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Timeline
A timeline of Places at this site.
This:
- ARP Tunnel Network 08, under Government House [????- ]
Air Raid Precaution tunnels in Hong Kong
- Life in Hong Kong's ARP tunnels
- A.R.P. Tunnels in Central
- ARP Tunnel Network 01, Queen's Road Central [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network 02, 'Arsenal Street Network' [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network 03, Wanchai Road [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network 04, Hospital Road [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network 05 [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network 06 [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network 07 [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network 08, under Government House [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network 09, Star Street [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network 10 [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network 11, Leighton Hill [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network 13 [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network 14 [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network 15, Hospital Road (West) / KGV Park [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network 16 [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network 18, Sing Woo Road, Happy Valley [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network 21 [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network 23 [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network 26 [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network 27 [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network 29 [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network 30 [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network 34 [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network K1 [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network K1A [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network K2 [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network K2A [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network K4 [????- ]
- ARP Tunnel Network K5 [????- ]
Comments
Tunnels under Government House
I'm moving the thread over here to keep everything together:
Sat, 2009-03-07 11:58 — philk: Govt House Tunnels
Sat, 2009-03-07 13:06 — tngan: Re: Govt House Tunnels
Sat, 2009-03-07 14:53 — philk: RTHK - Govt House Tunnels
Sat, 2009-03-07 20:32 — tngan: Re: RTHK - Govt House Tunnels
Sun, 2009-03-08 14:13 — Raymond Lo: RE-Governor House tunnel
Re: Governemnt House Tunnel
I watched the programme as well and agree that it was a total waste of time. As I understand, prior to the outbreak of WWII, a site for a 'new' Govt. House was chosen to be erected at Magazine Gap due to the original building being in a state of disrepair and on the verge of crumbling .
With the commencement of WWII in 1939 and the Japanese Army positioned in Guangzhou and at the land border, plans for a replacement Govt. House were put into abeyance. In March 1941, it was recorded in the local press that the building of the ARP Tunnel on Lower Albert Rd had caused extensive damage to Govt. House and to its foundations.
I missed it anyway (due to a
I missed it anyway (due to a prior ballet appointment.. for my daughter that is). But I thought I would leave you with an SCMP quote from Chris Patten...
"The only tunnel I know of is the one that runs under the English Channel"
Good old Chris, still as in touch with reality now as he was when he was Governer.
re: Government House Tunnel
Moddsey, thanks for posting that clipping. I hadn't seen it before, and it's good evidence that the tunnels under the building were mostly built at the same time as the other ARP tunnels. Though they were likely larger than the standard tunnels, as this commenter reports:
Perhaps digging a larger-than-usual tunnel was one reason for the subsidence shown in the clipping above.
There were two other tunnel networks in the area, 01 and 13 (see article and map), with a connecting tunnel between the two. There are few remaining signs of the tunnels now, but I guess it's the now-faded memories that there were other tunnels in the area that started the stories of mysterious tunnels leading out from Government House.
Re: Government House Tunnel
The Hong Kong Telegraph of 12 October, 1940 reports that 'two tunnels are being driven into rising ground that Government House stands. The tunnels face the Colonial Secretary's Office (today's Central Government Offices)'. The tunnel entrances on Lower Albert Rd can still be seen today.
Government House Tunnels
Rob Weir has forwarded some relevant info from his research notes:
Colonial Office file CO 129/589 (9) June 1941 refers to Government House showing signs of collapsing after construction of Air Raid tunnels and galleries beneath it. The Governor expected to have to move to Admiralty House. It also states in the text that it was 80 feet below ground level with two "raises" to save a steep climb, with a gallery at the intermediate level. There was no set plan, it was developed from instructions from HE and OAG. First instructions called for a communicating link between the CSO tunnel and GH. (Sorry about the abbreviations, that is what I wrote. HE is no doubt His Excellency, and GH probably Government House, but OAG and CSO ?).
A later note confirms it didn't collapse, as the sinkage/subsidence stopped after several days, but several columns broke/collapsed and severe sinkage and cracking occurred in several rooms.
I think CSO (Central Secretariat Offices ?) refers to the government offices on the north side of Lower Albert Road. OAG may be 'Office of the Attorney General'.
Inside the tunnels under Government House
Barbara Anslow sent these memories of working here during the fighting in December 1941:
The admin tunnel where I worked during HK battle didn't look a bit like the photo of one of the tunnels at the present time! It was very new, pretty rough, with lots of wooden struts about giving the smell of wood. Just inside the entrance I used were 2 alcoves ( which I believe were intended to house toilets, but these hadn't yet been provided, so for calls of nature we had to leave the tunnel and rush across Lower Albert Road to the Secretariat premises, which had been vacated as they were vulnerable old buildings with no shelters).
Once through the entrance, there were diversions at angles, with different departments in different sections. I never decided which was worse - going into the tunnel in the morning into the stifling heat and realising that a nearby bomb could entomb us all inside; or leaving the tunnel at the end of my shift, and going 'home' to my billet,vulnerable to the shells coming over and bombs.
exact location of the tunnel under gov house
Is there a tunnel underneath Government House that goes directly downhill to Queen's Road Central?
Tunnel under Government House
There was another ARP tunnel network (Network 1) with at least one entrance on Queen's Road Central.
I haven't seen any evidence that the two networks were connected.
Regards, David
CSO & OAG
By email:
Re Rob Weir's info on Government House tunnels, CSO is Colonial Secretary's Office, and OAG is Officer Administering the Government.