Repulse Bay beach.

Sun, 12/16/2018 - 19:44

Is that PB17 at the far end of the beach - the white building with what looks like a gun embrasure on each of its seaward facing walls?  It looks like it but, if so, it is now much lower in the sand.

Date picture taken
1957
Author(s)

Comments

Hi Andrew,

PB 17 is in this photo, but it's not the white building! It's a bit blurred, but PB 17 is at the back of the beach above and a little to the left of the person nearest the camera on the seashore. The respective positions of PB 17 and the white building are seen more clearly at https://gwulo.com/atom/20912 and https://gwulo.com/atom/24973.

I don't know what the white building was. Although it looks vaguely military in nature it's not of the typical coastal pillbox design. It can't have been PB 18 as there are photos of it before it was demolished in a position much further east along the beach. There was a PB 17A ( https://gwulo.com/node/19297 ) somewhere near PB 17, but it's been demolished, I've never seen a picture of it and I don't think it's exact position is known. I wonder if the white building could be PB 17A, but doubt it as it just doesn't look sufficiently like the other coastal pillboxes.  

 

Hi GW,

Thanks for the comments. The clearer images that you included show that the roof of that building is very thin, so it is unlikely to have been a military one.  Perhaps it was just some sort of beach store. Andrew

According to the old grid reference, PB 17A was behind and to the east of the Repulse Bay Hotel. Presumably this was positioned to prevent a breakout from the beach up the valley towards the Tai Tam Reservoir.