a time for light

hkspace_wl
Fri, 08/30/2024 - 14:28
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hours of light, 1945

Original description of the photo says : 

"Men of 42 Marine Commando and children from the Tai Po Orphanage watch a fireworks display during a party hosted by the unit. The orphanage was located in the new territory... where they were carrying out policing operations."

Is this the old Tai Po Rural Orphanage, later St. Christopher's Home ? As for the building specifics, it looks alike as in other photos of the place.

Another photo of this series shows a group of children in front of a jeep and piper J G Wilson with his bagpipes.

The age of this cohort of children is over eighty now.

 

source : IWM

author : Watson R, No. 9 Army Film and Photo Section

original medium : negative

Date picture taken
24 Sep 1945
Tags
42 Marine Commando
Gallery
1940s Hong Kong
Shows place(s)
Taipo Rural Home and Orphanage / St Christopher's Home, Tai Po [1935-1993]

Comments

Wartime experiences of the Tai Po children's home.

Below is my attempt to translate from the newsletter(*) of the SCH. Think it could be a bit closer to the original diction and sentiments of the persons than using AI generated translation.

... In 1936, Ms Mary Tam joined as a residential foster care parent and had gone through these hard years with the children and staff of the Home.

"Those few years when the Japs came had been hard ! After Hong Kong's fall, food shortage was very severe. We often had only two meals of thin porridge each person daily. Every day before daybreak, led the children to the fields to pick string beans (豆角)* and reap vegetables. Shortly after 6am, shouldered these self produced vegetable to Tai Po Market 
for sale. With the money exchanged for black eye beans (眉豆), peanuts or sweet potatoes and returned to the Home, to replenish food... On one occasion, when over ten Japanese militaries
came to occupy the boys' dormitory, our boys had to move to live in the classrooms..." as the retired Ms Tam recalled on an interview for the 50th Anniversary special edition.

As our 1945 Annual Report, persons in the Home did not have enough food and were continuously losing weight. Some children even resorted to eating leaves and unknown fruits, which 
caused stomach pains and situation was worrying. Fortunately at the end of our rope, there are always kind persons donating military notes, rice and cereal food for emergency. Also some benevolent rice merchants sold us rice in low price. The whole Home at last peacefully strived to the liberation of HK. In the following four months, we had received from the
British Army and benevolent people from all walks, clothes, food, drugs and donation. Our body weight picked up again slowly, the Home could also live on.

     (*) source :

     ECHO of HKSKH, 2020-10-25 Issue No. 2329  (link)
      《教聲》 2020-10-25 第2329期
      special article on St Christopher's Home 85th Anniversary 
      聖基道兒童院85周年特稿：迎難而上的聖基道 

  * two kinds of string beans : green and white