This comes from Peter Elphick’s book “Far Eastern File: The Intelligence War in the Far East 1930-45”, which I am currently reading.
It is so beautifully British.
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In Hong Kong early in 1941 the British started setting up food and ammo dumps, including in caves in the mountains. The stores were transported to the caves by mules under the command of Lt. Bill Wiseman, RASC. Wiseman recorded that “It was no easy task. On top of the fact that the Indian muleteers spoke no English and I spoke no Urdu, I had a wooden leg.”
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During the fighting in Hong Kong after Japan attacked, Lt Wiseman, who had lost his leg in a civilian accident, was wounded in his good leg and ended up in hospital in the same ward as another British officer, Charles Boxer, who had had cordial relations with the Japanese General Ito before the war. Ito and other Japanese officers visited Boxer in hospital and gave him several bottles of whisky. Wiseman woke up to see them hissing and bowing around Boxer’s bed. After spending some time at Boxer’s bed, General Ito bustled over to Wiseman’s bed to hiss and bow exceedingly low to Wiseman.
After the Japanese had left, Wiseman asked Boxer “What was that all about?”
Boxer replied “I told the General you lost your leg at Dunkirk, when you stopped a German tank by thrusting it through the tracks. It mightily impressed him.”