Andrew Chan Chak (; 2 April 1894 – 31 August 1949) was a Chinese

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

of the Republic of China Navy, best known for his role in a breakout in five Royal Navy torpedo boats from the

Japanese occupation of Hong Kong The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began when the governor of Hong Kong, Mark Aitchison Young, surrendered the British Crown colony of British Hong Kong, Hong Kong to the Empire of Japan on 25 December 1941. His surrender occurred after Batt ...

on Christmas Day 1941.

Career

A native of

Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...

, Chan was a

Midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

in Canton city (now Guangzhou) during the final years of the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

when he became a committed republican. Throughout the

Warlord Era The Warlord Era was the period in the history of the Republic of China between 1916 and 1928, when control of the country was divided between rival Warlord, military cliques of the Beiyang Army and other regional factions. It began after the de ...

he participated in several naval engagements in Southern China. In 1923 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Guangdong Fleet, later renamed the 4th Fleet of the ROC Navy. At the beginning of the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...

Chan was given the additional position of Commander of the Fortresses of Humen; during a battle there in 1938 his left leg was wounded which eventually necessitated its amputation. In 1939 Chan, then a Rear Admiral, was sent to

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

as Liaison Officer of the Nationalist Government. Under the cover as a stockbroker, he arranged for the transportation of

materiel Materiel or matériel (; ) is supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment in a commerce, commercial supply chain management, supply chain context. Military In a military context, ...

into China despite the Japanese blockade, and at the same time liaised with British colonial authorities, keeping the local Chinese population on-side, controlling the Triad gangs and identifying Japanese sympathisers. On 8 December 1941 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 ...

began; on Christmas Day the Governor, Sir

Mark Aitchison Young Sir Mark Aitchison Young ( zh, t=楊慕琦; 30 June 1886 – 12 May 1974) was a British colonial administrator, who is best remembered for his service as the Governor of Hong Kong at the time of the Battle of Hong Kong, Japanese invasion of t ...

, informed Chan of his intention to surrender to the Japanese. Chan decided to flee Hong Kong, and was given command of the five remaining

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

Motor Torpedo Boats. In Aberdeen Harbour he and his entourage boarded the motor launch '' Cornflower II''; while on the way to a rendezvous with the torpedo boats waiting south of

Ap Lei Chau Ap Lei Chau or Aberdeen Island is an island of Hong Kong, located off Hong Kong Island next to Aberdeen Harbour and Aberdeen Channel. It has an area of after land reclamation. Administratively it is part of the Southern District. Ap Lei ...

it was fired upon by Japanese forces. Chan ordered “Abandon Ship”, threw off his artificial leg, only to be shot at the left wrist; barely able to swim with one arm and one leg (he gave his life jacket to his bodyguard, who did not know how to swim), he was dragged ashore by his aide-de-camp, Lieutenant-Commander Henry Hsu. The torpedo boats came to their rescue, then headed towards Mirs Bay at high speed. From there the escapees, with the help of Chinese guerrillas, walked for four days through Japanese-occupied territories towards

Huizhou Huizhou ( zh, c= ) is a city in east-central Guangdong Province, China, forty-three miles north of Hong Kong. Huizhou borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the west, Shenzhen and Dongguan to the southwest, Shaoguan to the north, Hey ...

in unoccupied China. Altogether sixty-eight British, Chinese and Danish intelligence, naval and marine personnel were saved in the breakout, including David Mercer MacDougall, who had worked with Chan on intelligence matters. For aiding in the escape of these British military personnel, Chan was made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 19 August 1942. From September 1945 to June 1946, Chan was the Mayor of Guangzhou. He died in Guangzhou on 31 August 1949, during the final weeks of the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...

, officially from a stomach ulcer, although there was speculation that he was poisoned by agents of Chiang Kai-Shek.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chan, Chak 1894 births 1949 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in China People of the Northern Expedition Mayors of Guangzhou People from Hainan Republic of China Navy admirals Chinese military personnel of World War II Admirals of World War II Qing dynasty military personnel History of Hong Kong Battle of Hong Kong Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire