Magazine Gap Bridge 1941

Here's an example paragraph, taken from the book's extract available online at: https://hkupress.hku.hk/pro/69.php :

Luckily at this time, the air raids had abated in this area and they now appeared to be confined to the New Territories and to the East of Hong Kong Island. The journey across the harbour was completed without incident where the lorries were driven onto the wharf at Hong Kong Island. As I moved the transports from the wharf towards Queen’s Road — and towards the Peak tramway terminal to get on to the main Peak highway that leads to Magazine Gap Bridge which was my objective — suddenly, a flight of about twenty planes swooped along the foreshores of the harbour strafing and bombing right along the coastal front and in the direction of the village of Aberdeen. I hastily ordered the lorries under cover near a bank with an avenue of huge trees secreting the convoy and practically opposite the Peak tramway terminal. Following this sudden attack and the ‘all clear’ siren, I moved the convoy along the zigzag Peak Road towards Magazine Gap Bridge where I would turn off to the south side of the island and out of view from the mainland of Kowloon. It was imperative that I take over the residence of Sir Robert Ho Tung as soon as possible, so as to establish the ‘West Administrative Pool’. I contacted the Secretary to Sir Robert Ho Tung, a Chinese by the name of Ah Cheung, for an inventory of the estate and for his presence in the taking-over and checking of the inventory.

I've never seen that name before either. My guess is that it's a mis-remembering of "Magazine Gap Ridge", as his description of "I moved the convoy along the zigzag Peak Road towards Magazine Gap Bridge where I would turn off to the south side of the island" matches driving up to the top of the gap, and the junction where turning right takes you round the back / south of Mount Gough, safe from the Japanese artillery in Kowloon.

We lived up Magazine Gap Road which intersected with Peak, Combes and Stubbs Road.  Is this also Magazine Gap Bridge or somewhere quite different?

In 1935 after widening works, the new Magazine Gap Road from May Road to Stubbs Road (the section of Stubbs Road from Wanchai Gap to Victoria Gap was later renamed as Peak Road in 1960) was open to motor traffic. The new road is mentioned here

Although I have not head of it being mentioned, I think Magazine Gap Bridge is correct at the confluence of roads at Magazine Gap. Google Earth view here

Interesting.  When I lived there in the early 1950s it was Magazine Gap Road - and I think the intersection was called Wanchai Gap.  I don't ever remember the word Bridge being used.

I've been pondering the question of the exact location of "Magazine Gap Bridge", where Quartermaster Sergeant Barman mustered his trucks after rushing up the hill from Central under threat of Japanese shelling from the mainland. Here are a few thoughts.

Before considering the clues in Barman's book, "Resist to the End", it's important to acknowledge two points;

Firstly, he habitually referred to the road from Central to Magazine Gap as "Peak Road". In fact, in 1941 "Peak Road" was the name of the road up to Victoria Gap, with Magazine Gap Road being the correct name of the road reaching Magazine Gap.

Secondly, the road between Magazine and Victoria Gaps is mentioned on a number of occasions in the book, but not named - suggesting the author didn't know its name. In fact, in 1941 it was called Stubbs Road. The name Stubbs Road is mentioned in the book, but not when referring to the road between Magazine and Victoria Gaps.

So where was "Magazine Gap Bridge"? The most detailed description is on Page 18 of the book.

"...as we reached Magazine Gap Bridge, which was off to the right from Peak Road and out of view of the mainland, suddenly a flight of Japanese planes appeared".

As mentioned above, the reference to "Peak Road" should read Magazine Gap Road, so the road "...off to the right..." must be the part of Stubbs Road that runs from Magazine Gap along the south side of Mount Gough which indeed covers it from the view of Kowloon. Therefore Barman was saying that Magazine Gap Bridge was on Stubbs Road after turning right at Magazine Gap.

Confusingly, Page 11 gives a slightly different description;

"I moved the convoy along the zig-zag Peak Road towards Magazine Gap Bridge where I would turn off to the south side of the island and out of view of the mainland of Kowloon".

Again, "Peak Road" should read Magazine Gap Road, and the "...turn off to the south side of the island..." must be Stubbs Road. If taken literally, this passage says that Magazine Gap Bridge was at Magazine Gap. However, that would contradict the more detailed description on Page 18, so instead of adopting the literal meaning I think it should be interpreted to mean that Magazine Gap Bridge was very near Magazine Gap.

Magazine Gap Bridge is also mentioned on Pages 14 & 15;

"On my way over Magazine Gap Bridge, I was spotted by two Japanese planes...Within a few seconds, the planes commenced strafing me along the highway to the Peak where there is no cover whatsoever for about 1 1/2 miles...How lucky I was to be able to reach safety under a small overhead bridge where I sheltered for about 15 minutes until the planes withdrew and I continued my journey to Mount Austin".

Here the "...highway to the Peak..." is Stubbs Road and it's interesting to note that it ran "over" Magazine Gap Bridge, not under it. The bridge that provided cover is probably the one at Jardines Corner that still exists today ( https://gwulo.com/node/18643 ). If so, the assessed distance of 1 1/2 miles between Magazine Gap Bridge and that bridge again puts Magazine Gap Bridge on Stubbs Road near Magazine Gap.

Coincidentally, Gwulo already hosts an amazing photo of exactly this section of Stubbs Road under Japanese attack on 23rd December 1941.

Hong Kong-Island-under attack-aerial view-1941, by IDJ

It was taken from a plane over Mount Nicolson looking west towards Mount Gough, which shows up as the dark ridgeline. A light coloured line runs roughly horizontally across the centre of the photo. That's Stubbs Road with Magazine Gap just out of sight at the right side where it is hidden by the small hill between Mounts Gough and Cameron. In the middle of the photo another road runs down from Stubbs Road towards the left edge. Today it's called Gilford Road. I don't know if it had a name in 1941, but it ran from Stubbs Road to the Military Bungalow at 503 The Peak ( https://gwulo.com/node/41767 & 18729 ), then on to the former site of a Military Sanitarium ( https://gwulo.com/node/18740 ) where a mobile artillery battery was based during the Battle of Hong Kong.

Here's a blow up of the section of Stubbs Road nearest to Magazine Gap.

Stubbs Road near Magazine Gap 1941, by IDJ

The arrow marks the only place I can see where the road is supported by columns and therefore could be considered to be a "bridge". It's on the road down to the mobile artillery position at its junction with Stubbs Road.

An aerial pic taken from further west in 1934 shows the same road junction.

Stubbs Road near Magazine Gap 1934, by www.hkmaps.hk

 Stubbs Road runs from bottom left to top right then on to Magazine Gap. The intersection of interest is just below the middle of the photo. What appears to be a wide driveway leads down to the Military Bungalow, then continues as a less well defined path towards the old Sanitarium site.

The arrow points to a section of Stubbs Road that appears to be supported by pillars, i.e. another "bridge". It's so close to the "bridge" seen in the 1941 photo that they may have been part of the same structure, or appeared so to a casual observor such as Barman.

Both "bridges" were roughly where Barman described Magazine Gap Bridge to be. In the absence of evidence of another bridge on Stubbs Road near Magazine Gap, perhaps this was his "Magazine Gap Bridge"?

Would "Stubbs Road Bridge" have been a better name? Yes, but remember that Barman didn't know the name of this section of road.