The name of Gilbert Harriman is remembered in my family as the trainer of my grandfather, Charles Warren’s racing ponies, known as the “Tile” ponies, during the years 1920-1923. When one of the Tile ponies won the Professional Cup at the Happy Valley Derby, a photographer was hired to commemorate the occasion, snapping Charles Warren and his daughter Evelyn together with Harriman and the magnificent trophy for posterity.<Read more ...>
The small Ammar mosque in Happy Valley was re-built after World War II adjacent to the Muslim cemetery to offer Janazah (Funeral) prayers but also accommodated the needs of the five daily prayers as demand grew. It acted as a religious, cultural and communal focus for a number of Hong Kong Muslims in addition to the Shelley Street mosque. <Read more ...>
Hello! Does anyone know what year the iron gate on Stubbs Road that leads into Hong Kong Cemetery was built? I'm sorry I don't have a picture yet, but I'll try to find the time to take one next week. I have enquired at the Hong Kong Cemetery and the HK Museum of History, but no one knows. There is no date marked on the gate either. I would be so grateful to find out! Thanks in advance! <Read more ...>
The inscription on this battered photo proof from my family's collection needs verifying. It reads "Royal Rose, winner of the Foochow Cup." Hong Kong Race Meeting 1914. I've seen it reproduced in one of Trea Wiltshire's books, but haven't been able to refind it.
The very recognizable figure of Sir Paul Catchick Chater can be seen leading his horse. My recollection is that Chater's horses were usually called "---- Dahlia" and that the "Rose" stable belonged to another prominent owner. The names of horses were usually changed when they changed owners. <Read more ...>
