Major Reynolds Condon of the U.S. Army who was attached as military attache to the American consulate in Hong Kong praised the performance of C Force, writing: "The individual courage shown by officers and men was amazing in view of their low morale. The officers especially went forward to their deaths without hesitancy although they had in their hearts no hope of success". A particular tragedy that befell the Winnipeg Grenadiers that there were five sets of brothers killed over three days of fighting. As the Winnipeg Grenadiers were a close-knit regiment recruited from southern Manitoba, the loss of so many brothers over so short a period of time could have caused morale problems, but it appears not to have so. The first brothers to be killed on 19 December were the Kelso brothers, John and Henry. Henry Kelso was born in Belfast while his younger brother John had been born in Winnipeg, but the two brothers died within sight of each other. Private Gordon Land and Lance Corporal Roy Land were also both killed with Gordon Land being killed in action while Roy Land was taken prisoner and used by the Japanese for "bayonet practice". As his body was repeatedly pierced by bayonets, Roy Land swore so defiantly and loudly at his tormentors that a Japanese officer finally shot him in the head to silence him. Lance Corporal Ewart Starrett was killed by Japanese rifle fire while leading a charge up a hill on 19 December while his brother Lance Corporal William Starrett was killed the next day after being taken prisoner and used for "bayonet practice". Private Donald Folster and his brother Private Herbert Folster both fell together while fighting against the Japanese. Lieutenant W. Vaughen Mitchell and his brother Lieutenant Eric Mitchell were wounded and then killed by the Japanese on 20 December 1941, being used for "bayonet practice".