Kowloon Dock Apprentices 1950s

Sat, 11/02/2024 - 02:04

Ian McKelvie (front left in sunglasses) was in the Auxiliary HK Airforce as part of National Service

Date picture taken
1950s

Comments

That’s me in the checkered shirt. It is a group from the dockyard. I am pretty sure that it is one of a series that John Barton had taken. After hours, at his home in Kowloon Tong,  I used to help John develop and print some of these photos.

I think Ian was apprenticed to China Light and Power Station, nearby HKWD. His dad was in charge of the dockyard foundry shop and the boiler shop. The apprentices from the nearby CL&P often used to join the apprentices in the Dockyard at lunchtime.

The people in the photo above are, L-R:

  • Top Row

    • ?
    • Me (Bob Tatz)
    • ?
    • Alan Badham
    • Bobby Houghton
  • Bottom Row
    • Ian Mckelvie
    • Rene Ruyters
    • Tony Rodrigues
    • Peter Townsend
    • Tony Oliviera.

(The only people in the dockyard group who were with HKAAF were: Me, Alan Badham and Joey Rodrigues. Refer to page 170 in my book, Lost in the Battle for Hong Kong 1941.)