img255.jpg | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

img255.jpg

img255.jpg
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WO1 Bandmaster Fereday's family visiting Tiger Balm Gardens. 1950/51.

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Comments

Thank you for posting your family photos for us to enjoy. Was this just a visit on vacation, or were you living here for a while?

Regards, David

Hello David.

Glad you enjoyed my selection of our time in Hong Kong in the early 50's. My father was Bandmaster, Wiltshire Regiment. Although the regiment was based in the New Territories, we lived in Victoria Barracks in one of the WO1 quarters, now known as Rawlinson House and as you know, are now the HK Marriage Offices. Unfortunately at the moment, I cannot find a photo of the house exterior from when we were there and both a business associate and a niece have both been unable to obtain the image I am after. Probably a skyscraper is now in the way. I have a number taken from the Internet.  I still have large collection of match box labels collected from in and around Victoria, an after school hobby I enjoyed with a school friend. Incidentally, I am the young lad generally with a pair of binoculars around my neck. I always enjoy viewing your wonderful website. In fact, I did submit some text a while back that I think can still be found under a Victoria Barracks search. I have also managed to secure that very good book on Victoria Barracks by Lt Colonel Oxley. I do have a couple of images of our car, a very strange American machine called a Crossley if you are interested. I think somewhere we have the receipt with name of a Chinese doctor. I also have a photo of the English class that my mother taught at (Chinese) school. She also had a job in the Toy Dept. of Lane Crawford (only air conditioned store at the time). I still have the Hornby Dublo train set that came from that store.

Hopefully not too much of a ramble. I really enjoyed our two year stay in HK although we had to endure the five week trip from the UK by boat. Empire Fowey (excellent) and Empire Ken (dreadful). The Ken had been refloated after being used to block a French port during WW2!

Very best wishes, Alan.

Hi Alan,

Good to hear some more about your stay. Yes please to the photos of the Crossley, and the photo of the English school will be good to see too. If you know the name of the school, I wonder if we'll hear from any of the students!

Regards, David

Hi David.

I guess you may hear from some of the students. One remarkable coioncidence was that many years later, probably in the 1970's, my parents were in a Chinese restaurant in Norwich. The manager remembered my mother from when he was a student at the school in HK. The restaurant was in St Stephens, Norwich.

I will locate a few more images later. Some may be with my brother in Norwich who is away for a few days.

Regards, Alan.