Entrance to pilot tunnel for the Aberdeen Tunnel [????- ]
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During May's visit to Hong Kong Cemetery, Patricia pointed out this, which looks like a tunnel entrance:
It is set into a hillside at the southern end of the cemetery. If you walk up the slope, you'll see that just behind here is the Aberdeen road tunnel - you can see it clearly if you zoom into the satellite image.
So, if there used to be a tunnel leading back from behind this pink door, it was likely blocked off during construction of the Aberdeen tunnel.
Here's a closer view of the entrance:
There's a wooden door over the gate, then a rusty iron gate behind that, then behind that it seems to have been blocked up with concrete.
So, if we assume it's a tunnel, what type of tunnel is it?
The entrance doesn't look like other Air Raid Precaution tunnels on Hong Kong island. Though the shape, and the iron gate do look a bit like this ARP tunnel below Kowloon Park.
I haven't seen any record of an ARP tunnel in this area though. And I don't think the residents of the cemetery would have been bothered by air raids!
So could it be a Japanese tunnel? So far the Japanese tunnels we've seen have been smaller than this, and not so well finished. It doesn't seem likely.
Does anyone know the story behind this?
Comments
Pilot Tunnel
It was the pilot tunnel built for the construction of Aberdeen Tunel in 1974.
Pilot tunnel in cemetery - ProQuest Historical Newspapers: South China Morning Post - ProQuest
(1) 空城記 Empty City | Facebook It is in Chinese but from one of the photos you can see the pilot tunnel.
re: Pilot Tunnel
Thank you - that has been a long-running mystery to me, so it is good to have it explained.