RAF Mount Davis [????-1959]

I was a young RAF Policeman at Mount Davis during Sgt Fowlers time, whom I remember. In fact I was on the crashed vehicle. We had to send 5 passengers  walking back to camp, the vehicle was overloaded by five. As a RAF Policeman I should not have been party to this. At the time we were all in a panic. Most of us had tickets to watch Blackpool v Hong Kong select. We missed the game which Blackpool won I believe 7 - 1 Stephen Chadwick

Stephen,

I am trying to find out the years when I was at Mount Davis, please let me know if you can remember

Ex Sgt, Terry Fowler

I was there for 2 years around 1956, we assembled the radar from a kit of parts supplied from the Americans at Clark Field in the Philipines. We had to get up to all sorts of dodges to erect the radar tower, calling on the navy who used poles and ropes because it wasn't feasible to get a crane up the ramp. RAF aerial erectors also helped with little regard for what are now regarded as 'Elf n Safty' rules but they got the job done without accidents. The radar reflector was blown down by a typhoon once. Because of procrastination by the Signals officer, a decision to lower the reflector was put off as lowering it unnecessarily meant at least 14 hours without radar coverage. the subsequent damage meant that we were off the air for far longer. 

I had no experience of putting a radar set together but we learned on the job. I remeber teams of airmen rolling drums of diesel fuel up the ramps for the 110 volt generator. The drums ascent was aided by a rope arond them pulled by another team at the top.

I was posted to Mount Davis Dec 1956 and left in June 1958. I am pretty sure you were there all my time. Most of my time apart from work, was spent playing either cricket , table tennis or football for the station and the RAF. To be honest so was the rest of my 22 year service.  The CO was Sqn Ldr Inkson. No doubt you will remember Sgt Graham the SWO and his attempts to drill the lads on the football field. Regards Stephen

Dear all,

I am a designer in HK (ADO) who's now handling a project to renovate an existing youth hostel by Youth Hostels Association at Mount Davis. Given the execellent location within such a rich cultural landscape, we designed the hostel with a theme to showcase the military history of HK, especially stories happened at Mount Davis. We hope that travellers around the world can appreciate this piece of nice mountain not only for its scenic view, but also the stories behind.

Having seen the both dialogues, I feel so excited that we could potentially gather some first hand information of the oral/photo history for Mount Davis. While I keep doing research from government's record (which is very little), I wonder if any gentlemen could share your stories / photos for us to enrich the project?

Thanks David so much for setting up this platform. It is so informative and attractive!

Regards, Wilson

I was stationed at 117 SU in the orderly room, from 1957 to 59 when we moved to TMS.  I was on that wagon, and remember the event very well. We had set off from Repulse Bay due to an unexpectedly persisitent rainy afternoon. we had clambered aboard in a hurry and I was sitting on the off side next to the tail gate still putting my shirt on over my head. The lorry skidded on the greasy surface and hit the rock wall with its off-side. The next I knew we were on our backs sliding along the tarmac in a tangle of arms and legs and jungle jiice from the urn everywhere.  The two lads sitting forward of me and I all had identical cuts on our heads from sliding on the road with the sole protection of the wagon's canvas tilt. I suppose we were lucky. Sometimes we travelled with the tilt off. Various cars stopped to off assistance and a kind lady took me and another lad in her green morris minor to the hospital where we were given attention Traunatic effusion of the knee (right) and head injuries were diagnosed. I seem to have a memory of being attended to at BMH.

Seeing all the pictures of the Mount Davis site makes me wonder nostalgically where went those I took. Who would have thought in those days that the sight of the ration wagon outside our transport hut, or of the amahs' washhouses would evoke so many pleasant memories.

It would have been 1958, it was that summer I saw Stanley Mathews relaxing on the beach at Repulse Bay, whether that was the same day that our wagon crashed on the way bay I couldn't say.

The C.O. 1956- 1958 was Squadron Leader John Cherry Inkson, Navigator, and a real gent, he would have been flattered and no one would have begrudged him that third wide braid on his shoulder, maybe he acquired it later.

117 SU started operating in the mist shrouded radomes of Tao Mo Shan in January 1959. Whether TMS and MSL ran in parallel for any time I don't know but the new CO was on the TMS site from that January.

Thanks to Guy Shirra for pointing this one out:

HONG KONG: A bomb disposal squad was sent to a Hong Kong hiking trail Friday after a walker found an unexploded World War II-era device near a youth hostel, police said.

Officers evacuated 22 people from the hostel and cordoned off the area after the expatriate hiker discovered the Japanese artillery shell on Mount Davis at the western edge of the Hong Kong island, a police spokeswoman said.

"Initial investigations lead us to believe that this is a World War II-era bomb... so we will arrange for people to detonate it," she said, describing the device as "dangerous".

Television news footage showed a large dark green metal object protruding from the muddy ground amidst dense tree coverage.

Last year hundreds of people were evacuated by police when a British artillery shell was found in Hong Kong, which was the scene of fierce fighting between Japanese and British allied forces in 1941. (AFP)

http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-84315-WWII-bomb-found-at-Hong-Kong-hiking-trail--

It was a Japanese 150mm High Explosive Shell

It's funny - when I heard this on the news last week, the first person that popped into my mind was Craig!! hehe

Hi Phil,

Ah, something like Mr M strikes again huh?  :-P  

I wonder if this shell was found anywhere near the path we trotted along last month.   The shell in the photo looked just like an iron cylinder to me.  I would not have recognize it if I walked by it.

So far I had only seen some training rifle bullet shells with traces of coloured powders along section five of the Lantau Trail.  But that was three decades ago......

Best Regards,

T

I was an RAF Police Dog Handler and served at Mount Davis during 1955/56.   The new aerial was already in position when I arrived so it must have been erected during late '54 or early '55.  I remember that it was a type FPS8, an American piece of equipment, which would appear to verify the earlier comment that it came from the US airbase at Clarkfield in the Phillipines.   The nissen hut I lived in was on the top site and was positioned just below the aerial.

None of the earlier post appear to mention the road up to MD.  It was (and still appears to be if you use the Google Road program) very narrow and winding.   Sometimes we would have a night out on the town and the taxi we were in would refuse to drive up it.  It was a bloody hot and long climb up and there was a dedicated telephone, in a box at the beginning of the road, where you had to ring the guardroom and tell them you were coming up.

My tour started at Kai Tak.  Then I moved on to the airfield at Sek Kong where my night patrols included the small Radar site at Ping Shan.  This was about ten miles down the road from the airfield- the road passing though Kam Tin and Un Long and then turning off into the paddi fields.

Happy memories!  I was quite shocked when I first used Google and saw how things are built up everywhere.

I arrived at RAF Mount Davis in July 1955 as a newly trained radar operator doing National Service.  The unit was equipped with wartime vintage Type14 radar equipment.  During the summer of 1956 new General Electric FPS8 ariel and equipment was installed and was still in operation when I left in February 1957.  I recall that the new equipment was all hauled up the steep ramps and many of the airmen on site were seconded to help with the installation work.  The new radar ops room was a big improvement on  the old one with air conditioning and in true American style, with recesses on the consoles to accommodate a coke bottle and a pack of cigarettes. 

I was a member of the RAF Mount Davis athletics team which won the championship in the summer of 1956 (my only claim to athletic fame) A photo of that team appears on this site.  It was all so long ago but they were happy days

Could any of you RAF "Old Timers" help me establish a timeline for the AA at Mt Davis. I refer to the site at the east of Mt Davis, not the old one destroyed during the battle. I would like to know if it was still occupied in the mid 1950's, or even later. Thanks.

I also remember the narrow road. I was on traffic control in the Guardroom when The Deputy Assistant Provost Marshall arrived at the foot of the road and requested permission to drive up. Thinking how quickly I could warn the off duty police, I said yes, forgetting that a Standard Vanguard pick up was on the way down. This often occurred, with my luck they met on a corner putting both vehicles out of action. Our vehicle was 56AR77. I have photographs of the damaged vehicle. Also photographs of the damaged 1 tonner that we were in when it crashed on returning from the swimming run. I appeared in front of the CO and was "admonished" As a dog man you will no doubt remember Harry Brown and Ray Elsome. Regards Steve

I remember Sgt. Graham well, also his mate Sgt. Sam Swale. They had their meals in the Sergeants' mess where they shared the services of Kwong the cook with the officers' mess. The C.O.'s room, which he shared with adjutant, occupied one half of a nissen hut. The other half was split between the orderly room and the drawing board plotter bods.

Last year, 2014, an  elderly couple appeared at a BBC antiques roadshow with some jade artifacts. They had bought them during the time they were stationed in Hong Kong. The gent bore a striking resemblance to Sqn. Ldr. Inkson, my only reservation as to his likeness lies in the gent's height. But as we all can testify, as the years increase size diminishes.

Wilson Many of us former 'mountaineers' would appreciate the current state of our former home. Is there a link on gwulo to recent pictures, or could you add the after views to our befores.

The structure embedded in the hillside comprised about five rooms. From left to right storeroom, the motor transport office, and the laundry rooms, where the amahs were based. the Nissen hut to the left accommodated various trades at different times. The vehicle drivers and admin were permanent, the remainder were at different times, medical orderly, radar mechanics, and transients. The amahs came in the early morning and collected clothes and uniforms for the daily wash and later, when the men were at work, they would strip and change the bedding.. The fruits of their excellent labours are to be seen drying in the breezes above.

During 1957/58 mount davis' s replacement cabbage leaf was being constructed on tai mo shan and became operational in january 1959 when the old equipment on mount davis was decomissioned.

Hi chadwick1 could you possibly upload your photo of the one tonner we crashed in returning from the repulse bay swimming trip.

I  was stationed  at RAF Mt. Davis  1955--56 and played for the football team, shown above.

On the photo are the following. Back row, L-R:

• Dick Pearce
• Mike Keast
• Cpl.  Beech
• Sgt. Albone 
• Horsefield
• Mackinem

Front row, L-R:

• Cpl. Breakwell
• Ged  Wallwork  
• Jock  Benvie  [Capt.]    
• Jock   Walker and
• Jock  Marshall

We won the Hong Kong Cup that year, a very good team.

We had a great time at Mt. Davis - Golf in the New Territories. Swimming in Repulse Bay and life saving at the swimming pool at Stanley Barracks (Army). TOC-H, Cheerio Club, The Seamens Mission and plenty of San Miguel in the NAAFI.

I could go on and on, I really enjoyed my 20 months on Mount Davis.

If any of the team see this, it would be good to hear from you again.

   4123062  SAC  Gerard Wallwork [Radar  Op. ]

These three are the last of my memories of the place I fell in love with:

1954 Good conduct medal presentation, by Gerard Wallwork

1954 Battle of Britain Day, by Gerard Wallwork

1954 The Governor's Residence, by Gerard Wallwork

The locals were so happy and friendly, the amahs and we had a local cook, we called him lofty (he was tall for a Cantonese). He sometimes caught snakes, kept them alive, sewed their mouths up, and sold them to the shopkeepers!

Thanks again for a great website. It has stirred my interest in Mt. Davis and HK all over again.

Sincerely, Gerard

What a great thread...........the essence of 'Gwulo'!

I have been inspired to take a walk up Mount Davis this coming weekend.

Thanks to all contributors.

I have uploaded the photographs of the one ton truck mentioned to Stephen Chadwick's gallery.   I saw mention of Sqn Ldr Inkson, I mistakenly promoted him to Wg Cdr. I did see him later at RAF North Coates. He was a Wg Cdr then. Regards Stephen

A few more:

http://gwulo.com/atom/25248

http://gwulo.com/atom/25247

http://gwulo.com/atom/25246

My dad, Brian Fowler, was based at Mount Davis with his brother Terry Fowler 1956/58. Terry has contributed in the thread above. Do you have any recollection of this pair? Did Brian get transferred to Little Sai Wan?