PRECIS REPORT OF THE TRAGEDY AT
LOK MA CHAU STATION
ON JULY 21ST,1930.
Lok Ma Chau Police Station is a two-storey
w
building standing on the top of a hill overlooking the
Shum Chun River, which divides British from Chinese
Territory. The Station and the Indian married quarters
are the only two buildings on the hill. Each of these
buildings is surrounded at a distance of 30
60 yards
by an unclimbable fence. The fence round the Station
has only two gates and that round the Indian married
quarters only one gate, as shown in the enclosed plan.
The road marked to Lok Ma Chau leads down to the river
and boundary 200 yards away. The approaches to the
Station are for defensive reasons kept clear of cover.
The village lies at the foot of the hill nearly half-a-
mile away.
All Indian Folice in this Station keep their
rifles in their barrack rooms and each man has thirty
rounds of ball ammunition in his ammunition pouch ready
for emergencies. A Lewis gun, with some ammunition,
is
kept in the Charge Room. The reserve ammunition is under
lock and key in one of the Police cells. The two Indians
living in the Indian married quarters have their rifles
and 30 rounds of ammunition each with them.
Lance-Sergeant Madgwick had been in charge of
the Station since the beginning of May, 1930.
On the day of the tragedy the strength of the
Station was one other European Lance-Sergeant, one Indian
Sergeant, one Indian Lance-Sergeant, and nine Indian
Constables, two Chinese detectives and one Chinese Inter-
preter. Within the Station precincts also resided a
Chinese crew of the Police Motor-boat, and the Chinese
servants
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