XXL-sized Gwulo photo

Good Morning David. Today,  Friday 25th September , alovely morning, with beautiful sunny autumnal weather promised for a few weeks, which will suit our Annual Reunion of the Hong Kong Flotilla Association 16th 19th October 2015 at Bournemouth.

It's good to return to Gwulo after a busy Summer with my Arnhem Memorial event, which takes long orgnisation, and here's a tip for Gwulo. I started an Arnhem Memorial event in my own home village of Paulton Somerset in 1974. Memorial established 1979 and 36 years later I am still orgnisiaing it, so longevitiy is the answer for Gwulo. And Gwulo inspires and iterests all of  us thousands of Hong Kong exiles in UK and worldwide like nothing else can. And with the residents of Hong Kong who because of Gwulo have now an esablished historical record of the past of our Hong Kong.

We all have that fanous wide angle pictures of Hong Kong waterfront and harbour showing HMS Unicorn at anchor, circa 1949-1952, but nothing seems to show the HMS Tamar Boat Pool from whence our Squadrons of Armed Motor Launches operated from 1948 thru to when it was turned into a heliport around te late 60's. The exact location is easy to identify. Just to the left looking from the harbour, is Arsenal Street and the "new" 1955 Police Station, still there, but absorbed by the newer Police HQ. Then next door was the old China Fleet Club, next door was the Flying Angel Missions to Seaman, and fronted by the Fenwick Pier. Our harbour stations were, when it was not possible to enter the small boat pool, attached to a number of buoys exactly in the front of that 1955 "new" Police Station. Thus all the pictures we have of our Patrol boats, at inspections etc, are with the Police Station as a backdrop. So more detailed pictures of that Boat Pool. HMS Tamar, which was not part of the Dockyard. That was next door as it were. The Boat Pool was also known as "Tamar Steps". It was erviced also by an Army RASC Landing Craft which ferried Troops, Families, stores to and from across the Harbour from Kowloon. The Area of that Boat Pool seems always to be missed in the landscapes, but not in seems in the one you are holding David. Although the shot is obviously again taken from the Peak, as they all were.The Hong Kong Flotilla was more of a story of the Frangrant Harbour as we left 'morning departure' for three day patrols, and a story of our patrols amongst the numerpus islands, and the fishrfolk, with whom we had a great affinity. We shared long nights on watch, dark and moonlight, as your truly,lnely on watch, observed the hard work of the fishing people and their kerosene lamps , and the chatter across the water, of the early morning Majong games on neigbourly Junks, and waking up , if not on watch, early mornings, always the best in Hong Kong, and greeting each other from across the water, as our neigbouts scraped their tonques and had a good spit, whilst we used our NAFFI toothpaste doing the same.Gwulo enables us to cotinue to see new pictures, and remember our youth, a "growing up in Hong Kong" for we were all so very young, just turned 18 when I arrived, it was my first home away from home.Unforgettable, and more so because of Gwulo and you David. So Peter Yeates would welcome any Gwulo pictures of our Motor Launch Patrol Boats, particularly in colour, and fantascially if they might be movie shots, and all the pictures of that area denoted above.May Gwulo continue onwards and upwards with the same speed evident at the moment. Well Done Gwulo!

Hi Peter,

Glad to hear you've had a good summer. I'll set 36 years of Gwulo as my target!

We've got a Place for the Boat Pool with a couple of photos. It was under it's older name 'Camber', which I've now updated:

http://gwulo.com/node/13643

Can anyone add any more photos showing the Boat Pool?

Regards, David

PS To see what the Motor Launch Patrol Boats looked like, please visit Peter's gallery:

http://gwulo.com/image?field_gallery_tid=6511&items_per_page=All