Paper Tigers - Roaring Lions

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1.

Chapter 2.

Chapter 3.

Chapter 4.

Chapter 5.

Chapter 6.

Chapter 7.

Chapter 8.

Chapter 9.

Chapter 10.

Chapter 11.

Chapter 12.

Chapter 13.

Chapter 14.

Chapter 15.

Chapter 16.

Chapter 17.

Chapter 18.

Chapter 19.

Chapter 20

Chapter 21.

Chapter 22.

Chapter 23.

Chapter 24.

Chapter 25.

Chapter 26.

Chapter 27.

Chapter 28.

Chapter 29.

Chapter 30.

Chapter 31.

Chapter 32.

Chapter 33.

Chapter 34.

Chapter 35.

Chapter 36.

Chapter 37.

Chapter 38.

Chapter 39.

Chapter 40.

Chapter 41.

Chapter 42.

About the Author

Prologue

Hong Kong Island, 1967–68.

Eastern, this is mobile patrol 245, Sergeant Douglas Lim on patrol in the Wanchai district. There has been a box bomb incident and Inspector Kymberly Fry has been seriously injured. Request an ambulance be dispatched immediately to the site, corner of Jaffe and Fleming Roads. Also request that the emergency police and fire units be dispatched to secure the area. Inspector Fry is conscious and responding to me but he is in great pain and losing a large amount of blood from injuries to his left leg and foot.

Mobile unit 245, this is Eastern. Your message acknowledged. Both ambulance and Wanchai Fire have been dispatched to site, Jaffe and Fleming Roads, with an estimated time of arrival of four minutes. The police emergency unit including two members of the Bomb Squad are also en route. Over.

Mobile 245, Roger. Out.

Eastern, this is Ambulance 26 responding to the bomb incident at Jaffe and Fleming Roads. We have arrived at the scene and are attending to the injured Inspector. He has severe damage to both his left leg and foot. No bones can be seen. The action of Sergeant Lim in stemming the flow undoubtedly saved his life. Confirm that you have alerted Queen Mary’s Hospital. We are moving to emergency channel 2 leaving the microphone open for the trauma team at Queen’s to follow our action and their recording of the victim’s condition and our response. More to follow. Out.

Sergeant, when you first applied pressure to the wounds, how extensive were they?

I did not see any bones protruding but my first concern was to stop the bleeding and I did not really look too closely at the wounds.

Pillows were placed under the head and a pulse taken on the top side of the foot. It was around sixty to seventy beats per minute and found to be irregular. A trauma dressing measuring twelve by nine inches was used to soak up the blood and rolled bandages were used to hold it in place.

Sergeant, could you tell how much blood had been lost immediately after the explosion? We need to have your best judgment as the Inspector could go into severe shock if too much blood has been lost. What was the color of the blood and was it spurting out, as this would indicate that an artery had been cut?

It was a deep red and spurting out in gushes before I applied the pads, said Lim.

Inspector, if you can hear and understand me could you indicate on a scale of 1 to 10, how bad the pain level is, 10 being the worst that you have ever experienced?

The Inspector responded with a weak hand signal that it was 10. They immediately commenced an I.V. and four milligrams of morphine were injected and then both the leg and foot were splinted using preformed splints that were wrapped around the wounds and ice packs were applied on top of the dressing and wrapped again. His leg and foot were elevated above the heart level to stop the flow of blood. Straps were carefully fastened to his body, and with the help of policemen at the scene, he was placed on a gurney cot and lifted into the ambulance. Pillows were placed under the foot. Blood pressure was taken using a pressure cuff with recordings of over 160 over 90. One crewman removed the Inspector’s revolver and Sam Browne belt and his tunic and singlet were cut away. A vein was found in the middle of the arm near the elbow and they applied a tourniquet just above the I.V. site and very carefully swabbed down with alcohol wipes. A sixteen-gauge needle was used and the needle inserted into the site and the I.V. tubing connected to the needle and the solution was allowed to flow at a rate of sixty to eighty drips per minute. The site was then taped down over the needle and an arm board secured under his arm to keep it in place.

Blood pressure was taken again on the other arm and recorded the second time at 140 over 90; an oxygen mask was gently positioned over his face and the flow adjusted to twelve to fifteen liters per minute.

Are you still in pain, Inspector?

He gave signs that he was and a further four milligrams were injected and the time recorded. A second I.V. tube was started on the other arm and again the Inspector was asked about the pain level.

Fair dinkum, Mate, it’s bloody bad, he managed to respond but it was very difficult for him to stay focused and he immediately became unconscious. While they desperately wanted him to answer questions about any medicine that he was taking or allergies or whether or not he was a diabetic, they had to assume that he was not allergic to his surroundings or diabetic as his entry examination when joining would have excluded him immediately. A flash-light was shone on his eyes and they both reacted to light. A stethoscope was placed in six spots, four on the front and two on the upper back, and his breathing rate noted and logged along with the other measurements taken so far. Electrodes were then positioned on his chest and a heart monitor switched on to record his rhythm and rate. They were found to be normal and they prepared to depart to the hospital.

"Queen Mary’s Emergency Facility, this is Eastern Ambulance 26 en route to you with a 22 old police Inspector injured by a suspected shoe box bomb explosion. The left foot is still attached but a very large amount of blood has been lost and there is extensive damage to the leg. We have recorded our response action over channel 2 and here is a summary and present condition.

"Upon arriving at the scene we found that a Police Sergeant who was in the patrol had applied pressure to the eighteen-inch leg wound and also the foot, both of which have extensive burns. At this time we have the bleeding under control and the leg and foot splinted and elevated. I.V.s have been started and two four-milligram injections of morphine given to the Inspector, who is still in pain but drifting in and out of consciousness.

His last pain level was 6. We have placed him on oxygen at 15 L.P.M. His heart monitor shows a normal sinus rhythm with a heart rate of 90; blood pressure is at 110 over 80 and his pulse rate is 120. Pulses were taken both before and after splinting. Chest sounds are normal and reacting with a breathing rate of twenty-two breaths per minute. While the Inspector is partly awake and responding to questions and we feel that this is strongly due to his training and overall fitness, both of which have enabled him to respond with more effect than a civilian victim might. Our E.T.A. is estimated at five minutes. We have a police escort. Do you have any questions resulting from the procedure broadcast on channel 2 and subsequent treatment action or any orders? Over.

Ambulance 26, your broadcast on channel 2 was copied and understood. A trauma team is standing by to receive the victim. Over.

Ambulance 26, Roger. Out.

Chapter 1.

Chief Superintendent James Pendley gazed ruefully at the operations table in front of him and the ever changing flash points that were being recorded, indicating the escalating maelstrom of widespread and disorderly activity, once confined to the areas of Tsim Sha Tsui and Nathan Road in Kowloon, the main tourist area, but now being seen on the island of Hong Kong.

He was a phlegmatic individual, carefree by nature and somewhat flippant in many ways that disaffected his superiors but his reputation was also one of sangfroid under pressure and dour expression that he carried no matter what the circumstances or pressure, belied the innate sense of the affairs of others, particularly those that were part of his team. This persona was one that he had not created for himself but he was keenly aware that it was one that prevailed among both European and Chinese officers as well as the men under them.

There was a steady hum of activity in the operations room, where about thirty men and women of all ranks were manning the phones, shortwave wireless sets, Teletype machines, and operation movements boards, which were being updated constantly with the disquieting reports of more disturbances on the island. At a police level, these disturbances were beginning to be seen as choreographed by the People’s Republic of China across the border if not directly, but certainly with its support, although this was strongly discounted by the Hong Kong government. The situation was compounded by what appeared to be apathy on the part of the Commissioner of Police, who appeared to be somewhat reluctant to respond to the ever-increasing disturbances and blatant signs of heated rhetoric and posters placed on banks, government offices, schools, and any other visible space seen by the populace through Communist television stations. These mobs were in their early twenties but the leaders were older men and union members.

Chief Superintendent, we have just received an emergency call from Mobile Patrol 245 in the Wanchai district. Inspector Kymberly Fry has been seriously injured and rushed to Queen Mary’s Hospital Emergency Facility,said one of the policewomen manning the emergency line.

He suffered injuries to his left leg and foot and there has been a large loss of blood. It could have been much worse but for the quick reaction of his sergeant, Douglas Lim, stemming the flow using the Land Rover’s medical kit and heavy bandages. The Inspector was able to talk to ambulance crew but kept fading away into unconsciousness.

What exactly caused the incident? Pendley asked.

"They were on street patrol in the vicinity of Jaffe and Fleming Roads and saw a young girl of about ten or twelve about to open a highly decorated package about the size of a shoebox. The Inspector leapt out and dived at the girl, lifting her away from the box but unfortunately his left foot touched the corner of the box and a bomb exploded. The Bomb Squad, who were on the scene within minutes of the incident, have made known their preliminary findings: that it was a crude device similar to those already seen on the streets, made with the same black powder that is used in firecrackers.

The little girl suffered no injuries other than a scraped knee and elbows. She received treatment for shock and was sent home to her parents. Sergeant Lim has advised that Inspector Fry’s best friend, Inspector Cameron, is on duty in the operations room and he requests that he speak to him and pass on the initial assessment of the incident as it has been logged.

The Superintendent’s hair on the back of his neck began to prickle and he glanced around the room, looking for Cameron. He saw him hovering over the activity charts and he came from behind his elevated desk and walked over.

Sergeant Douglas Lim is on the red phone and would like to talk to you about an incident in Wanchai involving Inspector Fry. A shoe bomb exploded and he is seriously injured. Lim wants to give you the prognosis as it was given to him prior to the ambulance departing for Queen’s Hospital. Take it at my desk, he said.

Inspector Christopher Cameron scrambled around other duty staff, grabbing the phone.

Douglas, this is Cameron. What happened?

He saved a little girl who was about to open a suspicious package that turned out to be a shoe-box bomb, and while she suffered only scuffed knees, he has bad burns on his left leg and foot. I overheard the ambulance crew say that there was a possibility of a prosthetic leg but that was an early observation and hopefully his joss will overcome that.

There was an eerie silence and then Christopher replied, Thank you, Douglas. I appreciate what you did for Inspector Fry and for calling me so quickly. Damn, it’s hard to comprehend. I was with him last night at the China Fleet Club, we had dinner and later went bowling. I’ll contact Queen’s and get permission to visit him as soon as possible and once I have been given the latest on his condition I’ll contact you. Thank you again for your concern. Your fast reaction to the situation may have saved his life. Let’s hope so.

He turned to the Chief Superintendent and said, Sir, I’m off duty in one hour and I would like very much to go to Queen Mary’s to talk with the doctors and staff and perhaps they will allow me to stay overnight with him if he comes out of intensive care and into a private room. I would like to be there with him even though it may be several hours before he is well enough to speak to me. Could you call ahead and using your rank to get me in?

Yes. Sure. I can’t see any reason that they would not especially if they put him in a private room, which is precautionary and mandatory for a policeman.

Thanks. I would like to call his parents in Australia, as I met them when Kymberly invited me to spend our local leave at Christmas time with them. Can you clear it with the Padre’s office as well as Personnel?

Certainly. Unless I advise you otherwise, leave as soon as you turn your watch over to your relief and call me in the morning as soon as you receive an update on his condition.

His relief had heard of the incident and took over the watch ahead of handover time.

Christopher caught a taxi and went directly to the hospital in his uniform as he thought that it might carry some weight when he asked permission to stay overnight. The duty matron told him that Kymberly’s condition when he was admitted was critical and it was touch-and-go whether he would pull through the night but if he did, his chances would improve by the hour. She reiterated that while the burns caused by the explosion were severe, their real concern at this time was the large amount of blood lost when he lay on the ground.

He was shown the waiting room by the duty nurse. She offered him coffee, which he took black and asked for an Aspro.

The waiting was extremely difficult. He read almost all the magazines, even the women’s cooking books. He began to doze off when the doctor came into the room.

Hello, I’m Doctor Hood, senior surgeon. I operated on the Inspector. You are Inspector Cameron, so matron tells me.

Christopher shook his hand.

Yes. How is he?

Well, it’s too early to say but what we know is that he suffered extensive third degree burns to both his foot and leg, reaching up to his thigh. Nerves have been destroyed; certain tissue must be reconstructed, and there was damage to his ligaments. We had a team of eight including two additional surgeons and we have advised the team to be prepared for a skin graft and reconstruction.

His blood group is O. What is yours?

The same and I guarantee you that there will be a line up of police of all ranks if needed, replied Christopher, I understand that he was in a great deal of pain when they brought him into Queen Mary’s.

He was still under the effects of morphine administered by the ambulance crew, who are to be highly commended for the way that they handled the situation. A person suffering this kind of wound is very apprehensive when he is aware of the operating room and also to the staff surrounding him, and we administer tranquilizers, which also reduces the amount of anesthesia needed. He was put under a general anesthesia. I don’t know how much you know of the procedure but the anesthesiologist controls the flow of anesthesia gases and monitors blood pressure, pulse, breathing rate, and other bodily functions.. We shall be moving him into a private room in the next few hours even though his condition will still be critical, but we have a team of nurses recording his progress or otherwise throughout the night. Matron tells me that you wish to spend the night in his room. While we would not even consider that if you were not a policeman and his closest friend, under the circumstances we will bend the rules in this case. Don’t be too concerned when you see him. He has an endotracheal tube still in place to relieve any problems that he might have with his respiration, a gastrointestinal tract through his nose, and he is hooked up to an electrocardiograph unit, which you probably know as an E.K.G. and he will remain on oxygen for some time. When he wakes up from the sedatives we will remove much of this equipment and he will be very drowsy and perhaps incoherent although he will probably recognize you. Have his parents been contacted?

His family is in Australia and I will be talking to them early tomorrow morning when you will perhaps have further facts. It’s going to be very difficult for them to digest that their son has been seriously injured and I may wish to ask for either you or the duty doctor to give them a better overview of his condition and the chances of his pulling through. They will probably fly to Hong Kong within a day or so and until they arrive I imagine that they will go through hell with worry so it might be better if they are able to speak to a doctor, replied Christopher.

I shall be on duty until 0800 but the oncoming doctor will be fully aware of the Inspector’s operation and post-op condition. When you go into his room I suggest that you sit in the chair well away from his bed as the nurses will be in and out constantly and aside from monitoring they will be carrying out procedural routines. Goodnight and rest assured that we will take very good care of him. He’s obviously a very brave officer, said the doctor

The room was immediately adjacent to the nurse’s duty island and they could see directly into the room at all times besides having the monitor screens behind them. The room was in semi darkness, which at first was an ominous sign to Christopher until he realized that it was pitch-black outside. Everything was stark white, the walls, ceiling, rattan chairs, and bedside table. A Bible lay on the table. He took it in his hands and, for the first time since leaving England and his family, said a prayer.

Kymberly’s face was barely visible behind the array of tubes and catheters and his breathing was heavy.

A nurse, the first of a long stream, came into the room, read the monitors and other recoding equipment, and noted his chart, which lay on the end of the bed like a baggage label.

He removed his Sam Browne belt and revolver and gratefully accepted a hot cup of coffee brought in by a duty nurse. He began to relax but kept his eyes glued on Kymberly. He was alone with his thoughts and he began replaying in his mind everything that had transpired up to this tragic point in time, when he first met Kymberly and left his family behind in England.

Chapter 2.

Heathrow Airport in the outer suburbs of London, was no different from any other European national airport on a Saturday morning except that it was the largest in terms of passenger movements and this could be seen in the bursts of people moving from check-in counters to immigration desks and departure areas, fumbling with oversized travel bags and suitcases, businessmen anxious to stay on tight schedules somewhat hastily put together, and the vacation-bound families scrambling to buy last minute sunscreen, comics, and duty-free liquor and wine and other items to further overburden their already bursting luggage.

Christopher made his way to the check-in counter, presented his ticket and passport, and placed his single suitcase on the weighing machine. Although he had never flown before he had taken advice from other Oxford students, particularly those that lived overseas, about the best areas to select seats if given the opportunity.

He asked the attendant behind the counter if he could possibly have an emergency row so that he could take advantage of the extra leg room. She made momentary glances at Christopher while she went through the motions of writing out his boarding pass.

He was twentyfour, six foot, four tall, and weighing just over 180 pounds with not an ounce of fat with a typical rugby player’s physique, well built, with dark green eyes and thick brown hair. His complexion was that of someone who had spent a large part of his life outdoors and typical of someone born in a county of England. His unfailing politeness had the desired effect and he was allocated a seat in the forward section of the aircraft, in the emergency row, which was a two-seat configuration.

I do not expect our flight to be full and I have placed a hold on the seat next to you and it will remain vacant provided we do not have last-minute passengers to deal with, she said.

He thanked her and his smile was obviously welcome after the carping that she had experienced so far in boarding the flight.

He gathered his carry-on bag and made his way to the immigration section and was immediately engulfed with a river of moving bodies pushing luggage carts, armies of candy enveloped children, crying, laughing, some demanding attention. Immigration was smooth and efficient and as he had a British passport did not need a Hong Kong visa although he had to show documents that explained that his stay in Hong Kong was to be a matter of years and not weeks. He stopped at the duty-free shop and bought a large bottle of Bombay gin although he suspected the liquor might not be as expensive as in England. Armed with duty-free gin and magazines he made his way to the departure area and found a seat in the corner away from the crowds that had began to gather. Thirty minutes went by and they began the boarding procedure with first-class passengers boarding, followed by economy class by rows. He found his seat, which was a two-seat configuration, and he chose the window as most first time flyers do.

After several announcements and safety procedures were demonstrated, the aircraft pulled away from the departure gate and slowly made its way to the designated runway, lining up behind several aircraft and after a very short time began its roll down the runway with all engines fully engaged and within minutes reached its initial flight level and turned towards Frankfurt, where it was to stop to pick up passengers before being routed to Rome for refuelling.

Christopher clenched the armrest as he gazed at the slowly diminishing countryside and although he told himself that he was not frightened, he remained apprehensive when he realized just how far they were from the ground. About one hour out of Rome dinner was served, followed by drinks. He had a French chardonnay with dinner and when his tray was cleared, settled back with a Scotch and soda. His thoughts were preoccupied with memories of his early days living with his parents, preschool followed by prep school and Queen’s College and his eyes set on going up to Oxford University. He had graduated from Queen’s with seven A levels in English, Mathematics, and German.

His early years were happy and even though he grew up in a small village his life was anything but dull. The village of Pentre, which had lost little of its original character, had a long history and there were still several half-timbered trimly thatched white washed cottages with rugged stone walls and hedgerows in the surrounds. The vicarage was situated overlooking a small river and he had spent many hours with other boys fishing for trout and learning to swim, and he had come to appreciate his surroundings, which retained much of their natural beauty.

The medieval church was built from a mix of sandstone with locally quarried bluestone on the floor. The pulpit was built from black serpentine stone carted from Cornwall, and the four faces of the square tower were fitted with a clock, which represented the only major change in over 150 years. He came to know every inch of the tower and it became a place where he escaped from much of the drudgery that every boy thinks he is burdened with.

He had two younger sisters, both of whom wanted to do all of the things that he and the other boys did. His mother was quite strict but always found the time to explain the inescapable facts of life that they faced. He was a good student and an exceptionally all-round sportsman, head of his house, and captain of the first fifteen rugby team in his last year at Queen’s. During his last term year girl students were admitted for the first time to the sixth form and his grades began to drop to ‘B’s but his father, who realized what he was experiencing, encouraged him to concentrate on his studies and not let this newly found situation run amok if he wanted to move up to Oxford.

Chapter 3.

His interest in the Orient began to emerge partly because there was a mix of students from Southeast Asia and the Middle East as well as the influence of his house master, who had traveled extensively in those areas as well as spending some time in India, and he caught everyone’s imagination and attention and although he had been brought up with the teachings of the Methodist church, and they were deeply routed in his everyday life. His interest in the religious convictions and the way of worship of the people of India and the Orient gave him a view of the world that he had not had before. Hinduism, Buddhism, and Zen were far removed from his background and daily life at Queen’s and although initially he had limited powers of comprehension, he was stimulated by the significant differences, and they made profound and lasting impression that would eventually determine his future.

After university graduate students are admitted to Oxford University after having their application accepted by one of the twenty colleges and he had to make his selection during the last term at Queen’s. He had short listed three, University, New College, and Wadham. Once he had made up his mind to take Oriental studies, the matter became one of which college, and he applied for, and was accepted at, Wadham based on his father’s recommendation. His examination results were posted at the end of his final term and as a language had been mandatory, he was pleased that he had opted for German half-way through his schooling.

His house master, looking somewhat bemused, sat in his old and well-worn leather chair when he met with Christopher in his study for the last time and while the meeting, as it was with all students leaving college, was one of encouragement for the future and a forceful belief in whatever they had embarked upon, in this case the master felt particularly gratified knowing that he had made a contribution albeit largely different from his other students who were pursuing more multiform career paths.

He spent two weeks after finals at home with his family and his mother’s cooking added the weight that he had dropped during his last term where his priorities were study before nourishment and exercise.

His parents bought him a used 1200 H.P. Mini Cooper that had only 23,000 on the odometer. He had been given his license whilst at school and even though his driving experience was limited to in and around Taunton he decided to spend about ten days across the channel through France and Holland, where he hoped to put his German study to practice. Armed with R.A.C. maps and reams of other information he set out from Dover on one of the many cross Channel car ferries, landing at Calais with no problem and aside from a small altercation with a French taxi driver who had never gotten over Waterloo, because he had come into town on the wrong side of the road. He made his way through the French countryside passing clusters of small villages perched on hillsides, all with their own individual character, while trying to bypass the larger towns and cities because he wanted to see as much of France as possible time was of the essence; he entered Germany through Wiesbaden, where he spent the night at a gasthof pension, which he found was primarily a restaurant but with some rooms for transients. After a day touring the city of Frankfurt he headed out for theTaunas Mountain area passing through the old town of Kronsberg on the scenic road to Konigstein, where the town was dominated by the ruins of an old castle.

From there he began to wind his way through waves of forest ridges and a succession of green plateaus before coming to the village of Glashutten, nestled in the folds of the mountain and the remains of a Roman fort with forest on three sides and in sight of the highest mountain in the region, Grosser Feldberg, which stood at almost three thousand feet.

After riding through the village he found a small gasthof that had the appearance of an old English inn with iron framed tables and chairs in the courtyard, oak beams on the inside, and walls festooned with German artifacts and skulls of what he took for deer, all with a small hole in the upper part, and there were bones of animals that he had no idea what they might have been. Eager to try his language he asked for a room with the use of a bathroom, which he understood had to be shared with other guests. He apologized and explained that although he had studied the language for several years, this was the first time that he had a real opportunity to use it. He was immediately put at ease although he had to dig deep into his collective memory. He took his bags to his room, which stood on the second floor facing the mountains, freshened up, hung his clothes in an old German hand-made wardrobe, which he noticed had no nails holding it together but small wedge-type pieces of wood, and decided to have a much deserved beer downstairs before dinner.

He had no sooner taken his first sip of beer when a young girl came into the courtyard dressed in a T-shirt and shorts. She was about the same age as Christopher with dark brown hair pulled together in a pony tail and a figure that had not fully matured but had the developing curves in the right places. She took off a water bottle from around her shoulders and a small backpack so he assumed that she was on either a walking or cycling tour. Jolted out of his musings by her good looks, which were Celtic he thought at the time, he decided to abandon the typical English stoicism and after explaining that he was from the U.K. and touring so that he could practice his German, he asked if she would like to join him for a beer or soft drink. She smiled but said that she would prefer a large Pils, a Bavarian beer that came in a tall glass with about two inches of foam on the top. He carried his beer over to her table and introduced himself.

I’m Christopher Cameron from the U.K. I drove through France and came into Germany through Wiesbaden and Frankfurt. I’ve just completed college and one of my subjects was German and I wanted to have as much conversation as possible in the short period of time.

Nice to meet you. My name is Megan Anderson and I live in a small village close by and I’m coming to the end of my school vacation, after which I am going to university in England.

That’s a coincidence, so am I. Which university?

Oxford, and I want to study one or two languages, probably Russian and Chinese. My sights are set on being part of the international business marketplace, perhaps within banking or with a German company in the overseas markets. China is my target at the moment as it looks to be the growth market of the future. Which college are you going to when you get back?

Coincidence but I am going up to Oxford when the term starts in January. I’ve been given a place in Wadham College; how about you?

I was lucky in getting my application with University College, as it’s where my father studied for four years. What subjects are you taking?

"I’m taking Oriental studies, which includes two languages, Chinese Mandarin and Cantonese,