Page 135 - GFA – A Different Drumbeat
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GFA – A Different Drumbeat 135
Kweilin, whose duties were to be to recruit Chinese agents for the Malaya Country
Section, and to carry out future special operations on the South China Coast in the
vicinity of Hong Kong. These would include the reception of parties from SOA. The
China Coast Section used as its cover BAAG, the body set up to rescue Allied
prisoners of war, but it had little chance to do anything before Kweilin fell to the
Japanese late in 1944, and it was reformed as ‘Group C' of the India Mission with
headquarters in Kunming. Group C was quite separate from Findlay Andrew's office
in Chungking, and reported direct to India. It was also separate from Remorse,
although it was recognized that the two might be able to help each other.
Amy Moore mentions in her account of GFA’s life, re Jimmy McMullen.
Several times in 1944-45 GFA stayed overnight with us in Hanzhong on his way to
Sian as I remember, or it may have been to Kansu. We never liked to enquire too
closely in those days about the purpose of his trips, and I don’t suppose he would
have told us if we had. I do remember that when Jimmy McMullen (Major?) Was
killed in Sian, Uncle came through en route to Sian to take charge of his affairs, and I
got the impression that Major McMullen was on his staff. The McMullens were an
old Chefoo family and he knew them well.
This was the Major James McMullen who was on GFA’s staff in Chungking. In the official
SOE history, as quoted above, we have a record of the part McMullan played in the
protection of a Siamese official, Balankura, who was in China to try and start a provisional
government for Siam. Further to Balankura’s story:
He now fell sick and was taken to a Chinese hospital. Major McMullan, one of SOE’s
men in Chungking visited him disguised as a doctor ‘complete with the instruments
of his craft’ to fool the Secret Service men watching the Siamese. Having pretended
to examine him he arranged for Balankura to be removed to the Canadian Mission
Hospital, where a British doctor diagnosed cancer; and the young man died on 7th
October.
Amy’s account includes a letter from GFA’s sister Esther. (Amy’s mother-in-law)
Later in December 1945, Esther wrote to us, “We heard from George from Shanghai.
He is in Butterfield & Swire house and has Tom Lindsay with him and also Jimmy
McMullan’s wife and child (little Jimmy). She almost lost her reason over Jimmy’s
death, but she has taken charge of the housekeeping for Tom and George, and
George says she will recover. The Ambassador in Chungking got her and Jimmy
down to Shanghai by air.”
18 May 1944 Mervyn died in Toronto from meningitis following a tooth extraction. He too
was 27. So, in 1941 GFA lost his daughter Aileen; also in 1941 Leslie who was in
Hongkong was reported to be missing, although later it was found that he was in an
Kweilin, whose duties were to be to recruit Chinese agents for the Malaya Country
Section, and to carry out future special operations on the South China Coast in the
vicinity of Hong Kong. These would include the reception of parties from SOA. The
China Coast Section used as its cover BAAG, the body set up to rescue Allied
prisoners of war, but it had little chance to do anything before Kweilin fell to the
Japanese late in 1944, and it was reformed as ‘Group C' of the India Mission with
headquarters in Kunming. Group C was quite separate from Findlay Andrew's office
in Chungking, and reported direct to India. It was also separate from Remorse,
although it was recognized that the two might be able to help each other.
Amy Moore mentions in her account of GFA’s life, re Jimmy McMullen.
Several times in 1944-45 GFA stayed overnight with us in Hanzhong on his way to
Sian as I remember, or it may have been to Kansu. We never liked to enquire too
closely in those days about the purpose of his trips, and I don’t suppose he would
have told us if we had. I do remember that when Jimmy McMullen (Major?) Was
killed in Sian, Uncle came through en route to Sian to take charge of his affairs, and I
got the impression that Major McMullen was on his staff. The McMullens were an
old Chefoo family and he knew them well.
This was the Major James McMullen who was on GFA’s staff in Chungking. In the official
SOE history, as quoted above, we have a record of the part McMullan played in the
protection of a Siamese official, Balankura, who was in China to try and start a provisional
government for Siam. Further to Balankura’s story:
He now fell sick and was taken to a Chinese hospital. Major McMullan, one of SOE’s
men in Chungking visited him disguised as a doctor ‘complete with the instruments
of his craft’ to fool the Secret Service men watching the Siamese. Having pretended
to examine him he arranged for Balankura to be removed to the Canadian Mission
Hospital, where a British doctor diagnosed cancer; and the young man died on 7th
October.
Amy’s account includes a letter from GFA’s sister Esther. (Amy’s mother-in-law)
Later in December 1945, Esther wrote to us, “We heard from George from Shanghai.
He is in Butterfield & Swire house and has Tom Lindsay with him and also Jimmy
McMullan’s wife and child (little Jimmy). She almost lost her reason over Jimmy’s
death, but she has taken charge of the housekeeping for Tom and George, and
George says she will recover. The Ambassador in Chungking got her and Jimmy
down to Shanghai by air.”
18 May 1944 Mervyn died in Toronto from meningitis following a tooth extraction. He too
was 27. So, in 1941 GFA lost his daughter Aileen; also in 1941 Leslie who was in
Hongkong was reported to be missing, although later it was found that he was in an
