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Cedric Wallis (7 March 1896 – 20 October 1982) was a British military officer who served as commander of the Mainland Brigade and East Brigade during the
Battle of Hong Kong The Battle of Hong Kong (8–25 December 1941), also known as the Defence of Hong Kong and the Fall of Hong Kong, was one of the first battles of the Pacific War in World War II. On the same morning as the attack on Pearl Harbor, forces of the ...
.


Early career

Wallis was born on 7 March 1896 in
Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...
, England to Arthur Wallis. In 1914, Wallis enlisted as a trooper in the
Royal Horse Guards The Royal Regiment of Horse Guards (The Blues) (RHG) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. Raised in August 1650 at Newcastle upon Tyne and County Durham by Sir Arthur Haselrigge on the orders of Oliver C ...
, and was later given commission with the
Sherwood Foresters The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for just under 90 years, from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Worcestershire Regiment to ...
. Wallis then served in France with the
East Lancashire Regiment The East Lancashire Regiment was, from 1881 to 1958, a Line infantry, line infantry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot and 59t ...
, where he lost his left eye. Wallis thus wore a black patch or a dark monocle over the eye in his later life. In 1917, Wallis joined the
Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four ...
and served in Iraq. At the end of the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...
, Wallis was made Chief Political Officer in
Mosul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second large ...
, before being transferred to southwest Persia, and then to south India and Burma.


Second World War

At the beginning of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, Wallis commanded an internal security force in
Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the '' de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the sec ...
. In 1940, Wallis was moved to
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
, promoted to
Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...
and was given command of 5th Battalion, 7th
Rajput Regiment The Rajput Regiment is one of the oldest infantry regiments of the Indian Army, tracing its origins back to 1778 with the raising of the 24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry. The 1st battalion of the regiment was formed in 1798. After World ...
. After Major General
Christopher Maltby Major General Christopher Michael Maltby, (13 January 1891 – 6 September 1980) was a senior officer in the British Indian Army who served as Commander of British Troops in Hong Kong in 1941 before the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong, after whi ...
's arrival in July 1941 as the
Commander British Forces in Hong Kong The Commander British Forces in Hong Kong (CBF) was a senior British Army officer who acted as Military Advisor to the Governor of Hong Kong and was in charge of the Hong Kong British Forces. The officeholder of this post concurrently assumed th ...
and the arrival of
C Force "C" Force was the Canadian military contingent involved in the Battle of Hong Kong, in December 1941. Members of the force were the first Canadian soldiers to see action in World War II. The major Canadian units involved in the defence of Hon ...
in November, the defensive plans for Hong Kong were redrawn, and Wallis was given command of the "Mainland Brigade" (also known as the " Kowloon Infantry Brigade") consisting of the 5th Battalion 7th Rajput Regiment, the 2nd Battalion
Royal Scots The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of Scotland. The regime ...
and the 2nd Battalion
14th Punjab Regiment The 14th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to the Pakistan Army on independence in 1947, and amalgamated with the 1st, 15th and 16th Punjab Regiments in 1956, to form the Punjab Reg ...
. The Canadian Brigadier
John K. Lawson John Kelburne Lawson (27 December 1886 – 19 December 1941) was a Canadian military officer who served as commander of the West Brigade during the Battle of Hong Kong. A brigadier, he was the most senior officer to be killed in action during ...
was given the command of the "
Island An island or isle is a piece of subcontinental land completely surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island in a river or a lake island may be ...
Brigade".


Battle of Hong Kong

Japan invaded Hong Kong on 8 December 1941. As the Japanese advanced through the
Kowloon Peninsula The Kowloon Peninsula is a peninsula that forms the southern part of the main landmass in the territory of Hong Kong, alongside Victoria Harbour and facing toward Hong Kong Island. The Kowloon Peninsula and the area of New Kowloon are colle ...
, British troops evacuated from the Hong Kong mainland to Hong Kong Island on 12 December and in the early morning of 13 December. As the mainland was lost, the "Mainland Brigade" was rendered impractical. Defensive plans were once again redrawn. On 13 December, Wallis was given command of the "East Brigade" consisting of the
Royal Rifles of Canada , colors = , march = Quick march " I'm Ninety Five", double past " Money Musk" , mascot = , battles = South African WarFirst World WarSecond World Wa ...
, 5th Battalion 7th Rajput Regiment, B and D Company of the 1st Battalion
Middlesex Regiment The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1966. The regiment was formed, as the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment), in 1881 as part of the Childers Ref ...
and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Company of the
Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps The Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers) (RHKR(V)) ()), formed in May 1854, was a local auxiliary militia force funded and administered by the colonial Government of Hong Kong. Its powers and duties were mandated by the Royal Hong Kong ...
, while Lawson commanded the "West Brigade". On 25 December, Wallis and the East Brigade was fighting in
Stanley, Hong Kong Stanley, or Chek Chue, is a coastal town and a popular tourist attraction in Hong Kong. It is located on a peninsula on Hong Kong Island. It is east of Repulse Bay and west of Shek O, adjacent to Chung Hom Kok and Tai Tam. Administratively, ...
. At 01:00, Maltby instructed Wallis and the East Brigade to "hold on to the last". During the day, it was recognized that the situation was untenable, and the British garrison surrendered at 15:30. Orders to surrender was relayed to Wallis at around 20:00, but Wallis, acting in accordance to he 01:00 order, refused to surrender without a written order. After receiving a written order, Wallis and the East Brigade ceased fighting at 02:30 on 26 December, making them the last unit to surrender in the battle.


Prisoner of war

After his surrender, Wallis was captured by the Japanese. Wallis was previously injured during reconnaissance at
Repulse Bay Repulse Bay or Tsin Shui Wan is a bay in the southern part of Hong Kong Island, located in the Southern District, Hong Kong. It is one of the most expensive residential areas in the world. Geography Repulse Bay is located in the souther ...
, and after his surrender was sent to Bowen Road Hospital for skin grafts. He was discharged on 11 April and interned at the
Sham Shui Po camp Sham Shui Po Barracks was a British Army facility built in the 1920s in the Sham Shui Po area of Kowloon, Hong Kong. The base was bounded by Fuk Wa Street to the east by Yen Chow Street and to the west by Tonkin Street and Camp Street. The bui ...
. A week later, Wallis was moved to
Argyle Street Camp Argyle Street Camp was a Japanese World War II prisoner-of-war camp in Kowloon, Hong Kong, which primarily held officer prisoners. World War II Built by the Hong Kong government as a refugee camp before the war as North Point Camp and Ma Tau C ...
, where he shared a room with Maltby and Col. Lancey Newnham. During his imprisonment, Wallis secretly worked on his war diaries, which he hid in a false bottom of a wooden box he handcrafted himself. On 4 August 1943, Wallis and Maltby, along with 19 other prisoners, were accused by the Japanese of assisting the
British Army Aid Group The British Army Aid Group (B.A.A.G.) was a para-military organisation for British and Allied forces in southern China during the Second World War. The B.A.A.G. was officially classified in the British Army's order of battle as an MI9 unit t ...
. They were then transferred to the in
Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" for its over 200 years of hi ...
,
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...
, arriving there on 9 August. In October 1944, they were transferred to Japan and marched to
Beppu is a city in Ōita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. As of March 31, 2017, the city had a population of 122,643
, before being shipped to south
Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republi ...
in November. From there they were transported to
Manchuria Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym "Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East ( Outer ...
and was kept in the village of . On 20 May 1945, they were moved to the Mukden camp, where they worked in a factory. Following the surrender of Japan in August 1945, Wallis was moved from Manchuria to
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...
. He refused to be flown home, instead insisted in travelling to India to see survivors from his unit, the 7th Rajput Regiment. He was able to visit them in
Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and divisio ...
before returning to England.


Later life

After his return to England, Wallis received a
Mention in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...
. Wallis submitted his war diaries to the
War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence (MoD ...
. The war diaries were "highly critical" to the Canadian troops, and included an incident where he considered shooting Canadian officers who wished to surrender, earning Wallis the reputation of "the most controversial soldier in the battle for Hong Kong."
Charles Perry Stacey Colonel Charles Perry Stacey (30 July 1906 – 17 November 1989) was a Canadian historian and university professor. He served as the official historian of the Canadian Army in the Second World War and published extensively on military and pol ...
, the official historian of the
Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases acr ...
in the Second World War, opinioned that Canadians who survived the Battle of Hong Kong "assert, pretty universally" that Maltby and Wallis "being in search of scapegoats for the failure of the defence, fixed upon the Canadian battalions for this purpose.” Canadian historian Grant Garneau, in his history of the
Royal Rifles of Canada , colors = , march = Quick march " I'm Ninety Five", double past " Money Musk" , mascot = , battles = South African WarFirst World WarSecond World Wa ...
in the battle, noted that Wallis ordered needless counterattacks that produced a high casualty rate. Wallis later moved to
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...
, and kept a low profile on his report in hopes of acquiring Canadian citizenship and a Canadian pension. He had difficulties finding a job at first, but later became a successful businessman and business consultant, and retired as a manager of a management placement service. Wallis died on 20 October 1982 in
Vancouver General Hospital Vancouver General Hospital (locally known as VGH, or Vancouver General) is a medical facility located in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is the largest facility in the Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre (VHHSC) group of medical facilit ...
from cerebral hemorrhage due to
atherosclerosis Atherosclerosis is a pattern of the disease arteriosclerosis in which the wall of the artery develops abnormalities, called lesions. These lesions may lead to narrowing due to the buildup of atheromatous plaque. At onset there are usually ...
, and was cremated in Vancouver. He was buried in
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
, the hometown of his second wife Ingeborg.


Family

Wallis married Angela Van de Wouwer at
St George's, Hanover Square St George's, Hanover Square, is an Anglican church, the parish church of Mayfair in the City of Westminster, central London, built in the early eighteenth century as part of a project to build fifty new churches around London (the Queen Anne ...
in 1920. They had one daughter, Angela. Wallis later married Ingeborg Subbe, who died in 2010 and was buried in her hometown of Hamburg with her husband.


References


Bibliography

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External links


Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wallis, Cedric 1896 births 1982 deaths British Army personnel of World War I Indian Army personnel of World War I Indian Army personnel of World War II World War II prisoners of war held by Japan English emigrants to Canada Battle of Hong Kong East Lancashire Regiment officers Sherwood Foresters officers British Indian Army officers Royal Horse Guards soldiers Military personnel from Nottingham