HMS Consort - Suicide Missions to Order

THE LISTENING PRIME MINISTER!

In 1991 in Scarbourgh I met up with ex-servicemen from the 8th Destroyer Flotilla and Squadron Association, Far East 1945-59 the ships represented there were H.M.S. Cossack, Constance, Consort, Contest, Cockade, Comus, Comet, Concord and Charity.

Ono of the topics of conversation among us was the news item of January 1991 the desecration of the Yangtze Incident graves at Hung Joa, Cemetery, Shanghai.

Here I am quoting from a news item in the Daily Telegraph 12/01/1991 that was headed, "Whitehall farce as graves vanish" I Quote* the Yangtze Incident. In July 1949 as every schoolboy used to know, HMS Amethyst was trapped on the Yangtze river during a mission to assist the British community in Nanking. After a moonlight dash for freedom, 23 of those killed were buried near Shanghai. *Unquote.

The implication here is that there was twenty-three killed on the Amethyst, during its moonlight dash to freedom in July and those killed were buried near Shanghai. The Telegraph got that wrong. Quoting continued, * Today, however, it seems that the Chinese have bulldozed the graves to make way for a public school. Sadly, no one can get much sense from whichever part of Whitehall is responsible for the cemetery. "We've been told by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission that that it's not their responsibility because the men were killed after the Second World War," says the Amethyst Association, chairman Bill Smith, a 21 year old petty officer on board at the time. "People have been in touch with the M.O.D. and even the military attaché in Peking, but there has been no response. We are planning to visit China in 1992 but obviously, the trip would be too distressing for some if the reports are true." *Unquote. The item more or less concludes with excuses of one sort or another.

At that time in Scarbourgh what I voiced to some, was my interest in how it was that the Amethyst, had seemingly been chosen for a comment on the matter of the graves as the news item was wrong in relating to the ratings who were killed, the time of being killed, and buried in Shanghai, and I explained, in this fashion.
"By the time of Amethysts Escape from the Yangtze, Shanghai was under the control of the C.C.P. and the Peoples Liberation Army, during Amethysts escape no ratings on board were killed. However on the 24th April 1949 one of the wounded from Amethyst on 20th April who died from his wounds, was among those who reached Shanghai having travelled overland from where the ship was grounded in the first instance and Amethysts Captain, who died from his wounds, was at the behest of his family committed to the sea from H.M.S.Consort, while on route to Hong Kong from Shanghai". I also pointed out that it should be the Government's Property Services Agency who should be dealing with the matter graves regardless of that agency's comment that had also been published, ("I'm afraid we cannot find the file") a typical comment in most matters relating to the Yangtze Incident.

Someone, I cant remember who it was but someone mentioned, along the lines, that the Amethyst association would get to the bottom of it, meaning the desecration of the graves.

I rounded on that guy because of his comment and I spoiled his weekend as I told him that before any of that mob or contingent (Reference to the Amethysts People) done anything they should consider correcting the shit of their comments that led to the publication of a book and film on the incident in which no vote of thanks was accorded to three other ships company's. Also stated in that dressing down by me were quite a few unpublished facts about the Amethyst in the Yangtze.
In the news item regarding the graves reported in the Daily Telegraph 12/02/1991 the following can be found, I Quote* People have been in touch with the M.O.D. and even the military attaché in Peking, but there has been no response. We are planning to visit China in 1992 but, obviously, the trip would be too distressing for some if the reports are true" *Unquote. There you have the Amethyst Associations, spokesman's statement. From that statement there is the glimmer of information that there is a trip out to Shanghai, being arranged a trip that would be too distressing for some if the reports on the graves were true. Well that's a fair enough comment and it's a worthy gesture by the Amethyst Association, as the trip would establish whether or not the allegations made were true or false. In the mean time the allegations of the graves being bulldozed to make way for a school is the cause of great concern to the loved ones of those who were left behind. "The last action heroes of the Amethyst" are arranging to establish truth. Another side of the coin is the defamatory part of the allegations as if the graves have not, been bulldoze to make way for a public school, then the Chinese have been defamed, and the loved ones of those left behind have been caused unnecessary anxiety, suffering and mental torture. This was at a time when the Conservative Government was in power. A government who did nothing about it, however a delegation from the H.M.S. Amethyst Association did go out to Shanghai and on their return spread the gospel according to the Amethyst Association, that the graves had been bulldozed over and the remnants of a factory now stood in the place of the graves so what we have is a school in the first instance being reported and on investigation by the Amethyst Association there is a derelict factory building.
This was a crushing blow to the loved ones of those who were left behind. When I learned of this report I was not prepared to accept it for reasons best known to myself. The reasons best known to myself were that I was in correspondence with a girl in the Far East who was researching cemeteries. Her research was into the graves from the Boxer Rebellion and strange though it may seem the cemetery she was researching at that time was none other than Hung Joa cemetery in Shanghai, also known as Hong Qiao cemetery. Her research at that time was extended to the Foreigners Tomb at Song Quing Lings Mausoleum as her information was that some graves from Hung Joa cemetery had been moved to that area, graves from the Boxer Rebellion. Government blocks marked those graves and only the initials of the deceased were on them as such she would need the names of those from the Yangtze Incident for comparison.
Also within my knowledge was the fact that in March of 1999 H.M.S. Boxer visited China and during that visit Admiral Sir Michael Boyce in the Company of a Chinese Admiral laid a wreath on the waters of the Yangtze in memory those who died in the Yangtze Incident. A very noble gesture, but on learning of the gesture, in my mine I questioned it because only those Killed on board the Amethyst were committed to the waters of the Yangtze and it was people from the Amethyst who provided the news supportive of the defamatory allegations that the graves of those buried in Hung Joa
Cemetery had indeed been bulldozed and a derelict factory could be seen to be where the graves once were. In the firs instance via a news report the allegation are that the graves were bulldozed to make way for a Public School then on a visitation by Amethyst people their findings is a derelict factory.

All of this was contrary to the information that I was receiving from my sources, sources in China and Australia for by the Internet. So, I decided that it was time to take this matter to the highest authority, the highest authority being Prime Minister, Tony Blair, (The listening prime minister). At the time of Mr Blair visiting Edinburgh, with a placard I lobbied him. Mr Blair sent his personal and private advisor, Ms Angie Hunter, out to interview me. Ms Hunter on hearing what I had to say suggested that I write to her and she would place the letter before the Prime Minister. She wrote the address that I should address the letter to on the placard that I was carrying at the time. She was as good as her word and placed my letter before the Prime Minister.

On the next four pages you can read the Prime Ministers reply to my letter of 3rd September 2000 for its terms therein.

Note the terms on page three of that letter, "In the absence of firm evidence to the contrary we probably have to assume the worst case, namely that the graves of those killed on the 20/21 April 1949 were lost with the destruction of the original cemetery."

Now note again, the first paragraph on page two, for its terms, without me quoting it, as Mr Blair, in providing the information within that paragraph is relying on 1991 information, information from the time of a Conservative Government and in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we have to assume the worst case.

When the news of that letter was made known, sections of the news media had various headlines had story's like, (Blow to veterans as Blair admits hunt for Yangtze Graves is over) well I don't see any admission by Blair, in his letter admitting that the hunt for the grave was over, what I do see is that he is relying on 1991 information on the graves and in doing so covers himself by an assumption that it is over unless there is firm evidence to the contrary of the 1991information that he was relying on.

I replied to the Prime Ministers letter using the same channel of communication in the first instance; however I did not provide him with the overall information that I had, which was contrary too and in conflict with the 1991 information that he was relying upon. Within the terms of page two of the Prime Ministers letter there was the sentence in the first paragraph that read, "The only visible sign that the cemetery had once existed was that the façade of some near by shops was typical of the style of entrance formally used in Chinese cemeteries."

The implication or derivatives, from the full paragraph, and that sentence being, (the area of the cemetery has been visited and this is an eyewitness account of the area visited for the purpose of establishing facts leading to truth in an investigation).

Also within the Prime Ministers letter he made the admission, that, Sir Michael Boyce, in the course of his official visit to China and accompanied by a senior Chinese Admiral, laid a wreath on the waters of the Yangtze in memory of those who died. Here you have the restoration of Honour and Dignity to those who perished in conflict. Well I don't take comfort from that charade; no doubt this was a gracious gesture on the part of both Admiral's to the memory of those who perished on both sides at the time of the Yangtze Incident, but its not a matter to be seized upon to comfort the bereaved, loved ones and shipmates, of those left behind and laid to rest in Shanghai, when the defamatory allegations of their graves come into the equation.

As stated I replied to the Prime ministers letter of 25th September 2000 in replying my letter was dated 7th October 2000 the reply to that communication is dated 14th November 2000 and comes from the Dr Lewis Moonie, M.P., of the Ministry of Defence. The terms and contents of DR Moonie's letter are as follows.

On the next page I am showing part of a news cutting from a news report dated 12/01/91 which relates to the buck passing of which department was responsible for the graves at Hung Joa cemetery, Shanghai. Below the news cutting, being produced is a copy of an E mail that I received concerning the graves; it would seem that the buck passing is an ongoing saga.

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