[HKVDC] Raymond Mok Wah Chaan
Description:
Born:
1920
Death:
2012
Pre-war:
Dr. Raymond Mok Wah Chaan (1920-2012) was the fifth generation of the family of Mok Si Yeung, the first Chinese comprador of Swire. He started studying at Ling Nam School on Stubbs Road at seven. Later, his family moved to Waterloo Road, Kowloon, and he studied at La Salle College. He was also a member of the 1st HK Sea Scout. He then began studying Medicine at the University of Hong Kong in 1938. Dr. Mok joined the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps in 1937, first with the No. 4 Machine Gun Company and then with the Field Ambulance.
Wartime:
During the Battle of Hong Kong, he served in the dressing stations at Mount Davis Fort and Jubilee Battery, and his superior was Dr. Solomon Bard, who was later known for his trailblazing work on heritage conservation in Hong Kong. Although he experienced bombing and shelling by the Japanese, he survived the battle and was sent to the Sham Shui Po Prisoner of War Camp. He mentioned the camp’s lack of food and medicines, but the prisoners improvised and helped each other. The local POWs also received packages from relatives and friends outside the camp.
In September 1942, Mok was “released” along with 96 other Asian and Eurasian prisoners of war. They were placed under house arrest and ordered to serve the Japanese Occupation Government. Mok was sent to work in the Hygiene Department of the Occupation Government to give the public inoculations against cholera. He helped a friend who worked for the British Army Aid Group (BAAG) by passing blank inoculation certificates to the BAAG agents. Later, he escaped from Hong Kong and worked as a BAAG medical officer, serving at forward medical stations near the front. There, although he had yet to graduate from medical school, he performed surgeries such as removing shrapnel and bullets and treating malaria. His oral history records mentioned that patients included Nationalists, Communists, and local military personnel. He also helped spread the latest news of the war to the public.
Post-war:
After the war, Mok worked at Queen Mary Hospital and was then sponsored to study medicine in Wales at the Welsh National School of Medicine in Cardiff in 1947, completing his medical training. Returning to Hong Kong, he first worked in Lai Chi Kok Hospital, before becoming a general practitioner. He was actively involved in various charitable and voluntary works, such as Kowloon Lok Sin Tong (serving the people in the Walled City), St. John Ambulance (as Principal Surgeon), and Auxiliary Medical Service (as Deputy Commissioner for Kowloon and the New Territories). He also served as the director and vice-chairman of Pok Oi Hospital. He received an MBE in 1987 for his various services.
Born:
1920
Death:
2012
Pre-war:
Dr. Raymond Mok Wah Chaan (1920-2012) was the fifth generation of the family of Mok Si Yeung, the first Chinese comprador of Swire. He started studying at Ling Nam School on Stubbs Road at seven. Later, his family moved to Waterloo Road, Kowloon, and he studied at La Salle College. He was also a member of the 1st HK Sea Scout. He then began studying Medicine at the University of Hong Kong in 1938. Dr. Mok joined the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps in 1937, first with the No. 4 Machine Gun Company and then with the Field Ambulance.
Wartime:
During the Battle of Hong Kong, he served in the dressing stations at Mount Davis Fort and Jubilee Battery, and his superior was Dr. Solomon Bard, who was later known for his trailblazing work on heritage conservation in Hong Kong. Although he experienced bombing and shelling by the Japanese, he survived the battle and was sent to the Sham Shui Po Prisoner of War Camp. He mentioned the camp’s lack of food and medicines, but the prisoners improvised and helped each other. The local POWs also received packages from relatives and friends outside the camp.
In September 1942, Mok was “released” along with 96 other Asian and Eurasian prisoners of war. They were placed under house arrest and ordered to serve the Japanese Occupation Government. Mok was sent to work in the Hygiene Department of the Occupation Government to give the public inoculations against cholera. He helped a friend who worked for the British Army Aid Group (BAAG) by passing blank inoculation certificates to the BAAG agents. Later, he escaped from Hong Kong and worked as a BAAG medical officer, serving at forward medical stations near the front. There, although he had yet to graduate from medical school, he performed surgeries such as removing shrapnel and bullets and treating malaria. His oral history records mentioned that patients included Nationalists, Communists, and local military personnel. He also helped spread the latest news of the war to the public.
Post-war:
After the war, Mok worked at Queen Mary Hospital and was then sponsored to study medicine in Wales at the Welsh National School of Medicine in Cardiff in 1947, completing his medical training. Returning to Hong Kong, he first worked in Lai Chi Kok Hospital, before becoming a general practitioner. He was actively involved in various charitable and voluntary works, such as Kowloon Lok Sin Tong (serving the people in the Walled City), St. John Ambulance (as Principal Surgeon), and Auxiliary Medical Service (as Deputy Commissioner for Kowloon and the New Territories). He also served as the director and vice-chairman of Pok Oi Hospital. He received an MBE in 1987 for his various services.
Type: --
Sources: Photo: Barbara Merchant
