The Elizabeth Ride Collection

This is a collection of material based on the life and work of Elizabeth's father, Sir Lindsay Ride. It will be of most interest to people researching wartime Hong Kong, 1942-5, as it includes detailed records of the activity of the British Army Aid Group, the BAAG.

What does it include?

Here is a brief overview based on a conversation with Elizabeth and additional notes she provided. Elizabeth is preparing a more complete Search Guide.

UPDATE SEP 2013: Elizabeth Ride writes:

The Search Guide is now online at https://www.hongkongheritage.org/Archive/internet/eng/ArchiveSearchResult.aspx?parent_code=6482&searchType=1, and shows a list of the material available in the collection.  I/we are gradually filling in the 'contents', which are rather sketchy at the moment, but you can already see there is a lot of local history in 'Speeches and Essays'.

The collection is split into six sections:

1. British Army Aid Group.

• Directory of Members.
  Elizabeth is compiling a directory of all the members of the BAAG, with details about each person. So far 600 of approximately 2,000 members have been recorded.
• Overviews.
  Elizabeth is compiling books that give an overview of the BAAG's activities for a given period. They act as an index to the more detailed information in the detailed records and weekly intelligence summaries. 
• Weekly intelligence summaries.
  They cover events across China, but the first section is usually about Hong Kong.
• Detailed records.
  Copies of all the communications to and from the BAAG.

2. Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps

• A history of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Force.
  A draft of the first two chapters of an intended history of the Volunteers.
• Volunteers at war.
  Elizabeth has collected wartime diaries written by members of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps (HKVDC).

3. Lindsay Ride Speeches and Essays

Often related to the BAAG (which he commanded), or Hong Kong University (where he was Vice-Chancellor after the war).

4. Lindsay Ride collection of Photos, Slides, Cine-Films

Showing life in Hong Kong in the 1930s - 50s. A set of pre-war colour slides of Hong Kong caught my eye - colour views from that time are very rare. There are also photos of life on the Peak in the 1930s, eg this Peak School photo from 1938:

5. Artefacts

A list of artefacts that relate to this collection, but are held in other archives & collections.

6. Miscellaneous

Other items related to the BAAG and Lindsay Ride.

Can it help me with my question about ... ?

Elizabeth is keen to see researchers make use of this valuable material. If you'd like to ask her if it can help you, send me an email about what you're looking for, and I'll forward it to Elizabeth. My email:

How can I access material from the collection?

The Elizabeth Ride Collection is held by The Hong Kong Heritage Project. To arrange a visit, please contact them.