Hong Kong, street scene in front of air raid shelter | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Hong Kong, street scene in front of air raid shelter

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Hong Kong, street scene in front of air raid shelter
Submitted by Admin
Authors: 
uwm

View the original, larger copy of this image at the UWM website: http://collections.lib.uwm.edu/u?/agsphoto,4929

Date picture taken (may be approximate): 
Monday, January 1, 1940
Gallery: 
1940-41 Harrison Forman's photos
Connections: 
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Comments

Submitted by moddsey on Tue, 2009-09-01 09:40.

The street scene above and the following views were taken at the same location:

http://gwulo.com/node/3599

http://gwulo.com/node/3376

In April 1941, the Government proposed that air raid shelters be constructed underneath verandahs of strongly-built buildings. Walls of hollow concrete blocks were to be erected between the verandah pillars and the building itself to provide shelter for residents and pedestrians caught up in air raids. An experimental shelter of this type was built and tried out on premises in Lockhart Rd

In the photo, an address for Sang Lee, building contractor for the Government with responsibility for the builidng of the hollow concrete blocks is given: 2 Tin Lok Lane

Would this scene be of Tin Lok Lane or somewhere else in Wanchai?

Submitted by David on Tue, 2009-09-01 22:55.

The title on this photo is misleading. If you look at this view, you can see the new wall has been built with small regular bricks instead of the hollow 'Mimi Laus', and it has a window space - not standard air raid shelter design!

I'd guess the photo was labelled 'air raid shelter' by Forman, because of the link between Sang Lee and the air raid shelter scandal.

I think it is probably a photo of the Sang Lee & Co office on Tin Lok Lane.

Submitted by moddsey on Wed, 2020-05-06 19:19.

Revisited the photo and comments. On the left is the Castle Peak Ceramic Co and on the right is the Wang Kee & Co (Stevedores, Shipchandlers etc) located 32 and 34 Connaught Road Central respectively. Himly Ltd in the centre was located at 34 Connaught Road Central.

Submitted by David on Fri, 2020-05-15 13:05.

Thanks for coming back to this one. Several of his photos show the Tokyo Hotel and the Central Fire Station nearby, so the Connaught Road location makes sense. I guess the Sang Lee sign was just their advert while they were doing the brickwork.

Submitted by moddsey on Mon, 2022-05-16 21:58.

Although the photo above is of Connaught Road Central, I came across a court case of claims against "a well-known firm of government contractors, Sang Lee & Co. of Nos 2 & 8 Tin Lok Lane ...(head office and branch office respectively) ". China Mail dated 1 May 1935 refers.