24/01/2022
The husband of Rebecca Chan Chung, Leslie Wah-Leung Chung, was a Gunner who was wounded in action at Lei Yue Mun Fort in Hong Kong during the Battle of Hong Kong in Dec. 1941. Below is his story, as written by Professor Chi Man Kwong of Hong Kong Baptist University with the assistance of Deborah Chung.
（完整版本將上載到「1941年香港戰役互動地圖」Full version will be uploaded to the 1941 Battle of Hong Kong web map later）
【戰爭與人】香港戰役對不少本地華人而言，是改變人生的經歷，他們亦各自為現代香港打下基礎。在1960年代推動香港公務員男女同酬的鍾華亮，就是其中例子。1917年，鍾華亮在香港出生，於華仁書院就學，因為無法完全負擔學費，後來他得到賴詒恩神父的資助，完成了學業。
鍾華亮於1939年在香港工業學院畢業，戰前曾在九龍華仁書院和喇沙書院任教。他曾在1939年擔任師範畢業教師工會的主席，主導了為師範畢業教師爭取更高待遇的運動。1940年7月，鍾華亮加入了香港義勇防衛軍，在華人為主的砲兵第4連中擔任砲兵，編號為4531，他的三個兄弟華駒、華超，以及華璋亦加入了同一連。
香港戰役期間，鍾華亮及他的兄弟所屬的砲兵第4連被部署在鯉魚門至白沙灣一帶。12月14日，鍾華亮遭炸彈碎片擊中，他的面部神經受到創傷，更差點被切斷動脈。他隨後被送往瑪麗醫院救治。他所屬的第4連則繼續留守白沙灣砲台，最終在12月20日不敵投降。第4連中有一部分砲兵自白沙灣撤退至赤柱，並駐守在聖士提反書院一帶，當中不少人都在附近的戰鬥中殉職。12月25日，駐港英軍投降，鍾華亮在當日自行出院，並前往醫院附近的一間空置房屋暫住，那間屋屬於他的親戚王子傳醫生。
鍾華亮其後在那間屋遇到日軍在瑪麗醫院的指揮官，他協助鍾和家人及一群合一堂的年輕教友前往中國。他們抵達桂林後，鍾華亮向英國軍事使團報到，他在那裏再次接受治療，但不太成功。後來，他加入了重慶的澳洲領事館，擔任澳洲駐華大使艾格登的私人秘書。1943年，他被派往加爾各答，並在當地再次接受治療，不過仍以失敗告終。他在那裏認識了未來妻子陳可慰。直至二戰結束前夕，鍾華亮都一直在澳洲領事館工作。
1945年8月，在二戰結束前夕，鍾華亮離開了加爾各答，前往美國，並在拉法葉學院修讀經濟學。1948年末，鍾華亮返回香港，並曾分別在聖保羅男女中學、聖保羅英文下午校，及皇仁書院任教，他更是聖保羅英文下午校的創校校長，該校在1953年改名為聖馬可中學，並遷至筲箕灣。1957年，香港政府委派他前往英美兩國進修勞工政策。後來，鍾華亮受聘於香港理工大學的前身香港理工學院，任職商業及管理學系系主任。他同時亦一如既往地活躍於公共事務，更曾在1965年至1968年間當選香港政府華員會主席，他亦曾擔任香港教師會的總幹事。值得一提的是，他曾代表香港公務員向政府爭取男女同工同酬，並為女性公務員爭取常規僱傭關係。
鍾華亮在1972年退休，並前往加拿大多倫多定居，他的兩名女兒亦居於當地。鍾氏夫婦在當地的華人教會十分活躍。2009年，鍾華亮與世長辭。
Leslie Wah-Leung Chung was born in Hong Kong in 1917. He came from a rich Christian family, and his father Chung Ting-chiu was a property developer. As his family lost its fortune, he was not able to pay the school tuition at times, thus having to skip months of class repeatedly. He was helped by Father Thomas Ryan, who taught at Wah Yan College, where Leslie studied.
After graduating from Hong Kong Technical Institute in 1939, Chung taught at Kowloon Wah Yan College from 1939 to 1941, and then taught at La Salle College. During this period, he was active in public affairs. In 1939, he became the Chair of the Government Trained Teachers Union and led the campaign for better pay and conditions for the government trained teachers. He also joined the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps in July 1940, as a Gunner of the largely Chinese 4th Battery (his number was 4531). His three brothers (out of nine brothers and a number of sisters) Wah-kui, Wah-chiu, and Wah-cheung also joined the same battery.
During the Battle of Hong Kong, Leslie and his brothers were deployed in the Lyemun-Pak Sha Wan area as members of the 4th Battery. When the area was heavily shelled by Japanese artillery on 14 December, Leslie was severely wounded by shrapnel, which cut his facial nerve close to an artery. He was sent to Queen Mary Hospital and fortunately survived the Battle. The 4th Battery fought on at Pak Sha Wan Battery and eventually surrendered on 20 December. Many gunners of his Battery were killed during the engagement near St Stephen’s College in Stanley after the Battery had retreated from Pak Sha Wan. When the garrison surrendered on 25 December, Leslie left Queen Mary Hospital on his own and stayed in the vacated home of a relative (Dr. Tzi-chuen Wong) very near to the hospital. The wound he received during the Battle caused paralysis at his left face. As a result, his mouth became distorted, he could not fully close his left eye, and his left ear could not function fully. These wounds remained with him for the rest of his life.
While staying in the vacated home, Leslie me three Japanese officers, including the commandant of Queen Mary Hospital who later helped Chung, his family, and some of the members of his church to leave Hong Kong for China. He arrived at Kweilin, where he reported to the British Military Mission (where this photo was taken) and received further unsuccessful treatment to his wounds. Then he joined the Australian Legation in Chongqing as a personal secretary of Sir Frederic Eggleston, the Australian envoy to China. In 1943, he was sent to Calcutta to receive yet more unsuccessful treatment and met his future wife, Rebecca Chan, there. He continued his service with the Australian Legation till almost the end of World War II.
Shortly before the end of the War, in August 1945, Chung left Calcutta and went to Lafayette College, USA, where he studied Economics. Before he left, in July 1945, he married Rebecca Chan in Calcutta. After returning to Hong Kong in late 1948, Chung worked in St. Paul's Co-educational College, St. Paul's English PM School (he was its founding head and the school became St. Mark's School in 1953), and Queen's College. In 1957, he was sent to the UK and the USA to study labor policy by the Hong Kong Government. Subsequently, he taught at Hong Kong Technical College (later became Hong Kong Polytechnic University) and became the Head of the Department of Commerce and Management Studies. He remained active in the civil society as he was elected President of the Hong Kong Chinese Civil Servants Association in 1965-1968 and was the General Secretary of the Hong Kong Teachers' Association. In particular, he represented the civil servants of Hong Kong in the campaign to the Hong Kong Government for equal pay for men and women and for the permanent employee status for women.
Chung retired in 1972 and settled in Toronto, Canada, afterwards to join his two daughters. The Chung couple was active in the Chinese Church in Toronto. He passed away in 2009.
資料來源：鳴謝Deborah Chung教授為地圖提供資料；有關鍾教授父母故事的詳情，可參看：https://afcinc.churchcenter.com/episodes/73536
Reference: Prof. Deborah Chung
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