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November 7, 2012
Unless we develop an appetite for sadistic torture, we won't see any historical
reenactments of the Kamloops Kid. While trainloads of tourists may be amused by
staged hold-ups of "gentleman" Billy Miner, the adventures of the Kamloops Kid
would definitely not be family fare.
Growing up in Kamloops, there was no indication that Kanao Inouye would turn out
to be a cruel and brutal war criminal. At his trial, he recalled his boyhood in
Kamloops as happy. And why not? His father was a decorated Canadian soldier in
World War 1. Asians were generally well respected in Kamloops. Peter Wing was
member of the Board of Trade and later became the mayor of Kamloops, the first
of Chinese decent in North America.
At his family's urging, Inouye left Kamloops to attend Vancouver Technical
College and in 1938 traveled to Japan to further his education. However, it was
not the kind of education his family would not have hoped for. Inouye was
conscripted into the Imperial Japanese Army in 1942 and, due to his flawless
English, became an interpreter.
As a sergeant, he was posted at a Hong Kong prison that housed Canadian
soldiers. It was there that Inouye gained notoriety as the Kamloops Kid; a
reputation for brutality against his fellow countrymen.
Prisoners feared his unusual cruelty. He randomly beat them, now claiming it was
in retaliation for abuse in Canada. He told prisoners "When I was in Canada I
took all kinds abuse. . . . They called me a little yellow bastard. Now where is
your so-called superiority, you dirty scum?"
Inouye tortured Grenadier Jim Murray by tying him to a pole, taping his mouth
shut, and shoving burning cigarettes up his nose according to Canada's History
Magazine. He warned prisoners that "Your wives and sisters will be raped by our
soldiers and anyone resisting will be shot."
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It was no idle claim. Nurses who cared for Canadian soldiers were raped and
killed by Japanese soldiers. The rooky soldiers had no idea what they were
getting into when they were sent to defend Hong Kong. It was a last minute,
ill-conceived plan.
Britain originally had little interest in defending Hong Kong. But to assure
China that they were prepared to defend their colony, a largely symbolic
guard was placed at the Garrison. To augment the sparse guard, Canada
offered two infantry battalions (1,975 in all).
When the Japanese attacked Hong Kong on December 8, 1941, just eight hours
after their attack on Pearl Harbor, their victory was inevitable. Air and
marine defence of Hong Kong was virtually nonexistent.
Although Canadians bravely defended the Garrison and there were many heroic
acts, they were outnumbered and outgunned. It was a slaughter. Those didn't
die in battle succumbed to malnutrition and torture as prisoners - - at
least eight at the hands of Inouye.
After the war, the Kamloops Kid was charged with war crimes and sentenced to
death. The first verdict was overturned on appeal because he was a Canadian
citizen. Then he was charged with treason in 1947 and this time and the
guilty verdict stuck. His dying words were the unrepentant military cheer
"bonsai."
When the Canadians were finally rescued, they arrived home undistinguished
and forgotten. Many suffered from malnutrition and tropical diseases but
were denied disability pensions. It took 30 years before they would receive
the pensions they deserved. Canadians would rather forget the miserable
defeat of the Battle of Hong Kong, but as November 11 approaches, remember
we must.
David Charbonneau is the owner of Thompson Studio
He can be reached at
dcharbonneau13@shaw.ca
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