Hong Kong bound vehicles diverted to ?

[Mark W. Tonner]

Hi Derek;

From what I've been able to piece together, the 212 vehicles where more or less wrote off as casualties of war. Both the 1942 Royal Commission investigating the despatch of Canadian troops to Hong Kong and a subsequent post-war Commission/Inquiry (1948?) both, more or less, came to the conclusion that these vehicles fell into the hands of the Imperial Japanese Army with the fall of the Philippines.

Another piece of information I dug up, was that the United States was going to pay for these vehicles once the decision had been made for their use by U.S. forces in the Philippines, with the total value of these vehicles being set at $845,562.00, but there is no record of the monies ever being paid due to the fact of the fall of the Philippines having taken place while this 'deal' was still in the works and therefore, the paperwork being 'lost' (the American Quartermaster General officer concerned becoming a P.O.W.).

I can find no other reference to these vehicles.

Cheers