What's new and updated on the Gwulo website:
General
- Thank you to everyone who attended my recent talks in York and Edinburgh. The audience was a good mix of long-term followers of Gwulo, and people who have a connection to Hong Kong but are new to the site. It was a pleasure to meet you all.
After our visit to the North East, next month we're heading in the opposite direction, to give talks in Cheltenham and Exeter. Please use the following links for booking and details, and I look forward to seeing you there. - The project to put Leo Landau's Prisoner Of War diary online is going well. Volunteers have already processed the pages from 1942 and 1943, and are making good progress with 1944. If you'd like to help, please reply to this newsletter by email with DIARY in the subject line, and I'll send you the files for the next page in the queue.
- Recent news in the wartime diaries:
- 1942
- 25 Aug : The MS Gripsholm repatriation ship sails in to New York Harbour. It has been almost two months since the Americans left Japanese-occupied Hong Kong, but finally they are home.
- 8 Sep : The Japanese release the Chinese members of the HKVDC from the Sham Shui Po POW camp. (Eric MacNider in Stanley Camp writes about it later in his diary on 17 Sep: ‘124 Chinese, Malay & Annamite HKVDC men released from P.O.W. camp by Japs.’)
- 25 Aug : The MS Gripsholm repatriation ship sails in to New York Harbour. It has been almost two months since the Americans left Japanese-occupied Hong Kong, but finally they are home.
- 1945
- 30 Aug : The Allied fleet sails into Victoria Harbour. Admiral Harcourt visits Stanley Internment Camp where he gives a short speech, and there is a flag-raising ceremony.
- 11 Sep 1945 : The internees in Hong Kong and the POWs in Japan begin their long journey home.
- 16 Sep : The Japanese officials in Hong Kong sign their surrender in a ceremony at Government House. In the evening, ships in the harbour gave a fireworks display in celebration.
- 30 Aug : The Allied fleet sails into Victoria Harbour. Admiral Harcourt visits Stanley Internment Camp where he gives a short speech, and there is a flag-raising ceremony.
- 1942
- In the previous newsletter, gw introduced us to the scenes in Mum's "Hong Kong Color Slide Service" Collection, a set of colour slides of Hong Kong. Several of the slides started discussions to identify the scenes in more detail, and gw has posted an update with a summary of the findings.
- hongkonger has started mapping the old-fashioned granite marker stones you'll sometimes see when out hiking in the Hong Kong countryside:
- Photos of Comet Tanks in Hong Kong
- Droughts and water restrictions / rationing in Hong Kong
- All Gwulo's books are back in stock at Amazon. [Affiliate link] (A box of my books went missing en route to Amazon, but I've sent a replacement and this one arrived safely.)
- Jamie Carstairs introduces new resources from Bristol University:
- The Historical Photographs of Hong Kong website is now live.
- If Gwulo readers wish to see high res versions of all the marvellous Martin Funnell HK panoramics, you need to go to the new Special Collections' Preservica site (still being populated), via the long URL link at the bottom of the Online Archive Catalogue page for DM3108. Then click on the little blue 'folder' icon. The image loading is rather slow, but the zooming in is good. [David: Click here for a shortcut to the hi-res panoramas]
- The Historical Photographs of Hong Kong website is now live.
- One more mention of the York & Edinburgh talks - if you need venues for illustrated talks I can confidently recommend the Main Hall at Clements Hall in York:
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- And The Studio at Augustine United Church in Edinburgh:
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- Both had clear audio and screens that all the audience could see clearly, plus the staff were both helpful and knowledgeable, which made the setup very straightforward.
- While preparing for the Edinburgh talk I discovered not only did famous photographer John Thomson grow up in Edinburgh, but that his childhood home was just five minutes walk from our venue, at 6 Brighton Road. I went along to pay homage, and as you'll see in the photo below, there is a brass plaque on the wall commemorating him. It turns out that plaque is there because of the good work of Jamie Carstairs - he has written up how he tracked down Thomson's house and got the plaque installed.
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- Readers ask:
- 1980s-era Hilton Horizon magazines - is there any Hong Kong-based person or archive that would like to take these?
- Looking for any information about late uncle George William Lythgoe, based at Room 1007, Man Yee Building, Des Voeux Road Central in the 1960s.
- Is there a Chinnery Collection for viewing anywhere in HK?
- When was the Peak Hotel Garage built?
- Was the HSBC Tai O branch (the one next to the rope ferry steps) already open for business in the 1960s?
- Where on The Peak was this taken:
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The Peak, by philk
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- Can anyone identify this house:
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Typical Peak Home c 1895, by philk
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- 1980s-era Hilton Horizon magazines - is there any Hong Kong-based person or archive that would like to take these?
Places
(Click a Place's link below to visit its page - you'll see all the photos we have for it, and can add your memories of the Place to its comments.)
- Kowloon
- Blue Heaven Bar [????-????]
- Caritas Medical Centre [1964- ]
- Cheung Sha Wan Government Low Cost Housing Estate [1964-????]
- Cheung Sha Wan Police Married Quarters [c.1961-????]
- Cheung Sha Wan Wholesale Vegetable Market [1965- ]
- Chong Yip Mansion [1968- ]
- Chun Wo Tong One-Eyed Man Herbal Tea, Yau Ma Tei [c.1950-2018]
- Hung Yu Mansion [1975- ]
- Hyfco or Hyco Industrial Building [c.1972-????]
- Railway Staff Quarters, Gascoigne Road [1916-c.1962]
- Tokyo Paradise Bar & Restaurant [????-????]
- Un Chau Street Estate [1969-????]
- Yin Chong Street 煙廠街 [????- ]
- Zippo Flame Room Cafe & Bar [????-????]
- Blue Heaven Bar [????-????]
- Hong Kong Island
- Ballamacleog - 564 The Peak - 26 Middle Gap Road [????- ]
- The Hong Kong Chinese Bank Building [c.1966- ]
- China Underwriters Life Building [c.1966-c.1995]
- Chung Nam House [c.1966- ]
- Chung Shun Lodge [c.1969-c.1989]
- Eastern Terrace [????-c.1953] and New Eastern Terrace [c.1953-c.2011]
- Kui Lok Villa (1st Gen) [1951-????]
- Monticello, 48 Kennedy Road [1969- ]
- 50 Repulse Bay Road (1st Gen) [c.1960-c.1999]
- Skyroom Terrace, 1-17 Hei Wo Street, North Point [1955-c.2021]
- Soya Bean Factory (Vitasoy), Aberdeen [1950-c.1977]
- Squatter village above Tai Hang [????-c.1970]
- Squatter Village next to Tiger Balm Garden/ 芽菜坑村Nga Choi Hang Village [c.1950-1995]
- Streets
- Albany Lane / Wan Chai Gap Road [????- ]
- Albany Street / Tai Yuen Street [1842- ]
- Ewo Hill Street / Lee Garden Road [????- ]
- Jaffe Lane / Cannon Street [1957- ]
- Albany Lane / Wan Chai Gap Road [????- ]
- Ballamacleog - 564 The Peak - 26 Middle Gap Road [????- ]
- New Territories
- Japanese Golf Course, Shatin [c.1933-1949]
- Sky Garden, musical fountain, New Town Plaza I, Shatin [????- ]
- Wo Che Estate, Shatin [1977- ]
- Japanese Golf Course, Shatin [c.1933-1949]
- Outlying islands
- European House #4A, Cheung Chau. [????-????]
- Warwick Hotel Cheung Chau [c.1980- ]
- European House #4A, Cheung Chau. [????-????]
Organisations & People
(Click a Person's link below to visit their page - you'll see all the photos we have for them, and you can add any memories of the Person or extra information in their comments.)
- Sheila DUNCAN (née BORRAS) [1922-1991], attended DGS.
- Agnes Hill GOWANS (aka Nancy) [1914-2012]
- WW2
- Stanley Camp
- Helene Frances Mary NOBBINS [1897-????]
- William GOWANS [1901-1975], police. Married to the Agnes Gowans listed above.
- Helene Frances Mary NOBBINS [1897-????]
- HKVDC
- Sidney John George BURT [????-????]
- George Henry CALVERT [1900-1977]
- Gerald Archer GOODBAN [????-????], despatch rider. In peacetime was headmaster of DBS.
- E N THURSBY [????-????]
- R K VALENTINE [????-????]
- Sidney John George BURT [????-????]
- Other armed forces
- Albert Edward BIRKINSHAW [1915-1944], RA
- Joe DINES [????-????], RNR
- Francis Leslie EASTWOOD [1919-1970], RA
- Thomas MANN [1910-????], HKDDC
- Charles Gerald TRESIDDER [????-????], RASC
- Albert Edward BIRKINSHAW [1915-1944], RA
- Stanley Camp
Photos
Click to see all recently added photos.