The Portuguese members of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps adopted in Prisoner-of-War camp a rousing marching song, “Maria da Fonte”*. According to Luigi Gosano, the Japanese forbade the singing of any national anthem, so the Portuguese prisoners raised their spirits by singing instead “Maria da Fonte”. Les Fisher’s book, I will Remember p. 119, gives a slightly different account:

“The same evening the draft of 200 left for an unknown destination. As it left the lads gave three cheers for the camp commandant Honda, because he is the only one we have had who has been decent to us. As they left they sang a Portuguese marching song. Honda and all the guards then stood to attention thinking it was the national anthem.