Kowloon Motor Bus imported these Leyland "Lion" model LT1 buses in 1929. Looking brand new, this bus is parked in front a grand and conspicuous Hong Kong colonial building. Can anybody identify where? ( Photo source: Leyland Vehicles )
Date picture taken
1929
Comments
Re: Colonial Building
If I were to guess, the building would be likely Sham Shui Po Police Station as seen below. That said, Kowloon City Police Station built around the same time had the same pillars and architectural features.
Police Station
I think moddsey is correct. The building exterior matches almost exactly the east side (Yen Chow Street-side) of Sham Shui Po. Even the hill in the background would make sense. However, without a better image of Kowloon City - which may or may not be the same/similar (it's too hard to tell from the available images) - it's hard to rule out. Do you know where KMB had a depot? That might be an indicator to the location.
Sham Shui Po Police Station
I should have remembered this building facade well. A serious memory lapse on my part. I was posted to this police station in February 1966 after completing my six-months training course at the Police Training School. Exactly at the location the buses are lined-up, on my third day as a duty officer in the station report room, I had removed a seriously injured dog whose lower body had been completely flattened by a vehicle. Amazingly the dog was still just alive and shrieking in pain. Since i could see plainly that there was no realistic chance of the dog surviving such massive injuries I took the decision to put the dog down. I got help from the station labourer and one PC and moved the poor still just alive dog to a compound at the rear of the station where I shot it through the head with .22 rifle. I was given severe talking to the next day by the Assistant Divisional Commander ..... not for my action of putting th dog out of its misery but for using the "wrong weapon". I was told "next time make sure you use the armoury shot gun".
On the question of KMB depots. Pre-war KMB had depots in Camp Street between Un Chau St. and Castle Peak Road and another in To Kwa Wan . Later they had a huge depot in Lai Chi Kok, but I think that was not until after the war,