Pillbox 418a/b, Sheung Kwai Chung [1937- ]

Submitted by Rob on Wed, 04/17/2013 - 17:48
Current condition
Ruin
Date completed

Year completed is: Approximate
Condition at last visit: Ruin
Date of last visit: Mar-1997
Ref: ROB-00584
Other:

Photos that show this Place

1964
2014
2021

Comments

Dear Rob,

Please assist on this matter and to follow up.

Re : PB 418a. Images were  taken back in 2014.

2 attached files

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ytgFkw6lM9oRHFIs2

https://photos.app.goo.gl/v4Qz2yhqxEAtTUEJ3

I can't locate PB418b. I was told that 418b is closely situated behind 418a. Not successful in my last visit .

I appreciate your kind assistance.

Best wishes,

Alexander Macdonald

Hi Alexander,

The second PB is roughly 50m behind the first. They face in opposite directions, and, judging by subsidence in the ground, were linked by a tunnel. There also appeared to be a further tunnel leading to the east from roughly mid point of the first, which I presume lead to the entrance, however I couldn't find it because of a considerable amount of slope stabilisation that had taken place. From the pictures, the PB has suffered further damage to the front since I saw it. There was a lot of vegetation in the area, and it took two visits before I found the second one, but it looks worse now.

Rob

Dear Rob,

I wish you very well.

Many thanks for your info. Do you have any snapshots of an embrasure from the other pillbox in your 2nd visit to the site? Here's a snapshot of the embrasure taken by someone. https://photos.app.goo.gl/HsUxcdocEpwe532a6

Here's a link back in 2014, with a pillbox , above ground , Yau Ma Hom Road. https://goo.gl/photos/bVxJQguUE5o4Fc1d9

I am curious about the linked tunnels between these two PB as well.                                                                                     

Thank you so much for your attention on this issue. 

I look forward to hearing from you soon. 

Alex

Hi Alex,

Sorry for the delay but I have been away for a week.

No pictures of 418b. It was so heavily overgrown that I could see only a couple of feet of concrete each time. It was only after seeing a 1964 aerial photo at the Lands Dept Map Office that I realised there was a second PB. That photo shows a collapsed tunnel between the back of both PB's, with a further collapsed tunnel starting approximately mid point of the first, and leading off to the east. It is quite distinct in the picture. 418b is the same size and shape as 418a with them facing approximately N and S respectively.

 

Regards,

Rob

Hi Alex,

Sorry, again, for the delay getting back to you.

PB 418
PB 418, by Rob

 

I've marked the individual PB's with arrows, and another to indicate where I believe the entrance to the tunnel would have been. If you look closely you will see what appears to be a narrow path leading away from the area. I have marked the bits with text, but the only choice I had was blue, and it doesn't transfer too well, so you may not be able to read it.

Regards,

Rob

Hi Alex,

Looks better expanded doesn't it. It is still hard for me to imagine what the area was like at the time of the war, but certainly a lot of those roads weren't there.

Cheers,

Rob

Been there to look for the pillboxes yesterday, someone has cleared up much of the vegetation over them, but the first time when we came to the trench or collapsed tunnel, we thought we're at the wrong place again, so we retreated for searching among some other places before coming back for a last look.

Only to find that it's only a few metres from the collapsed tunnel. This first one we found was in the northeast of the one facing the Chevalier Cold Storage Building and City Industrial Complex.

According to the GPS record of the map, the pillboxes are roughly within twenty metres apart.

IMG_20210505_PB418b.jpg
IMG_20210505_PB418b.jpg, by H.Lo

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