Surveying & Built Environment Vol. 22 Issue 1 (December 2012)

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Reconstructing The Early History of the Gin drinker’s line from Archival Sources Chi Man Kwong* ABSTRACT This article uses newly discovered archival sources from the National Archives of the United Kingdom and the National Institute for Defense Studies of Japan to outline the decision-making, layout and construction of the Gin Drinker’s Line. It suggests that the idea of building a defensive line across the Kowloon Ridge appeared as early as in the 1910s, and that the Line predated the defensive line built on the British Isles during the invasion crisis in 1940 (the “Stop Lines”). The archival sources help us to locate the exact dates of the beginning and the end of the construction of the Line, and understand the reasons for the decision to build and to abandon it. KEY WoRdS Military structure, Hong Kong, Gin Drinker’s Line, Second World War, Pillbox, Defence * Research Assistant Professor, History Department, Hong Kong Baptist University. Email: cmkwong@ hkbu.edu.hk SBE 19
SBE 20 Reconstructing The Early History of the Gin Drinker’s Line from Archival Sources INTRoduCTIoN 1 The Gin Drinker’s Line 2 has recently attracted much scholarly attention as it is one of the most elaborate military structures ever built in Hong Kong; its dramatic fall on 9 December 1941 contributed significantly to the fall of the Colony to the Imperial Japanese Army. Recent studies by Lawrence Lai and others have offered us new insights into the structure of the Line and the battle that caused its fall. 3 Previously, however, we knew comparatively little about the history of the Line, except from sporadic archaeological evidence. With newly discovered archival sources from the National Archives of the United Kingdom and the National Institute for Defense Studies of Japan, this article attempts to reconstruct the early history of the Line, including the emergence of the concept of a Kowloon defence line during the early 20th century, the events leading to the construction of the Line, the planning and layout of the Line, as well as its building process. The reasons for and the events leading to the eventual cancellation of the project will also be discussed. Studies of the military history of Hong Kong usually focus on the Second World War. Works by Tony Banham, Oliver Lindsay, and Nathan Greenfield have exhaustively studied the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong in December 1941. 4 Recently, work done by Lawrence Lai and others provided fresh insights into the landmark battles during the campaign, such as that at the Shing Mun Redoubt and Wong Ngai Chung Gap. 5 These works provide the invaluable historical context of the military heritage of Hong Kong, allowing us to have a better of the history and significance of the particular heritage sites. Such understanding is of utmost importance in preservation 1 The author would like to extend his gratitude to Prof. Lawrence Lai, Mr. Rusty Tsoi Yiu Lun, Mr. Dennis Cheung Tsun Lam and Mr. Anthony Wong for their contribution to this paper. The author would also like to thank the Advanced Institute for Contemporary China Studies of Hong Kong Baptist University to provide resources for the research. 2 The word “Drinkers” in the name of the “Gin Drinkers’ Line” usually appeared in plural form in official documents. 3 Lai LWC (2009), The Gin Drinker’s Line: Reconstruction of a British Colonial Defence Line in Hong Kong Using Aerial Photo Information, Property Management, 27:1, 16-41; Lai LWC, Davies SNG, Ching KST, Wong CTC (2011), Decoding the Enigma of the Fall of the Shing Mun Redoubt Using Line of Sight Analysis, Surveying and Built Environment, 21:2, 21-42; Lowry B, The Gin Drinker’s Line: Its Place in the History of Twentieth Century Fortification, Surveying and Built Environment, 21:2, 58-68; Lai LWC, Tan YK, Ching KST, Davies SNG (2011), Location of Pillboxes and Other Structures of the Gin Drinker’s Line Based on Aerial Photo Evidence, Surveying & Build Environment, 21:2, 69-70; Tan YK (2011), Pillbox above Shing Mun Road, Surveying and Built Environment, 21:2, 71-77. 4 Banham T (2003), Not the Slightest Chance: the Defence of Hong Kong, 1941, Hong Kong, Hong Kong University Press; Lindsay O (2005), The Battle for Hong Kong 1941-1945: Hostage to Fortune, Hong Kong, Hong Kong University Press; Greenfield N (2010), The Damned: the Canadians at the Battle of Hong Kong and the POW Experience, 1941-45, Toronto: HarperCollins Publishers. 5 Recent articles such as “Pillbox 3 did not open fire!,” Mapping the Arcs of Fire of Pillboxes at Jardine’s Lookout and Wong Nai Chung Gap, Surveying and Built Environment, 21:2, 43-57 and Lai LWC (2001), The Battle of Hong Kong 1941: a Note on the Literature and the Effectiveness of the Defense, Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 39, 115-136 are excellent examples.
Page 1 and 2: ISSN 1816-9554 w w w . h k i s . o
Page 3 and 4: Information All rights reserved. No
Page 5 and 6: SBE 4 Contents Editorial Articles A
Page 7 and 8: SBE 6 documents (Hong Kong Special
Page 9 and 10: SBE 8 A Note on British Blockhouses
Page 11 and 12: SBE 10 A Note on British Blockhouse
Page 13 and 14: A Note on British Blockhouses in Ho
Page 19: SBE 18 A Note on British Blockhouse
Page 23 and 24: SBE 22 Reconstructing The Early His
Page 39 and 40: SBE 38 Good Property Valuation in E
Page 63 and 64: SBE 62 Modelling Gaseous Emissions
Page 71 and 72:
SBE 70 Modelling Gaseous Emissions
Page 73 and 74:
SBE 72 Modelling Gaseous Emissions
Page 75 and 76:
SBE 74 direct Geo-referencing and o
Page 77 and 78:
SBE 76 Direct Geo-referencing and O
Page 79 and 80:
Page 81 and 82:
Page 83 and 84:
Page 85 and 86:
Page 87 and 88:
Page 89 and 90:
SBE 88 Kadoorie Hill and footnote 4
Page 91 and 92:
SBE 90 Kadoorie Hill and Footnote 4
Page 93 and 94:
SBE 92 Definitions of Land Use Term
Page 95:
SBE 94 Definitions of Land Use Term
show all

Surveying & Built Environment Vol. 22 Issue 1 (December 2012)

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?