What's new and updated on the Gwulo website:

General

• Argyle Street POW Association Directory (1968)
   
• Argyle Street POW Association Directory (1977)
   
• Connections of Botanic Gardens with the world, 1884
   
• In the previous newsletter I asked for your help to let friends know about my talk in London on 25 April. I'm happy to report we had a full house, so a big thank you to everyone who helped spread the word. Thanks also to the Friends of East Asia for hosting us. (Their next event in June looks at another aspect of Hong Kong's history - see their Forthcoming Events page for details.)
• Photos from the 25 April talk:
  • 
  • 

     

• Several people have asked if I could give a talk in North England, somewhere in the Manchester - York area. Is that something any other readers would be interested to attend?
   
• Readers ask:
  • When was the war crimes investigative / interviewing team set up in Hong Kong after WW2?

Places

What's new and updated on the Gwulo website:

General

• Index to past journals of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong
   
• Please can I ask a favour: if you have friends living in the UK who have a Hong Kong connection, please could you let them know about my talk in London on 25 April 2026. When I last checked, the hall was about half full, so I'm hoping we can fill some more seats.
   
• Piers in Hong Kong
   
• New MA thesis on the longue durée history of squatter settlements in New Kowloon
   
• Guide: How to embed a map / list of Places in text on the Gwulo website
   
• CO 131 as a resource for research into early colonial Hong Kong
   
• Readers ask:
  • Looking for photos of James Tinker Wakefield, who was an early Chief Resettlement Officer in postwar Hong Kong and wrote two important reports on social welfare and squatter resettlement
     
  • Does anyone have any photos or details of the Monument to Indian Soldiers at Ho Man Tin ?
     
  • When was the name Immortalite Road used in the Royal Naval Dockyard?
     
  • How did William Mercer come across uncommon Chinese works in the 19th century?
     
  • Did the 48th Gurkha Infantry Brigade have a specific flag, and if so, what did it look like?
     
  • Looking for the family of Sgt R Holder, who was in Hong Kong with 54 Independent Field Squadron in Hong Kong from 1958-1962. Their amah, now aged 102, hopes to reconnect with the children she helped raise.

Places

This folded paper street map shows eight areas of Hong Kong island. I've scanned them and added them to Gwulo's online maps as a single layer: 1980 HK

Here's a video introduction to the new map (if you don't see the video below, please click here to watch it on Youtube):

It was originally published in 1980 as "Sun Sun's latest street map of Hong Kong": 

What's new and updated on the Gwulo website:

General

• If you know Bill Lake via his contributions on Gwulo as user HK Bill, you'll know him as a military historian. That's just a small part of the story though, as Bill has also been a soldier, actor (appearing in over 200 Hong Kong films!), handbag designer, bar manager, decorator, and much more. Whenever I've met Bill and heard him tell stories of his life, I've thought 'Someone should write a book about this'. Well, someone has: The Original Gweilo, the new book telling Bill's life story, is now available at Amazon. I ordered my copy last week and have enjoyed reading it.
   
• My new talk is taking shape. For me, making a new talk always starts the same way: staring at a pile of photos, shuffling them around, and hoping for themes to emerge. It takes a while, but gradually the threads that link the photos together become clear. If you'd like to see the finished talk, please join me in London on 25 April 2026. Click here for details and booking.
   
• Accessing early issues of Hong Kong's Blue Books.
   
• Rob is continuing to update his records of wartime pillboxes in Hong Kong, now working on the 'Line of Gaps' or 'Locality' pillboxes.
   
• Readers ask:
  • Lisa is looking for any photos of her father Edwin Soloman, or to hear from anyone who knew him. He was in the 1st Royal Tank Regiment based in Sek Kong in 1957.
     
  • Does anyone have original copies of the photos shown in these photocopies?

    • 

    • 

Places