HK harbour.JPG | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

HK harbour.JPG

HK harbour.JPG
Authors: 

Not sure what this photo is of. It's an amateur photo taken by one of my family, probably in the 1930s.

Jill

Date picture taken (may be approximate): 
Wednesday, January 1, 1930

Comments

In the distance across the harbour is Hung Hom peninsula. Moving down / south / closer from there we cross the harbour and come to the Causeway Bay typhoon shelter, then some large buildings, then an open area (So Kon Po?).

I think the photographer was at one of the buildings along Broadwood Road.

Regards, David 

Thank you for this analysis, David. If this view was visible from Broadwood Road, then the photo would very likely have been taken from no. 19 where the Warrens lived.

Talking of typhoon shelters, was there a violent typhoon around 1930-32? I have a photo of the wall between nos. 19 and 20 Broadwood Road, completely smashed by a typhoon. In another photo of the same, the Warren children are sitting on the debris. From their age, I calculate that it would have been around the early 30s, but I couldn't find a particular record. Is there a calendar of major typhoons? 

Best wishes,

Jill

 

I did a quick Google search, but didn't turn up any list. Does anyone know of a list online (or would like to start one on Gwulo?).

The big one in the 1930s was 1937, but typhoons hit Hong Kong most (every?) years. A search for typhoon in the newspapers of 1930-2 would likely give you some dates.

Regards, David

The super typhoon of 1931 1st August would fit this description. It was a hurricane equivalent to a signal no. 10 in modern day HK SAR. 60kts, 112km/h maximum sustained hourly winds at the Royal Observatory in Tsim Sha Tsui.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1937_Great_Hong_Kong_typhoon