Old Hong Kong-3 — Page 93

MILITARY

(Contd.)

"Kowlung" is presumably meant for Kowloon.

The news published recently that the 2nd Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers, will be coming to Hong Kong this winter, is of considerable interest to those associated with local history, having been garrisoned here at the close of the last century, so that it took part in the operations in the New Territories in 1899 (see 21-10-33). It went later to Peking as part of the force which served in the Boxer campaign.

The explanation of the name attached to one of the Hong Kong roads is also embodied in this old association of the Royal Welch Fusiliers with the Colony, for in 1898-9 four companies of the battalion were employed in the making of the road up to the Peak, at High West, which is known as Harlech Road. The name commemorative of the Men of Harlech was given as a compliment to the Welshmen who constructed the thoroughfare. It might be noted en passant that it was quite a usual thing for roads which would be of military utility to be built by bodies of troops in the latter part of last century: another example is the pathway from Kowloon City over the hills to Shatin, which was constructed by an Indian battalion, as a commemorative stone indicates.

The approaching arrival in Hong Kong of the 2nd Bn. Royal Welch Fusiliers, who were part of the garrison here at the close of last century, and who are commemorated in the naming of Harlech Road (see 10-10-34), recalls that there is another close association of this battalion with the Colony. This is in connection with the memorial to soldiers of the garrison which was erected in the cemetery at Happy Valley thirty-two years ago. It is probably not generally known that this monument was erected largely through the persistence of the men of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, and that they subscribed a good part of the money required for the purpose. It is a matter worth recording in this memorial (how many residents to-day have even heard of its existence?) from the contemporary report appearing in the S.C.M. Post.

It was on July 24, 1902, that a small assembly of officers, non-commissioned officers and privates, besides a few civilians, including the Hon. Mr. F. H. May, C.M.G. (Colonial Secretary) and the Hon. Mr. W. Chatham, Director of Public Works, met at Happy Valley on the plot of ground reserved for military graves, to attend the unveiling ceremony of this monument to deceased soldiers of the Hong Kong garrison.

On the arrival of His Excellency Major General Sir W. J. Gascoigne, (administering the Government) who was accompanied by Lady Gascoigne, the ceremony commenced by the military band, under Bandmaster J. H. Moir, of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, playing Crotch's setting of the beautiful voluntary "Comfort O Lord." The Rev. E. H. Good, of H.M.S. Tamar, who officiated, led in the singing of Hymn 225, "Brief life is here our portion", and afterwards read a portion of the Burial service.

Then His Excellency addressed the gathering. He said:

"It was very shortly after I came to Hong Kong that I found that the soldiers of the garrison who were buried in the cemetery were buried in any part of it, any part that happened to be convenient, and not all together. So I thought it would be a very nice thing indeed if we could get a little cemetery reserved to ourselves, the soldiers of the Hong Kong Garrison, and I assembled the soldiers together in their different units, by representatives, and put the matter to them whether they liked the idea, and they one and all agreed to it. Well, just at that point the legation troubles broke out at Peking and both I and my staff were up to our eyes in work, and I confess the matter