Dragon Boat race from Mount Davis

Nice photo that captures the reclamation of the praya at Kennedy Town. Your photo also gives an aerial perspective of the dragon boat races held at the Chung Sing Benevolent Society's Bathing Pavillion off Victoria Road that are also seen in Andrew's photos from ground level as seen here and of the same era.

Great photo. I live near Kennedy Town, and as photos of it are not very common I'm always glad to see them, so thanks for posting.

Here's one of Andrew's photos showing the same event at sea-level, and with the reclamation clearly visible in both photos:

Kennedy Town, Dragon boat races, by Andrew Suddaby

What a splendid, almost aerial, view my R.A.F. contemporaries had from up there on Mt Davis. I wonder whether they could hear the strings of fireworks being let off from the towers at the ends of the jetties.  The noise where I was standing was deafening - a marvellous atmosphere!  Until I saw this photograph, I wasn't aware of the huge number of spectator launches, junks and sampans lining the race course out in the harbour.  Looking at the other photographs showing scenes around the Mt Davis camp I am reminded, yet again, how barren the hills on the island were in the 1950s.  On one of my short visits, probably in 2004, I explored the upper Mt Davis site.  Apart from the soccer pitch (which I thought was a huge and incongruous parade ground!) much of it was overgrown and as I explored the bombed ruins, I thought that the area must have been derelict since 1941.  Now, seeing  photographs of my contemporaries working in some of the old bunkers is an eye-opener. All good stuff. Andrew