KENNEDY, Alexander.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

'Hong Kong' Full Circle, 1939-1945. First edition, presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper verso, "To David, with best wishes from Alick. May 1989", and also signed by him on the title page.Loosely inserted is an autograph letter signed from the author to the recipient: "I wanted to send you a copy of a little book I wrote - but failed to find a publisher in 1946 as too many admirals and generals were on the market at the same time!"This memoir is one of 500 privately printed copies. Lieutenant Commander Kennedy (1917-1999) joined the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve in 1937 and was posted to Hong Kong shortly before the war, taking command of a motor torpedo boat. After the Japanese attack on the colony, Kennedy and several dozen others escaped via the New Territories and undertook a 3,000-mile journey to safety in Rangoon. He returned to Asia in 1945 and was present at the Japanese surrender in Hong Kong. He was the son-in-law of Norman Lockhart Smith, sometime acting governor.

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