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Captain Douglas Ford GC
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Douglas in Junior school in 1929 |
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Douglas in the 1st Cricket X!, 1936 |
In the uniform of a Captain in the Royal Scots in 1939 |
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At the 2003 Remembrance
Day service at the School, the Rector recounted a tale of valour involving a
former pupil. The 1942 Easter edition of Schola Regia listed ‘Capt.
Douglas Ford (leaving year 1936), missing – Hong Kong’. Douglas had been
taken prisoner by the Japanese on Christmas day 1941 when Hong Kong
surrendered. In captivity, much against the rules, he
organised the distribution of medical supplies and drugs which safeguarded
the health of his fellow prisoners. Later, Douglas was involved in a
mass plan of escape, but was arrested, tortured, and finally sentenced to
death. On 19th December
1943, his captors led him to a beach overlooking the South China Sea. After
Douglas had expertly dug his own grave in the true Homeric way, and those of two fellow prisoners
who were too weak,
he was shot. He was posthumously awarded the
George Cross
A selection of
photographs showing some of Douglas's sporting life at school are shown
below.
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This is the Junior 3
(now 7th Junior) cricket
team at Holyrood in 1929. Douglas Ford is front row extreme right. Sir
Frederick O’Brien QC, who donated this picture, is extreme left in the rear
row. Frederick, Club President in 1975 was, as he put it, (and can be
seen) ‘larking about’. |
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The 1st Rugby XV of 1935-36.
Douglas is second from the left in the front seated row |
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The 1st Cricket X1 of 1936.
Douglas is second from the left in the front seated row |
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This story was related by
Jim
Ford MC, Douglas's younger brother (RHS leaving year 1938) who was taken
prisoner at the same time as Douglas, and was in the same camp until
September 1942 when Jim was sent to Japan. Jim lives in
retirement with his wife Isobel in Edinburgh Jim subsequently (1961) wrote
a series of novels, two of which were about the fall of Hong Kong and the
prison. 'The Brave White Flag' recounted the story of the fall
of Hong Kong, while the 'Season of Escape' was a fictional story of
Douglas's period in captivity based on accounts from many sources.
Jim was hosted at the City Chambers by Lord Provost George
Grubb in May 2008. A
photograph of the event
is available. |
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| Jim Ford in his
uniform as a second lieutenant in the Second Battalion of the Royal Scots in
1941. |
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The Photo on the left
shows HQ Company, the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Scots (The Royal
Regiment) at Murray Barracks, Hong Kong in 1941.
Within a short time the Regiment would be decimated by the Japanese
Army. Douglas Ford is eighth from the right in the
front row (seated on chair). |
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The Royal High
School Club
