1952 HK Regiment parade in Happy Valley

Tue, 09/23/2014 - 01:07
Date picture taken
24 Feb 1952
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Hi Moddsey,

It seems like it must be Happy Valley because of the wide open spaces, but I can't spot any landmarks I recognise in the distance. Can you identify any of the buildings?

Regards, David

PS Nona writes:

The date of the photo is June 8, 1952, and my mother was in the the HK Regiment.  There was a parade and the Governor did his thing, walking up and down.  I put an arrow showing where my mother was, standing to attention :)

There are some similar photos in the article about Nancy Griffiths: http://gwulo.com/node/11657

Henry Ching writes:

The photograph is of the Royal Hong Kong Defence Force Annual Review in 1952.  The review took place on the sports ground in the centre of the race course.  The posted photo was taken facing north – i.e. towards Sports Road.  There is another image of the review on page 106 of  “Serving Hong Kong; The Hong Kong Volunteers” produced by the Museum of Coastal Defence, 2004 which was taken looking east towards Wong Nei Chong Road – I think Nona’s mother is at the extreme right of that image.

The officers are wearing black arm-bands, I think because of the death of King George VI earlier that year.

The male officer standing to attention is most likely the Commandant, Col L.T.Ride.  The small white building behind him is, I think, the headquarters of the RHKDF in Sports Road.

The exact unit Nona's mother served with is a bit of a mystery - Nona writes: "I found her Forces ID card and all it said was that it was the HK Regiment." But Henry says as far as he knows there weren't any women in the HK Regiment. He identifies the women nearest the camera, "wearing forage caps instead of berets" as serving in the HK Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, then the women to their left, wearing berets, as with the HK Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps.

Regards, David