The 1948 Telephone Directory lists the hotel as occupying the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floor at 141 Des Voeux Road, Central.
That's the address I've used to locate the marker, though it's possible that the 1948 hotel is different from the one where the Europeans were temporarily interned in 1942.
After the Japanese invasion in December 1941,Frances Cook with her three children and domestic servants moved in with Dr Harry Clift and his wife Winifred on the 13th December at 77 Pok Fu Lam Road. Dr Clift was mostly away at his practice in Nathan Road.
On January 6th 1942 the Japanese posted placards down town that all British and Americans were to report to the Murray Parade Ground by noon. They duly made their way there and were divided into groups and marched off in rows of four. They were taken to the Nam Ping Hotel, where Mrs. Clift,Frances Cook and her children, and a previously unknown woman named Molly Tyrrol were assigned a small room (#415) about 12 foot square on the third floor.
Their cook, Ma Lien Ching, helped carry their things, and the room, a "luxury suite," had a flushing toilet and a private bath. Mrs. Clift, under protest, took the narrow bed, the children and Frances shared a board bed, and Molly took the settee. The hotel housed about 150 people most of whom were in cubicles*, some with upper and lower berths, all boards. They received two meals daily, usually rice, sometimes with fish or soup. Ma Lien brought them additional supplies from their Norwegian friends, and they also had some tinned goods which they had brought with them. In addition Frances had some cash which she had withdrawn before the hostilities. The currency had depreciated and prices had soared but Ma Lien was still able to purchase a few extra items for them. By paying $1 to the guard on the door he was able to take it up to Frances' room.
They were not allowed out but despite the conditions, they felt safer than before and even had moments of hilarity. They were free from the constant fear of being killed and the fear of armed men breaking in. In the evenings they played Kan-u-go with cards that Mrs. Clift had brought along. For Frances' birthday, they celebrated with a tin of asparagus. Dr Clift managed to visit when off duty at his hospital.
On January 23rd, they were moved by boat and under guard to Stanley, taking only what they could carry. This brought an end to their time at the Nam Ping. They were unaware that they were now to be cut off from their neutral and Chinese friends in Hong Kong.
*Many of these hotels were previously used as brothels, hence the cubicles.
Comments
The 1948 Telephone Directory
The 1948 Telephone Directory lists the hotel as occupying the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floor at 141 Des Voeux Road, Central.
That's the address I've used to locate the marker, though it's possible that the 1948 hotel is different from the one where the Europeans were temporarily interned in 1942.
Father Bernard Tohill, who…
Father Bernard Tohill, who was held in the hotel before being sent to Stanley, also gives 141 Des Voeux Road Central as the address.
When You Were Absent by Archibald & Frances Cook
The Nam Ping Hotel
After the Japanese invasion in December 1941, Frances Cook with her three children and domestic servants moved in with Dr Harry Clift and his wife Winifred on the 13th December at 77 Pok Fu Lam Road. Dr Clift was mostly away at his practice in Nathan Road.
On January 6th 1942 the Japanese posted placards down town that all British and Americans were to report to the Murray Parade Ground by noon. They duly made their way there and were divided into groups and marched off in rows of four. They were taken to the Nam Ping Hotel, where Mrs. Clift, Frances Cook and her children, and a previously unknown woman named Molly Tyrrol were assigned a small room (#415) about 12 foot square on the third floor.
Their cook, Ma Lien Ching, helped carry their things, and the room, a "luxury suite," had a flushing toilet and a private bath. Mrs. Clift, under protest, took the narrow bed, the children and Frances shared a board bed, and Molly took the settee. The hotel housed about 150 people most of whom were in cubicles*, some with upper and lower berths, all boards. They received two meals daily, usually rice, sometimes with fish or soup. Ma Lien brought them additional supplies from their Norwegian friends, and they also had some tinned goods which they had brought with them. In addition Frances had some cash which she had withdrawn before the hostilities. The currency had depreciated and prices had soared but Ma Lien was still able to purchase a few extra items for them. By paying $1 to the guard on the door he was able to take it up to Frances' room.
They were not allowed out but despite the conditions, they felt safer than before and even had moments of hilarity. They were free from the constant fear of being killed and the fear of armed men breaking in. In the evenings they played Kan-u-go with cards that Mrs. Clift had brought along. For Frances' birthday, they celebrated with a tin of asparagus. Dr Clift managed to visit when off duty at his hospital.
On January 23rd, they were moved by boat and under guard to Stanley, taking only what they could carry. This brought an end to their time at the Nam Ping. They were unaware that they were now to be cut off from their neutral and Chinese friends in Hong Kong.
*Many of these hotels were previously used as brothels, hence the cubicles.
Source:
When You Were Absent by Archibald & Frances Cook
Biographical Dictionary of Medical Practitioners, Hong Kong