Stuart McDouall, a regular runner last century in the Sai Kung police race, has published a memoir called Pro Deo, Rege et Patria or For God, King and Country. Stuart is an accomplished fellow: family man with two boys, senior police officer who founded the Financial Investigations Bureau and was Commandant of the Police Training School, Christian active at St John’s Cathedral, leader of 17 scout troops, high ranking Freemason and athlete with the Hash House Harriers who has arrested illegal immigrants while out in the bush in his running shorts. Now in his seventies he remains fit, exercising daily at a gym near his home at Chesham, England. He looks like King Charles, without the too-close-together eyes. I got to know Stuart 50 years ago through the Hash House Harriers. Then as now he attacked everything with boyish enthusiasm.
Here are samplings from Pro Deo, Rege et Patria:
FALKLAND ISLANDS:
In his early years Stuart was a teacher there, just a couple of hundred miles north of Antarctica. “The Saturday night was given over to Scottish dancing, singing along with country and western music and, of course, drinking. The Circassian Circle was the preferred dance, to Scottish reel music, but with folk origins from northwest Europe and Russia. The most popular drink was whisky milk. There was an art to pouring the drink so it didn’t curdle and an art to drinking it, it’s smooth nature being very moreish! The Sunday comprised a large barbecue, a whole roasted sheep and plenty of grog. Some twenty guests coming from neighbouring settlements joined in the festivities. (Stuart is an entertaining party goer. Non-stop laughter.)
St JOHN’S CATHEDRAL, HONG KONG:
Sir Edward Youde’s cortege outside St John’s Cathedral
Stuart was organiser of events at the Cathedral, such as the annual fairs. He tells the story of sad days in Hong Kong. The Governor, Sir Edward Youde, had died while visiting Peking. “Edward Youde’s body was flown to Hong Kong where the British military garrison laid on a state funeral. The cortege*, accompanied by soldiers, sailors and airmen marching to the traditional muffled drum beat, passed through Central District, the normally chaotic roads thronged by silent mourners, a deafening hush all the way to St John’s Cathedral. Then a 17-gun salute was fired across the harbour from HMS Tamar, the crashing roar reverberating around those ancient shorelines. The great and the good filled the Cathedral in solemn array. Afterwards, the Governor’s mortal remains were taken to Cape Collinson for cremation and, a week later, Lady Pamela Youde, in her widow’s garb, took the ashes of her husband back to England where the urn was interred in Canterbury Cathedral.”
LEADER OF 17 SCOUT GROUPS:
Acting Eastern District Commander Stuart McDouall sound the Kudu horn at the inauguration of the 1095th Eastern Optimistic Scout Group
“In 1997 I was invited by the Chief Commissioner to take over the role of Dep. Asst. Commissioner of the International Branch and all English-speaking Scout groups in the territory. In my international role I led two delegations of Hong Kong Scouts to two world jamborees, in Japan and South Korea. I was also one of the delegates sent to an international symposium on world scouting held in Durban, South Africa. My duties as head of the English-speaking groups were not onerous, largely visiting each group once a year . . .” Then the Chief Commissioner instructed Stuart to arrange an annual mess night for scout leaders. This was Stuart in his element. The Commissioner designed a mess kit along the lines of military mess kits. “I was never quite happy with that concept, an imposition of police or military style formal dining which belied the Scout model of camp-fire fun and singing.”
TRIADS:
Hong Kong Police storming a triad initiation ceremony in 2017
Stuart worked for many years as a senior officer in the Triad Society Bureau. His book describes the Triad initiation ceremony: “. . .He and other new members first knelt down and then Chan Kai (a senior triad office bearer) made them read out some poems. After this Chan patted their shoulders with a knife indicating how traitors to the society would die. Chan then used a pin to prick the middle finger of each new member, telling them to lick their fingers clean of blood. Next Chan produced three ‘ghost’ papers and wrote Chinese characters on each of them.” These represented three rocks and initiates had to pass over these rocks. “After treading across the rocks the initiates knelt down while Chan, holding a strip of paper, moved it around their heads. Putting it down he took an egg, drew some figures on it, and placed it on the floor in front of them. He asked them to all hold the knife and chop the egg in pieces. Again Chan explained this demonstrates how traitors are treated. Chan gave each of them a number, telling them these are peculiar to the San Yee On. This marked the end of the ceremony.
KILLER POLICE OFFICER:
Official police photo of Tsui Po-ko
In 2006 an off-duty police constable, Tsui Po-ko, attacked two uniformed constables who were on patrol. “In the ensuing gunfight, Tsui was shot dead but not before he killed Constable Tsang Kwok-pang and seriously wounded Constable Sin Ka-Keung, using a stolen rusty police .38 revolver. Seven years earlier, Constable Leung Shing-yan was ordered to attend a housing estate. He was ambushed and shot dead, three bullets to the head and three in his back. The assailant was believed to be Tsui, but the police could not prove it. A year later a hooded criminal attacked a Hang Seng bank branch. Security guard Zafar Iqbal Khan blocked his way and was shot dead. Forensic examination of the bullets showed they came from the aforementioned stolen police revolver. But again the police didn’t have sufficient evidence to prove Tsui’s murder spree. The good news is that Constable Sin Ka-keung recovered, was promoted to sergeant and is still working as a police officer.
WOMAN POLICE OFFICER WHO SHATTERED GLASS CEILING AFTER GLASS CEILING:
SSP OPS Evelyn Lam in 2005
Evelyn Lam Man-sai QPM BA PMSM is a peerless former police officer. Ms Lam was the first women police officer in a series of high-ranking positions: Staff officer at the Police Training Unit; senior superintendent and deputy head of the Police Operations Bureau; deputy head of the Narcotics Bureau; chief superintendent personnel; superintendent of Wanchai police district; head of Complaints and Internal Investigations Bureau; superintendent in charge of Shatin police district. Ms Lam is petite and fiesty. “One of the more sensitive issues we dealt with was a clearance operation against illegal squatters that got bogged down if threats of violence and suicide. I took the initiative, dressed in full riot gear, and parleyed with their leader, a bad-tempered, ugly man, who I eventually over-awed with my femininity, sweet-talking him into submission.”
McDouall was a regular runner in police races
There is a lot in Stuart’s book that we don’t have the space to cover here: an analysis of Freemasonry (Stuart is very senior); the Chater Collection mystery; drug money laundering; practicalities of feng shui; hand-over of Hong Kong to China — new perspective; gathering the Clan McDouall of Freugh. This is typically Stuart, imaginative, energetic beyond the norm, and a warm-hearted attitude to everyone.
* Another friend, Paul Collier, in full dress police uniform, marched with the cortege carrying a cushion displaying the Governor’s medals.
If you’d like a copy of Pro Deo, Rege et Patria, email Stuart at mcdouallstu@gmail.com
Pro Deo, Rege et Patria by Stuart McDouall, AuthorHouse UK, ISBN : 9798823090612
Be the first to comment