Peter was stationed in Hong Kong from 1952 to 1955. His photogaphs are not dated, but I am inserting an arbitrary 1953-10-01 for the first batch that relate to the celebration of the Moon Festival which I believe occurs in October each year. Quite a few of the photograhs show faces of individuals who have gone up to the highest place on the Island - where the old Victorian signal station was sited and where the R..A.F's Battys outpost was in the years between the very early 1950s and about 1962. In brief notes that Peter sent to me explaining some of the photographs, he remarked that several of the photogarphs were taken from the roof of the 'old' single storey building that they used before the two extensiion, that still exists, was added in approximately 1955/6. Most of these hills were still only covered in grass and very low scrub so the views in 2019 are now much more restricted
On this first image, possibly taken from the road close to the small police post on the road up to the Governor's Residence, the tall retaining wall on the skyline is I believe around what was the Police signal station. The white building would be the orignial single storey Batty's building, and the flat area further right was the concrete circle that had housed the Victorian flagstaff. I am fairly sure that the excavated flat area below the buildings was, and still is, the covered service reservoir. The path winding its way up to Battys, on which quite a few Moon Festival celebrants are walking, is still there and it leaves the road very close to the small Police post. I last walked up there in 2007 but I have a feeling that access up that path is now restricted. (Andrew S)
This aerial photogaph taken in approximately 1958 shows the layout of most of the buildings around Batty's.
