What's new and updated on the Gwulo website:
 

General

• Martin notes that the Cenotaph has just had its 100th birthday. It was first unveiled on 24 May 1923:
  

   

• The unveiling of the Cenotaph is a clue I'd missed for last week's photo.
   
  

  I dated it to 'some time in 1923', but it must have been taken around the time of the unveiling, as I can see the temporary grandstand that was set up for the ceremony.

  

   

• Here's a happy photo with lots of connections to Gwulo:
  

  

  Susann (on the left) is the great-granddaughter of C.F.W. Petersen [c.1832-1896] (proprietor of the German Tavern) and Jill is the great-granddaughter of John Olson [1838-1918] (proprietor of the National Tavern) The two men must have known each other well, as Petersen was appointed as executor of Olson's will.
  Susann first "met" Jill here on the Gwulo website, and they have now been corresponding for ten years. They finally met in person a few days ago.
   

• With Hong Kong temperatures climbing past 35C, it's time for a Popsy!
  

  

   

• Readers ask:
  • Are there any Japanese wartime tunnels above Mid Levels?
     
  • What was this large, temporary building in the the New Territories in 1955 used for?
     
  • Do you remember 'Curly' Watson? He writes: 

    I served in HK from April 1954 to September 1956.   I was an RAF Police Dog Handler and friends knew me as 'Curly Watson'.  It could be that anyone seeing that name might remember me but, as I'm almost 88, it's unlikely that there are many still around.

    My first posting was to RAF Kai Tak but, after some months, I was sent to RAF Sek Kong.   There, I did night patrols with my police dog Flash and also at the sub-site radar unit, RAF Ping Shan (this as about 10 miles down the road from Sek Kong and on the oposite side of Yeun Long).  Finally I was posted to RAF Mount Davis, which was a radar site on a hill at the far west end of the island, above Kennedy Town and overlooking Green Island.

• Thank you to everyone who came along to my talk at the HK Maritime Museum last weekend. It's a great venue for this type of illustrated talk, as the high ceiling and large screen mean everyone gets a clear view of the photos. Many thanks to the Museum for hosting the event. 
  
  

   

What's on

• FULLY BOOKED Sun 28 May: Next Sunday I'll give a free talk at the Hong Kong Maritime Museum - In, On Under, and Around Hong Kong's Harbour. I'll show a selection of photos from my third book, projecting high resolution copies on the big screen so we can zoom in to see their details, and uncover their hidden stories. Click for details and registration. (Two thirds of the seats had already been reserved when I checked last week, so register soon if you're planning to join.)
   
• Sun 4 Jun: Howard Elias will lead a guided tour of the Jewish Cemetery in Happy Valley, telling stories of the people who are buried there, and discussing the religious laws and customs regarding burial. I joined one of Howard's previous tours of the cemetery and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I can happily recommend it. The event is organised by the OMRS HK Branch - please contact their Hon. Secretary Martin Heyes for details and booking: martin.heyes@gmail.com
   

What's new and updated on the Gwulo website:
 

General

• Descriptions of a couple of road construction techniques from early 20th-century Hong Kong:
  • Macadam had been used since the 19th century and was still in use
     
  • Granite setts (blocks) were used to pave busier roads in the 1910s & 1920s
     
• Ann Hudson (then Ann Hardy) remembers completing the cross-harbour swim aged nine:
  

  

• Readers ask:
  • After the old Butterfield & Swire building was demolished, why did it take over 10 years before the Furama Hotel was built on that site?
     
  • Have any traces of Victorian era public toilets in Hong Kong survived?
     
  • Do any copies of the 1960 episode of the BBC's This Is Your Life featuring Ellen Field still exist? She worked with Medical Officer Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke and Japanese interpreter Kiyoshi Watanabe to provide humanitarian aid to the POWs in Shamshuipo Camp.
     
  • Where were The Bungalow, Dock Bay and El Nido? They were both buildings in Kowloon in the 1880s/1890s.
     
  • Looking for photos of:
    • The original building at 24 Repulse Bay Road
       
    • Swire exec house at 53 Stubbs Road [????-c.2006]