursued by a soldier. Emerging from hiding a while later, he was surprised by the very same soldier that was pursuing him earlier. Grabbing a hatchet, Allan split the man’s head and stole his uniform, and in the waning light managed to pass for a Japanese soldier and returned to his lodgings, only to find that everyone there had been murdered with the exception of his interpreter Chung and a mandarin friend of his who was wounded.
They managed to sneak out of the city and spent several months at sea in a Junk that picked them up on the river.
Filed under: Heroic dudes
