Pre-WW2 Army camp on north slope of Mt Nicholson [????-1941] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Pre-WW2 Army camp on north slope of Mt Nicholson [????-1941]

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Submitted by Admin on Wed, 2013-11-20 15:18
Current condition: 
Demolished / No longer exists
Date Place demolished: 
1941-12-25

Date is a guess, assuming it was destroyed during or shortly before the fighting.

Pete writes:

The site was originaly cleared for army barracks and would have been a part of the battle for Hong Kong. Mount Nicholson War 

80skid writes:

the site of the former army camp, which were just canvas tents as far as I have found prior to the Japanese invasion. This account of a 1938 stay there recalls:

"The five days journey to Hong Kong was uneventful; the Royal Navy made our journey a very happy experience, and was an excellent host. We were to stay in a tented camp half way up Mount Nicholson, on a plateau looking down on a Catholic monastery, and overlooking the harbour, a beautiful location. In those days, 1938, there were no huge skyscrapers in Hong Kong, no tall buildings at all, so we used to sit up on the hillside, with a full view of the whole of the harbour, a wonderful sight, and especially at night Hong Kong harbour was rated as one of the finest in the world."

(http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/63/a5055563.shtml)

The site was heavily bombed during the subsequent fighting.

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Submitted by 80sKid on Fri, 2013-11-22 15:43.

photo of it here in this ebay album
http://www.ebay.com/itm/WW2-photograph-album-east-surrey-rgt-British-army-in-Shanghai-China-POW-photo-/291004123390? 

Submitted by Admin on Fri, 2013-11-22 16:57.

Henry Ching writes:

I recall reading somewhere (but cannot now remember where) that in December, 1941 there was a searchlight unit located on this site (or it may even have been an AA battery).

Towards the end of the battle, the site formed a part of the frontline held by the Royal Scots – a reference is made to this by Evan Stewart: “Later there was a heavy bombardment of the Royal Scots positions further north, particularly the flat ground known as Mount Nicholson Camp” (page 48 of Hong Kong Volunteers in Battle, Blacksmith Books 2005).

There were certainly buildings on the site in 1941 – most likely single storey shelters or stores.  During the occupation I used to visit Rosary Hill to play with friends, and we would scramble up the hillside to play amidst the ruins on the site. A treasured possession at the time was a large key I found attached to a metal tag inscribed “Mt Nicholson”.