5395441

No. 92.

RECEIVED

11 AUG 1941

25

9

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

of May

HONG KONG.

B3rd April, 1941.

My Lord,

I have the honour to refer to my telegram No. 258

2

2

and to enclose the reports, plan and photographs noted

Report by the Executive Officer of

the Architectural Office

Report by the Deputy Director of

Public Works (defence)

>

in the margin which relate to

J

the damage done to Government

House due to tunnels dug for

Air Raid Precaution purposes.

Plan shewing relation between

Government House and Air Raid Precaution tunnels

Photographs of north front of

Government House

2.

The position at the date of this despatch is that I

have evacuated all the bedrooms on the upper floor on the front

(north) side of the house: this step was taken on the advice

of the Director of Public Works and the Executive Engineer of

the Architectural Office in whose view, however, the rest of

the house is still habitable. Measurements are still being

taken twice daily and these shew that the building is still

occasionally moving. Timber shoring on the north side is now

complete. I see no reason to doubt Mr. Feltham's view,

expressed in the penultimate paragraph of the first enclosure,

that reconstruction of the damaged portion of the building

would be uneconomic.

Copy with photos wwong

F.

3.

I fear, therefore, that the conclusion is unavoidable

that this charming old house's days are numbered, although it

is still not unlikely that it may be usable for a few years;

a more certain opinion will be obtainable in a few months time.

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

LORD MOYNE OF BURY ST. EDMUNDS, D.S.O.,

&C.,

800.7

&c.

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