The talk will touch on the role of The Middlesex Regiment, describe the birth of The Lisbon Maru Association of Hong Kong and their researches into the fishermen of Zhoushan who rescued hundreds of British prisoners of war from the sinking ship in 1942, and the Association’s publication of a Chinese book giving new insights into the incident and its aftermath. The book contains details of how three prisoners of war were hidden in a cave and smuggled to the mainland with the help of Chinese guerilla units, travelling across China to the wartime capital of Chongqing, and also has previously unpublished Chinese official documents.

The speaker will describe his personal interest in this tragic and heroic story and his motivation in translating the Chinese publication into English.

The Speaker

Brian Finch was commissioned into The Middlesex Regiment in 1960 and served with one of the survivors of the Lisbon Maru disaster. Later he studied Chinese, spent many years in Hong Kong and now works closely with The Lisbon Maru Association of Hong Kong to help keep alive the memory of the Incident and the extraordinary courage shown by the Zhoushan fishermen. His translation of the Chinese book, A Faithful Record of the “Lisbon Maru” Incident, will be published in the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Studies Series by Proverse Hong Kong on Thursday 16 November in the Proverse Publishing Parade.

Time: Reception opens 6.30pm. Lecture begins 7.00pm

Admission: RAS members $100; non-members/guests $150

Please email membership@royalasiaticsociety.org.hk in advance to reserve your place and pay at the door