Here's a scene to set the collector's heart a flutter!

It's a view of Britain's largest postcard fair, The Festival of Cards, held in Somerset last month. I was in the UK at the time to visit family, so I took the chance to head along to the fair.

After taking the photo, I headed downstairs to the dealers, asking each one in turn, "Do you have anything from Hong Kong?" Most said "No", but sometimes I'd be directed to a box like this. 

The hunt is on!

First I'll make a quick pass through the photos, looking for any that:

This week's newsletter is a team-effort guest post. It introduces a bumper crop of essays about wartime Hong Kong and the military structures whose ruins can still be seen around the Hong Kong countryside.

1. The Battle of Hong Kong: a Note on the Literature and Effectiveness of the Defence
   [View online via JSTOR or in print at the HK Public Library]
   • Lai, L.W.C. (1999{2001})
   • Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. 39, pp.115-136. [Publisher: Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society; ISSN: 0085-5774]
      
2. Survey of the Devil’s Peak Redoubt and Gough Battery
   [View online via JSTOR or in print at the HK Public Library]
   • Lai, L.W.C., Ho. D.C.W., and Leung, H.F. (2003)
   • Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. 42, pp. 101-137. [Publisher: Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society; ISSN: 0085-5774] 
   • Related pages on Gwulo.com: 
     • Devil's Peak Redoubt
     • Gough Battery
3. Survey of the Pottinger Battery
   

Greetings from springtime London. I'm at the end of a visit to the UK, mostly spent visiting family and friends, but I also took the chance to find some new photos and maps of old Hong Kong.

Festival of Cards

When I'm planning a trip to the UK I'll check the Postcard Traders Association's calendar to see if any postcard fairs will be on. Luckily the start of this visit coincided with the Festival of Cards, advertised as Britain's largest postcard fair.

The Postcard fairs aren't as good sources of Hong Kong cards as they used to be - most dealers in the UK who get any Hong Kong postcards now post them straight to eBay, knowing there is always a good demand for them there. Still, at an event as large as this there should still be some interesting finds.

Down among the stalls I run through a standard routine, starting with the obvious question, "Do you have any Hong Kong cards?" Many will answer no, but if I'm lucky I'll be pointed to a box like this.