New on Gwulo: 2025, week 26

What's new and updated on the Gwulo website:

General

• Nicholas Kitto has uploaded a collection of postcards his great-grandfather mailed from Hong Kong and Canton in 1908. There's a sample below, and you can see the full collection here.
   

  

   

• The Baginton Fields Hostel on the outskirts of Coventry was the initial home of several Hong Kong internees who were repatriated to the UK in 1945 but didn't have a place to stay. I've added the few mentions we have of the hostel to that page, but if you can add any memories of what it was like, please leave a comment there.
   
• The new land of the East Point reclamation [c.1865- ] was home to several different industries, identified by their large chimney stacks. No traces of those old chimneys remain, as East Point is now part of the busy Causeway Bay shopping and entertainment district.
   

• If you're trying to work out when a photo was taken, it helps to have a collection of landmarks in mind. The extension of St John's Cathedral during 1869-72 is a good example. If we can see the east end of the cathedral, we can check the appearance of the large window to tell if the photo was taken before or after the extension was completed:
   

  

   

• Thank you to everyone who attended the recent talk I gave in Cheltenham. Thanks also to Martin for organising the event, to Alastair for his support, and to Nat at The Chapel for his help on the day. (If you need a venue in Cheltenham, The Chapel is well worth a look.)
   

  

   

  

   

• Readers ask:
  • Can anyone help find a British Army school operating on HK Island, 1901-1904?
     

  • Does anyone have any ideas about these photographs. Uniform, car and location? Not sure if the date might be 1930s?
     

    

    

     

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The Chinese version of Gwulo's book

I received this photo earlier in the week, showing that printing is underway. 

The book will be launched at the Hong Kong Book Fair (16-22 July 2025), under the title:

老照港古
香江華洋舊事相中尋
 

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Places

• Hong Kong Island
  • Jimmy's Kitchen, 42-48 Lockhart Road, Wanchai [1928-????]
     
  • Jimmy's Kitchen, D'Aguilar Street [1932-????]
     
  • Junction of Des Voeux Road Central and Rumsey Street
     
  • Leigh Tor - RBL 19 - (1st generation, single-storey) [1885-????]
     

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People & Organisations

• Pauline HUGHES (née LANDAU, aka Polly) [1910-1955]
   
• Takahashi SAKAI [1887-1946]. An Officer of the Japanese Army, he commanded the attack on Hong Kong in December 1941, and was the first Japanese Governor of Hong Kong after the British surrender.
   

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Photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Click to see all recently added photos.