The R.A.F. Kai Tak cricket ground. | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

The R.A.F. Kai Tak cricket ground.

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The R.A.F. Kai Tak cricket ground.
Submitted by Andrew Suddaby
Authors: 
Bruce Deadman

Four planes are just visible in the background. The one on the left is either a Vampire or a Venom, the others are likely to be the same.

Date picture taken (may be approximate): 
Wednesday, January 1, 1958
Gallery: 
Deadman, Bruce (1957-58)
Connections: 
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Comments

Submitted by moddsey on Tue, 2019-01-01 10:37.

Nice photo. Given the year, probably Venoms. I think the 3 tower blocks on the left belonged to the HSBC which were subsequently knocked down for the construction of the single runway at Kai Tak. 

Submitted by Andrew Suddaby on Wed, 2019-01-02 19:19.

Hi Moddsey,

Flying into Kai Tak in October 1957 before the new runway was opened, we were conscious that, just before touch down on the old runway, people were waving at us from flats that seemed to be above the level of the plane. I have sometimes wondered whether that could have been true, but perhaps it was those tall blocks of flats.  Best wishes, Andrew 

Submitted by moddsey on Thu, 2019-01-03 09:14.

As seen from here and here , Argyle Street was a prominent road landmark for arriving planes to follow. Passengers would certainly not have missed the 3 HSBC tower blocks from their port side windows prior to their destruction.

From the 1951 Hong Kong Police Magazine, the second generation Kowloon City Police Station on Argyle Street had 4 sets of light for aircraft navigational guidance. It would appear that the station was a noisy place to work in as "four-engined planes over Argyle Street would pull up with a roar only 15 ft above the Station's roof or a flight of jets in formation would break off and come in to land on Runway 07 in single file."

Submitted by Andrew Suddaby on Thu, 2019-01-03 19:02.

Hi Moddsey,

Thank you for the additional information. My seat was on the port side of the Argonaut, so my memory of seeing people waving ‘down’ at us 61 years ago is correct, and not a false memory, as I have sometimes thought it might be.  The pilot had cheerfully told us that the landing was an ‘interesting’ one but he hadn’t mentioned just how close to the rooftops we would be! He was an ex World War II pilot, so presumably he’d experienced previous ‘interesting’ landings during that time, quite apart from his regular flights into the old Kai Tak.

regards, Andrew