New on Gwulo: 2026, week 11

Submitted by David on

What's new and updated on the Gwulo website:

General

  • If you know Bill Lake via his contributions on Gwulo as user HK Bill, you'll know him as a military historian. That's just a small part of the story though, as Bill has also been a soldier, actor (appearing in over 200 Hong Kong films!), handbag designer, bar manager, decorator, and much more. Whenever I've met Bill and heard him tell stories of his life, I've thought 'Someone should write a book about this'. Well, someone has: The Original Gweilo, the new book telling Bill's life story, is now available at Amazon. I ordered my copy last week and have enjoyed reading it.
     
  • My new talk is taking shape. For me, making a new talk always starts the same way: staring at a pile of photos, shuffling them around, and hoping for themes to emerge. It takes a while, but gradually the threads that link the photos together become clear. If you'd like to see the finished talk, please join me in London on 25 April 2026. Click here for details and booking.
     
  • Accessing early issues of Hong Kong's Blue Books.
     
  • Rob is continuing to update his records of wartime pillboxes in Hong Kong, now working on the 'Line of Gaps' or 'Locality' pillboxes.
     
  • Readers ask:
    • Lisa is looking for any photos of her father Edwin Soloman, or to hear from anyone who knew him. He was in the 1st Royal Tank Regiment based in Sek Kong in 1957.
       
    • Does anyone have original copies of the photos shown in these photocopies?
      • RAF flying boats Kai Tak photocopy 001, by IDJ
      • RAF flying boats Kai Tak photocopy 002, by IDJ

 



Places



People & Organisations

(To see other pages on Gwulo that mention them, first click their name below to visit their page, then click their 'What links here' tab.)


 

Photos

1928 HMS L3, by moddsey

 

1970s Salisbury Road, by moddsey

 

Old Kai Tak, by danielwettling

 

Hong Kong Club, by danielwettling

 

Union House (later called Swire House) under construction, by danielwettling

 

Queen's Building 1961, by danielwettling

 

Mandarin Hotel under construction, by danielwettling

 

Holiday Inn's promotion letter 1977 (4 MAR), by HCIIL

 

Chai Wan resettlement area, by danielwettling

 

1930s Junction of Nathan and Lock/Haiphong Roads, by moddsey

 

Fung Ha Memorial Pavilion, by tngan

 

ABERDEEN-looking West-CNY festilval -hills discernable in distance, by IDJ

 

1957 Overlooking Tak Shing Street, by moddsey

 

Star House Rickshaws, by philk

 

Star House, by philk

 

HMAS Stuart No 48 passing North Point Estates, by IDJ

 

hms hawkins & l3, by jill

 

WRF Repulse Bay, by jill

 

1960 - Hennessy Road in wake of Typhoon Mary, by essarem

 

1960 - Cheung Chau in the wake of Typhoon Mary, by essarem

 

The world-wide search for the girl to play "Suzie Wong", by aagg

 

At the Paris premiere of "The World of Suzie Wong", by aagg

 

The world is "Suzie Wong's", by aagg

 

"The World of Suzie Wong" - drama of East meets West - page 1 of 2, by aagg

 

"The World of Suzie Wong" - drama of East meets West - page 2 of 2, by aagg

 

The New York Times - Oct. 25, 1940, by Alan Ho

 

After the Kotewall Road landslide - 02, by Toulousin

 

After the Kotewall Road landslide - 06, by Toulousin

 

After the Kotewall Road landslide - 07, by Toulousin

 

Junk being built, by Toulousin

 

Central Library, by Toulousin

 

Cenotaph and HK Club, by Toulousin

 

Supreme Court, by Toulousin

 

Statue Square, by Toulousin

 

1940 Return of Women & Children Evacuees from Manila, by moddsey

 

43 Cumberland Road, by philk

 

165 Sai Yee Street, by philk

 

1930 Opening of the Airlie Hotel, by moddsey

 

1947 Star Hotel, by moddsey

 

1933 To Let - Peking Buildings, by moddsey

 

Kowloon Tong Scout HQ Foundation Stone, by philk

 

1960s Rattan House & Hotel Merlin, Hankow Road, by moddsey

 

1950s Nathan Road, by moddsey

 

China Station fleet cruise Wei Hai Wei 1927, by IDJ

 

View of Victoria looking west from the garden of the Chief Justice (1846), by hkspace_wl

 

Click to see all recently added photos.