965 Defence Battery, Royal Artillery in the Battle for Hong Kong

965 Defence Battery (965 DB) was an independent mobile battery primarily equipped with 18-pdr field guns and 2-pdr anti-tank guns. Its main role was beach defence in tandem with the beach defence pillboxes. The battery also had responsibility for the three guns located at Belchers Fort. The commanding officer was Major Basil Forrester. There were a total of four officers and 144 men including British and Indian Other Ranks (BORs and IORs). Lt Challoner appears to have been assigned from HKSRA to 965 DB.

British 18-pdr in France in 1940 (Wikipedia)

The 18-pdr field gun was the standard British artillery piece in WW1. It was known as the 'infantry killer'. The Germans used howitzers, which, with their higher trajectory could be fired from cover ie on the reverse of a hill. The howitzers were known as 'gun and bunker busters' and were more effective in trench warfare. The 18-pdr guns were mostly equipped with anti-personnel (AP) shells. The fuse  could be set to a maximum delay of 22 seconds allowing it to explode in the air with its mass of musket type balls being dispersed over a wide area cutting down infantry formations. The 18-pdrs were used in this capacity in the Battle for Hong Kong. In areas where the Japanse infantry were advancing (for example the ridge between Bridge Hill-Notting Hill and Sugar Loaf-the Twins one can still pick up many of these shot balls fired by 18-pdrs from 965 DB at Stanley. 

Balls from 18-pdr AP shells fired by 965 Defence Battery 

The infantry was supported by the Hong Kong Singapore Royal Artillery (HKSRA). They were equipped with 3.7-inch, 4.5-inch and 6-inch howitzers. They were referred to as the mobile artillery but, in fact, their guns were mostly located in pre-prepared battery positions and not moved around.  On the 19 December 1941, East Group Royal Artillery lost most of its howitzers in the eastern sector because of the lack of mule transport for the 3.7-inch howitzers and lack of towing trucks for the larger guns. On 19 December, following the Japanese landings on the night of 18 December, only one gun, a 3.7-inch from Tai Tam Fork Battery, was successfully brought back to Stanley.  

   L/Bdr Albert Shepherd, was a member of 965 DB. In his interview (IWM sound tape) he talks about the battle very briefly. He mentions being sent to Shau Kei Wan (must have been Tai Koo) and then withdrawing after coming under British artillery fire which suggests it was just after the initial  Japanese landings.

We got an order to go up to Shau Kei Wan Dock Yard.  We were in a truck pulling the 2-pounder gun. We then came under shell fire from British guns. We left the 2-pounder which was useless anyway. 

Shepherd was dismissive of the 2-pdr describing it as a 'pea-shooter'. In fact, it was quite a good weapon to combat light armoured vehicles and it was more effective than the Boys anti-tank rifle which was used by the infantry in Hong Kong, but was later replaced in other theatres by the PIAT. The 2-pdr AT gun fired a 40mm (1.6-inch) shell with an effective range of up to 1,000 yards. It had a crew of 3 to 5 men and could be towed by a 15-cwt light truck. It was used very effectively in the battle for Stanley knocking out two Japanse light tanks attacking the village from the Beach Road. 

2-pdr anti tank gun (Wikipedia)

15-cwt truck (D-Day Overlord.com)

The 18-pdr and 2-pdr guns used by 965 DB were fully mobile with dedicated towing trucks. They were frequently moved. The initial deployment was as follows (source: The Guns and Gunners of Hong Kong (Dennis Rollo):

INITIAL DEPLOYMENT

Location                              Guns                              Fate

Belcher's Upper                   1x6-inch                        put out od action (25/12)

Belcher's Lower.                  2x4.7-inch                     put out of action (25/12)

Repulse Bay                         2x18-pdr                      One retained at Belchers

                                                                                  One to Stanley

Tai Tam Bay                         2x18-pdr                       To Stanley  

Stanley Bay                          2x18-pdr.                      To Braemar Beach 

Promontory                          1x2-pdr                          Lost at Stanley (24/12)

Island Bay (Skek-O)            1x2-pdr                          Lost at Stanley (24/12) 

Deep Water Bay                   1x2-pdr                         Lost at Stanley (24/12)

Tai Ho Wan (Telegraph Bay) 1x2-pdr                         Lost at Tai Koo Docks (18/12)

This suggests an initial six 18-pdrs and four 2-pdrs. 

MOVEMENT FROM INITIAL DEPLOYMENT

Repulse Bay      One 18-pdr remained at Belchers, then moved to Wan Chai and destroyed.

                          One 18-pdr moved to Stanley and put out of action at Stanley View on 23/12

Tai Tam Bay          Two 18-pdr to Stanley on 19/12 and put out of action 24/25

Stanley Bay            Two 18-pdr to Braemar on 11/12 and destroyed there on 18/12 

Promontory            One 2-pdr to Stanley on 19/12 and destroyed 25/12

Island Bay              One 2-pdr to Stanley on 19/12 and destroyed 25/12

Deep Water Bay    One 2-pdr  to north shore (13/12)  then to Stanley (19/12). Lost 24/25.

Tai Ho Wan            One 2-pdr to Tai Koo docks area on 14/12 destroyed there on 18/19

The 965 Defence Battery war diary starts from 19 December and is very brief. However, from this and from the Royal Artillery war diary we can glean the following interim and other movements.

Movements:

7 December: 965 DB occupied its Beach Defence positions

13 December: Belchers Battery was ordered to fire on lighters at Kowloon wharves. This was undertaken by the 6-inch gun in the upper battery. Fire was seen to be effective with a number of vessels sunk. Battery received some counterbattery fire starting fires in the western district.

14 December: Belchers Battery came under very heavy shelling. The lower Battery Observation Post (BOP) was destroyed and the two 4.7-inch guns were put out of action. 2/Lt Field, the battery commander, was wounded and Master Gunner Cooper was fatally wounded and died the following day. One IOR was killed and two wounded. With the battery badly damaged the remaining IORS were redeployed to serve as infantry. 

14 December: Four Mk1 18-pdr saluting guns were drawn from Ordnance and sent to Stanley. It is unclear whether they were put into action, but I think unlikely. 

15 December: One 2-Pdr was positioned at PB 56 near the China Fleet Club. One 18-Pdr was located near Belchers Battery.

16 December: One 2-pdr moved to a position near Hong Kong Club and one to near Tai Koo Dockyard. The 18-pdr near Belchers remained in position.  Six 12-pdr naval guns were drawn from RN Dockyard and passed to 965 DB to be used at various locations on the south shore in order to free up the 18-pdrs and 2-pdrs to do more mobile work on the north shore. The 12-pdrs never got into action due to technical difficulties with mountings and other difficulties. 

18 December: two 18-pdr beach defence guns from 965 DB situated at Braemar Beach were destroyed by accurate Japanse artillery fire after movement of the guns had been spotted.

19 December: one 18-pdr, under 2/Lt Challoner, in position north of Prison Officers Club covering Tai Tam Road in the vicinity of Erinville (Turtle Cove/Red Hill area) and Shek-O Road. He fired some rounds at the Government Rice Store on Shek-O Road. The remaining two 18-pdrs were at Stanley Fort.

One 2-pdr located at Stanley Police Station. One 2-pdr  located on Fort Road (Wong Ma Kok Road) near playing fields covering Stanley Bay. These guns were supported by their own Beach Defence Searchlights (BDSL). 

20 December: Brigadier Wallis ordered an 18-pdr to be sited at Stanley View at which point it could fire at the Repulse Bay Hotel garage and the hillside of Middle Spur. This gun was commanded by 2/Lt Phillips and was very effective in taking out Japanese mortar positions on Middle Spur. 

21 December: One 2-pdr moved to Island Road near Southcliff to meet reported advance by Japanese light tanks from Tai Tam Gap.

All three 18-pdrs withdrawn to Stanley Fort and two 18-pdrs under 2/Lt Challoner moved to a position covering Tweed Bay. Later one 18-pdr moved to Southcliffe to replace the 2-pdr. 

Two 18-pdrs under Captain Roberts to Stanley Fort by day. 

Two 2-pdrs withdrawn back to Police Station in Stanley Village

22 December: One of 2/Lt Phillips 18-pdr guns was lost at Stanley View. The gun had come under mortar fire and some of the ammunition was hit. Although man-handled back to a safe position it was too badly damaged and had to be abandoned.  That left two 18-pdrs at Stanley and one at Belchers.

23 December: 2/Lt Challoner and one 18-pdr moved to a position north of Prison Officers Club to cover Island Road near Erinville.

24 December: The two 18-pdrs were located at Tweed Bay by night. One 18-pdr north of Prison Officers Club by day. One 2-pdr located 500 yards east of Stanley Village covering Tai Tam Bay. One 2-pdr at Stanley Police Station covering Stanley Village Road and Beach Road. One 2-pdr covering Stanley Bay from Fort Road at the north-west corner of playing fields. Total of three 2-pounders remaining.

25 December (north shore): At 1300 hours the 18-pdr at Belchers was deployed near Wan Chai Market to support 1/Mx. One of its tasks was to fire at ARP tunnels which could have given the Japanese access to Kennedy Road from Mount Parish.

25 December (south shore): All 2-pdrs overrun. The gun at Stanley Police Station claimed two Japanese light tanks disabled on Beach Road. Efforts made to withdraw one 18-pdr from Tweed Bay.  Later the two 18-pdrs were trapped near the pumping station (on Fort Road) by heavy Japanese MG fire. 

Some of the above movements taken from 965 Defence Battery war diary and the Royal Artillery war diary are a bit confusing. It is not clear whether the four additional 18-pounders (saluting guns) were put into action. If not I estimate that by Christmas afternoon there were just two 18-pdrs left and it proved impossible to get these back to Stanley Fort. The saluting guns may have been in the fort but I suspect not used. The remaining 2-pdrs had been overrun at the village during the night 24/25.  From 24 December the Japanese owned the overlooking hills and could direct counterbattery fire on the guns if spotted either by sight or flash and as a result, the guns were being moved frequently.

 British officers and partial list of BORs from 965 Defence Battery

	Surname	First Name	Rank	Date of Death
	Forrester	Basil	Major	n/a
	Roberts	William John	Captain	n/a
	Challoner	Richard Harold	2/Lt	n/a
	Phillips	Eric Gladstone	2/Lt	25-Oct-42
	Boyce	Samuel	L/Bdr	2-Oct-42
	Burnley	Fred	Bdr	2-Oct-42
	Carley	John	BSM	2-Oct-42
	Climo	Reginald Thomas	Sgt	25-Dec-41
	Cooke	Leonard	Gnr	2-Oct-42
	Cooper	Clarence	BSM	2-Oct-42
	Downes	Leslie	Sgt	18-Dec-41
	Ellard	Cecil	Gnr	2-Oct-42
	Hall	Walter	Gnr	2-Oct-42
	Hewitt	Frank Edward	Gnr	2-Oct-42
	Hewson	Thomas James	Gnr	2-Oct-42
	Hildred	Reginald John	Gnr	2-Oct-42
	Inglis	John	L/Sgt	n/a
	Kenny	Michael	Gnr	2-Oct-42
	Langridge	Walter	Gnr	2-Oct-42
	Mace	Frank Edward	Gnr	2-Oct-42
	McCarthy	George Ebert	Gnr	24-Dec-41
	Miners	James	Gnr	2-Oct-42
	Nellist	James	Gnr	2-Oct-42
	O'Connell	Jeremiah	Gnr	2-Oct-42
	Orr	Terence Nolan	Gnr	2-Oct-42
	Roberts	Alfred Henry	Bdr	2-Oct-42
	Rodgers	Joseph	Bdr	9-Jun-42
	Roscoe	Ronald	Gnr	25-Dec-41
	Salmon	Andrew	Sgt	n/a
	Shepherd	Albert	L/Bdr	n/a
	Shirley	Ernest Francis	BSM	1-Oct-42
	Spiller	Frederick John	Gnr	3-Jun-43
	Stafford	Arthur John	L/Bdr	7-Nov-42
	Sumner	William	BQMS	1-Oct-42
	Thomas	Douglas	Gnr	26-Jul-42
	Townsend	George	Gnr	2-Oct-42
	Viotto	Joseph	Gnr	2-Oct-42
	Ward	Eric Philip	L/Bdr	25-Dec-41
	Yeoman	Herbert George	Gnr	2-Oct-42
	n/a	Not applicable
	Main Source of list:	Tony Banham's Hongkongwardiary.com