Royal Artillery in Hong Kong and Singapore 1940-42 | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Royal Artillery in Hong Kong and Singapore 1940-42

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Submitted by Daisy1942 on Wed, 2019-02-13 03:04

Hi all, 

I am interested in anything to do with the Royal Artillery in Hong Kong and Singapore from 1940 through to the Fall of Singapore in February 1942..

Literally anything, which units (were stationed  there and their history/diaries).  did any of the RA stationed At Hong kong get moved to Singapore after hong Kong was overrun. Nominal rolls would be good too.  I am especialy interested in the names Casey, Burt/Burke born and signed up in Glasgow.  Chrisitian names are a little difficult as Dad may have signed upp under his brother or his cousin's birth certificates (1914-1824).

Any suggestions how to proceed gratefully recieved!

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Submitted by David on Fri, 2019-02-15 13:25.

Tony Banham's website has a good list of the units and people who were here with the RA in December 1941: http://www.hongkongwardiary.com/searchgarrison/royalartillery.html (On my computer it looks like a blank page, but if I scroll down to the bottom I can see all the information.)

Once the fighting started in December 1941, Hong Kong was soon cut off from ships coming or going, so none of the RA would have left Hong Kong to go to Singapore.

Submitted by Daisy1942 on Sat, 2019-02-16 00:15.

Hi David,

 

Thanks for the information and the link.  It is very useful as it clears up something that had puzzled me.  I had ben given a list of units that implied the same units of RA were in both Singapore and Hong Kong!  Very confusing!

Daisy

Submitted by david.h on Tue, 2019-02-19 06:10.

The Royal Aertillery museum at Larkhill in Wiltshire may be able to help. They have a tremendous number of War Diaries etc there. I don't have the link, but I am sure Mr Google will find it! They moved "Firepower" museum from Woolwich to Larkhill a year or so back.

Submitted by Daisy1942 on Tue, 2019-02-19 08:24.

Hi David.h

 

Thanks for the suggestion.  I googled this and it seems they have yet to finish setting up after the move.  May try visiting in person in the summer

Submitted by Tideswell27 on Sat, 2019-02-23 00:44.

If you ever get to visit Hong Kong, (I’m assuming that you don’t live here), be sure to visit St. Stephen’s Chapel which is located within the campus of St. Stephen’s College, Stanley.

(The chapel is open to the public for service on Sunday mornings, usually at 09:30 hrs).

Inside the small church, on the right as you enter, is a memorial plaque to all ranks of the Royal Artillery who where killed in HK during the 1941 battle and the subsequent Japanese occupation. The plaque used to  be located in St. Barbara’s Church in Stanley Fort, which up until the Pacific War was a Royal Artillery barracks. (St. Barbara is the patron saint of the R.A.).

The plaque was moved from Stanley Fort ahead of the 1997 reversion to Chinese sovereignty, when the P.L.A. occupied the Fort.

Submitted by C on Sun, 2019-02-24 15:44.

Hi Daisy1942,

Have you contacted the Gunners' Roll of Hong Kong?  It used to have a web site but I can no longer find it.  It was the publisher of the book 'Guns and gunners of Hong Kong' by Denis Rollo which is a history of the Royal Artillery and British fortifications in Hong Kong.

There is another book titled 'History of Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Far East Theatre 1941-46' that may be of interest.