Au Tao Police Station and Magnetic Station 1948, by coastyHK
I have been researching the site of the former Au Tau Police Station and the Magnetic Station used by the HK Observatory. The Police Station remnants are in the red circle and the Magnetic Station in the yellow circle. This was believed to have been torn down in 1942 or sometime during WW2. Luckily these aerial photos of 1948 still clearly show the exact location
The Police Station was located within 50 metres east of the current TWGHs C Y Ma Memorial College and just to the west of what is now the Au Tau Youth Centre. I have overlapped aerial photos from the 1960s and the topography, coupled with the location of the school indicates that the [police station was directly east of the college (formerly Yuen Long Middle School) I will endeavour to take photos from there in the coming weeks.
The yellow circle marks the spot of where the Magnetic Station was between 1928 and December 1941. This is where Graham Heywood and Leonard Starbuck were taken as POWs around 3pm on December 8th 1941 when they were retrieving equipment from the Magnetic Station. They were caught by advancing Japanese troops, tied up before being taken to the Au Tao Police Station that evening, before being moved on to Kam Tin after dark. Graham Heywood remembers taking a coat from the station as he was only wearing a shirt at the time of capture. Check out Graham Heywood's Diary 'It Won't Be Long Now' for a greater insight. I will be making a video on this capture and the locations of these two sites too soon.
Taken from the diary of Graham Heywood, 'It Won't Be Long Now' , his drawings show the magnetic station was on the northern side of Castle Peak Road with the path up to the station to the north-east. Along the path there was a meter room and then the Recording Room a little further on . I believe this equipment and room used to in TST originally but was moved up to this point in 1928 as they needed a remote location with less light, noise and tremor pollution. Also, a nice sketch of what the recording room would have looked like. I think the recording room site is now occupied by giant electricity pylon.
The diary states, 'After a while (after dark on 8th Dec) we were marched off with the troops along the road leading to the unfinished airfield at Kam Tin.; an affable soldier next to me insisted on walking with his arm around my neck...was it affection or detention? Probably the latter, though I was reminded of an evening stroll down a country lane in Japan, arm in arm with two slightly tipsy gentlemen who were trying to point out to me the beauties of Fuji in the darkness.'
The column halted hear the airfield; tired out, we lay down on the hard concrete road and slept fitfully.
...in the middle of the night we fell in and marched back again by the way we had come. Finally we turned off the hills to the south. The inhabitants had fled; doors were broken open and grass was spread in the yard in front of the houses. There we slept, huddled among the troops.'
From there he talks about the next day being quite hostile compared to the relatively friendly treatment on the day of captures. They were take. To a large house on the outskirts of a village a few miles away
They then passed Fanling Golf Course and halted at Sheung Shui. From there to Tai Po where they were joined by Indian and British soldiers on the evening of the 10th December before being taken in trucks to Fanling again to a large Chinese style home owned by by a rich American. Around 20 Scots guards joined and a solitary Canadian soldier.
On 8th January they were finally taken the long way via Yuen Long and Castle Peak Rd around to Kowloon and Sham Shui Po camp.
Comments
Au Tau Police Station
What was the reason behind destroying this police station?
Au Tau Police Station
It was demolished right in the middle of the Japanese occupation.
Au Tau Police Station Position
Au Tau Police Station and Magnetic Station
I have been researching the site of the former Au Tau Police Station and the Magnetic Station used by the HK Observatory. The Police Station remnants are in the red circle and the Magnetic Station in the yellow circle. This was believed to have been torn down in 1942 or sometime during WW2. Luckily these aerial photos of 1948 still clearly show the exact location
The Police Station was located within 50 metres east of the current TWGHs C Y Ma Memorial College and just to the west of what is now the Au Tau Youth Centre. I have overlapped aerial photos from the 1960s and the topography, coupled with the location of the school indicates that the [police station was directly east of the college (formerly Yuen Long Middle School) I will endeavour to take photos from there in the coming weeks.
The yellow circle marks the spot of where the Magnetic Station was between 1928 and December 1941. This is where Graham Heywood and Leonard Starbuck were taken as POWs around 3pm on December 8th 1941 when they were retrieving equipment from the Magnetic Station. They were caught by advancing Japanese troops, tied up before being taken to the Au Tao Police Station that evening, before being moved on to Kam Tin after dark. Graham Heywood remembers taking a coat from the station as he was only wearing a shirt at the time of capture. Check out Graham Heywood's Diary 'It Won't Be Long Now' for a greater insight. I will be making a video on this capture and the locations of these two sites too soon.
Au Tau Magnetic Station Map
Taken from the diary of Graham Heywood, 'It Won't Be Long Now' , his drawings show the magnetic station was on the northern side of Castle Peak Road with the path up to the station to the north-east. Along the path there was a meter room and then the Recording Room a little further on . I believe this equipment and room used to in TST originally but was moved up to this point in 1928 as they needed a remote location with less light, noise and tremor pollution. Also, a nice sketch of what the recording room would have looked like. I think the recording room site is now occupied by giant electricity pylon.
Graham Heywood - Kam Tin
Hello CoastyHK
Do you have any record of where the 2 gentlemen were taken to in Kam Tin? I live near the town and would love to know! Many thanks.
I don't have a copy of Graham Heywood's Diary I'm afraid.
Kam Tin First Night
Hello Tideswell27,
The diary states, 'After a while (after dark on 8th Dec) we were marched off with the troops along the road leading to the unfinished airfield at Kam Tin.; an affable soldier next to me insisted on walking with his arm around my neck...was it affection or detention? Probably the latter, though I was reminded of an evening stroll down a country lane in Japan, arm in arm with two slightly tipsy gentlemen who were trying to point out to me the beauties of Fuji in the darkness.'
The column halted hear the airfield; tired out, we lay down on the hard concrete road and slept fitfully.
...in the middle of the night we fell in and marched back again by the way we had come. Finally we turned off the hills to the south. The inhabitants had fled; doors were broken open and grass was spread in the yard in front of the houses. There we slept, huddled among the troops.'
From there he talks about the next day being quite hostile compared to the relatively friendly treatment on the day of captures. They were take. To a large house on the outskirts of a village a few miles away
They then passed Fanling Golf Course and halted at Sheung Shui. From there to Tai Po where they were joined by Indian and British soldiers on the evening of the 10th December before being taken in trucks to Fanling again to a large Chinese style home owned by by a rich American. Around 20 Scots guards joined and a solitary Canadian soldier.
On 8th January they were finally taken the long way via Yuen Long and Castle Peak Rd around to Kowloon and Sham Shui Po camp.