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Stonecutters Island Hong-Kong in 1976
written by David Commerford
 Know your fellow man. Hong-Kong 1975
In 1961 or thereabouts three Japanese bodies had been unearthed on Stonecutters Island and one of our vessels brought them to the mainland. This had been done in the early hours of the morning using an all European crew and in complete secrecy the reason being some of our Chinese unit members had a very real belief in spirits and would have insisted the boat be ritually cleansed.
This was really brought home to me years later in 1975. Having by that time served on and off with some of the Chinese guys since we had been young men together I thought I knew them pretty well. I had been rostered as Duty officer and had with me as my number two a Chinese Senior rank by the name of Yan Ka Yill with the obvious nickname of ‘Yanky’
At around 1900 Hrs. the radio crackled into life as a returning vessel announced its imminent arrival and asked for the duty boat to be put on standby. Yanky began to collect his belongings and made to depart, I asked him where he was going to be told a young deckhand, new to the unit, was taking over. I immediately thought this was a cruel joke being played on a gullible new recruit and began to remonstrate with him.
He looked surprised and said as if in explanation “His father died last week” I responded by saying all the more reason for him to be with his family.
Realisation lit up Yanky’s face “ You don’t understand do you?”, I shook my head “Last week his Father died, tonight is the night his spirit returns to say farewell and as the new head of the house he cannot be there:- He has to stay somewhere so why not here?”. Far from being a cruel joke this was a friendly gesture of support, and I thought I knew this guy? How wrong can a man be?
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