8
(6)
-2.
The Cape D'Aguilar transmitters were remote controlled, the commercial services from Messrs Cable and Wireless Telegraph office in the city (the only non-government office in this report) and the marine services from a radio receiving station in the grounds of the Royal Observatory, Kowloon.
(7)
The Hung Hom transmitters were remote controlled, the aviation services from their radio receiving station at Kai Tak airport, Kowloon, and the broadcasting services from the studios and control rooms in the Gloucester Building in the centre of the city.
(8)
Alternative control of all radio telegraph services was from the G.P.0. building in the city. Alternative emergency studios and controls for broadcasting were also equipped but not required.
(9)
The main receiving station was at the top of the Peak, a hill immediately behind the city. Received signals were put over lines to the telegraph offices in town and there received by telegraphists. Received programmes for rebroadcasting were put through to the studios. Measurements of the strength and frequency of received waves were carried out here.
(10) building.
(11)
Emergency receivers were also installed in the G.P.0.
From the nature of this report it appears best to deal with it geographically.
II.
Kai Tak, Kowloon
December 8th. Airport bombed from the air by the Japanese,
December 10th. Evanuated.
III.
IV.
Observatory, Kowloon
December 10th. Evacuated, together with Kai Tak upon instructions from the Postmaster General. Control of marine transmitters transferred to G.P.0. Most of the receivers removed to Hung Hom, transmitting station for transport across the harbour to Hong Kong. Much diff- iculty and delay were experienced in obtaining trans- port from the Observatory to Hung Hom.
Hung Hom
December 8th. Operating satisfactorily under war conditions.
December 10th. It was decided late today to transfer immediately one of the medium-wave broadcasting trans- mitters, ZEK, to Hong Kong island to a building which was being prepared for it at Causeway Bay, although the building was not yet ready. Dismantling of ZEK was commenced, and cross-harbour transport arranged.
/December 11th
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Iques tuned by Momi
This and was given to understand that the guards in question were Indian regator Props
6327.
-3-
December 11th. Machine gun fire reported reaching Hung Hom station. ZEK dismantling completed and equip- ment loaded into a lighter at the harbour edge. For safety it was decided to tow it across after dark. In the meantime the Chinese broadcast programme, normally transmitted by ZEK, was handled by a small emergency transmitter which had been installed on Kennedy Road in Hong Kong (q.v.). For further account of ZEK, see under "Causeway Bay".
December 12th. Hung Hom station evacuated on instructions from the Postmaster General, the equipment being partly wrecked by the staff before leaving. It was understood that the masts and the station's stand-by generating plant would be demolished by the military authorities.
This was not done). Most of the Chinese staff had already disappeared and the European station technician, Mr. J.L. Anderson, had great difficulty in getting across the harbour to Hong Kong in a sampan.
Causeway Bay
December 11th. During the night of December 11th, the equipment comprising broadcasting, ZEK was towed across the harbour from Hung Hom. This gave some difficulty for neither light nor sound was permissible with fire from snipers (fifth column) coming across the harbour occasion- ally.
December 12th. ZEK equipment being unloaded on to the Hong Kong wharf. This work was abandoned by the work- party during the morning when it came under fire from the opposite side of the harbour. They reported to me that the lighter had been cut adrift by the Chinese in a panic. I recovered the lighter late in the afternoon after having to indulge in the dangerous expedient of climbing over high walls to get into "Protected Places" whose guards had fled after locking up all doors and entrances. Contrary to expectation, I was not shot at during this procedure, as I should have been by our own patrols. I returned later with a special armed It was police guard for the lighter for the night. now dark, and I observed what was, apparently, two-way fifth column signalling going on fairly freely across the harbour.
December 13th. Offloading of ZEK resumed, and later again abandoned. I again proceeded to the wharf myself and completed the offloading. No road transport was available but a lorry which was found to be temporarily unoccupied was appropriated, and the radio transmitter finally del- ivered to its site at Causeway Bay. Erection of the equipment was put in hand immediately and continued non- stop until it was completed, with a short break when the work was once more abandoned this time due to heavy shell fire but personal attendance again restored confidence.
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/ An aerial
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VI.
An aerial had to be rigged after dark, as working aloft in full view of firing from across the harbour was too risky.
December 14th. Installation of plant completed and power tests commenced by evening.
December 15th. Evening programme transmitted from this station. Transmission draws enemy fire and the station becomes an objective for their shelling. This station will now transmit the European programme while the Chinese programme is transmitted from Kennedy Road.
December 16th. Evening programme missed by this station because in late afternoon a shell damaged the control lines from the studios.
December 17th. P.W.D. unable to promise early restoration of damaged cables. Steps therefore taken to establish local control at the station itself. A dance-band micro phone and amplifier were requisitioned from a cafe and installed together with a gramophone turntable as "studio control equipment" in the engine-room. An announcer was brought by car with a supply of records, and the programme was radiated on time. As I was anxious not to miss the usual broadcast of Daventry news, which was considered very desir- able for local morale, I installed a short-wave receiver taken from my own residence in a near-by Chinese building and ran a line from it to the transmitter through the trees. As shelling was heavy and the Chinese building rather flimsy, the technician controlling the receiver had to lie on the floor while he controlled the retransmission, which was made satisfactorily to time.
Shortly after this the station had to be abandoned when it was reached by the Japanese front line, but transmission was satisfactory up to that time. Shells had fallen all around and very near, but the building had not been hit.
Kennedy Road.
1. This was a small broadcast transmitter which I had installed on the Island before the outbreak of hostilities in a "hidden" position for use in case of emergency. It was of the greatest use during hostilities, taking over the whole programmes during the period between the evacuation of Hung Hom and the working of Causeway Bay station. Later it transmitted a Chinese programme while Causeway Bay trans- mitted the European one. When access to Causeway Bay became no longer possible, Kennedy Road was our last and only broadcasting station.
2. This station also came under direct shelling from the Japanese whenever it started transmitting after the first few days. The building received several direct hits, but fortunately the apparatus escaped much damage. The aerial was twice shot away, but I was able to repair this with a volun- teer party at dusk. Mr. T.B. Rolland and Mr. Pun (Chinese) accompanied me on this work which was then
/was then
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