John Devonshire.
Since uploading my photo of Stitt the lion outside the HSBC bank I have come across this letter sent to me in 1993 by a Major John Devonshire. It refers to my husband's national service in Hong Kong and I am wondering if anyone can shed any more light on the British Intelligence referred to or the Hong Kong Rifle Association, this is what it says: -
'I was living and working in Hong Kong the whole time that your husband was there. I was in the Hong Kong Bank on the Island and had an office from which I looked straight across the harbour to Kowloon. As I was also the Hon. Treasurer of the Hong Kong Rifle Association and used to shoot out at the San Wei and Lo Wu Ranges it is possible that I came across your husband. I wonder if he ever had anything to do with Wing-Commander Pyle, otherwise known as “Uncle?” He was British Intelligence and I worked with him, unofficially, on a couple of occasions. Some of the military people I recall are Brigadiers Willoughby and Lawson who had their offices in the Hankow-Canton Railway Building on Middle Road just off Nathan Road. The building happened to be an asset of a large Trust which I administered, the army were good tenants and always paid up promptly! Major Arthur Bell and Captain A.R. Harvey, APTS I think were also around at the time.'
John Devonshire lived in California but my husband and I met him once when he was on a visit to the UK. My husband never admitted that he knew any of the Intelligence officers but since then, and thanks to gwulo, I have discovered more about what went on at HQLF and in the Battle Box, and I now suspect that he may have known them very well. Does anyone know anything about the army offices in the Hankow-Canton Railway Building, and whether the officers there were in Intelligence? All of this cloak and dagger stuff intrigues me very much, and I wonder now what it was that John Devonshire worked on, unofficially, with “Uncle”, any help or ideas will be much appreciated.
Regards, Pauline.
Re: Army Building
The Garrison Building is given a mention: http://gwulo.com/node/4064
Military building
Hi moddsey,
So the white four storey building behind the car park on the right is the one that John Devonshire refers to as the Hankow-Canton Railway Building is it? Do you think it belonged to the railway company at that time, we are talking about the mid 1950s here I think. Obviously the army rented it from this Trust that he adminstered but unfortunately he doesn't say what that was. Thanks for your help once again. Regards, Pauline.
US Consulate General:
In a comment to a photo just posted Moddsey has told me the the US Consulate General had its offices in the HSBC building in the 1950s, and in the context of the above about Major John Devonshire this is very interesting as, if John actually worked in there, then the connection with Wing-Commander Pyle would assume more importance. It would indicate cooperation between American and British intelligence in the 1950s. I know that there was a connection between the French Consulate, in the person of Captain Galula, and the people in "G" (Int) in the Battle Box from my husband's photos of him at a party in HQLF, but I believe that American intelligence claim that the British would not allow them to have agents in banks in Hong Kong! I wonder if Major Devonshire was an exception to this rule, he was a larger than life man who, although English, spent his later years in the USA. Perhaps I am in the realms of fantasy here but who knows? No doubt my husband and John would have known the answers!
Pauline.