RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1998 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/1g05n0794 251 The Stanley Battery The 9.2 inch three gun battery at Stanley Fort was probably one of the most modern of its kind in 1937 in spite of the fact that the guns were second-hand, having come from the batteries at Devil's Peak and Mount Davis. The Mark X 9.2 inch 28 ton Breech Loader was the premier coast defence gun at that time and was used extensively in all major defences. In the UK it was sometimes railway-mounted so that it could be moved about together with its ammunition wagon. Rail-mounted guns, before being fired, had to be secured with heavy iron guys known as chain pickets to stop them toppling over from the force of their recoil. In fixed guns like those at Stanley Fort, the recoil was absorbed by a spring accumulator mounted to the rear of the gun. The Mark X had been developed from the Mark IX in 1899. It had a single motion breech mechanism with an electrical or percussion firing mechanism. Its maximum range was 29,200 yards, which meant that the upper gun at Stanley, which was mounted on a traverser, could reach targets in Kowloon and also the Lema Islands to the south of Hong Kong. The weight of the Mark X B.L. including breech assembly was 28 tons, and the weight of the cradle mounting nearly 130 tons. As previously explained, the guns were transported from their old batteries by sea, as the roads would not have supported such heavy axle loads. The transportation of the guns and the construction of their huge concrete bases would have been carried out by civilian contractors, but the actual installation of the guns would have been undertaken by the Royal Artillery using a special portal crane known as a gantry crane. The installed guns would have been disguised with huge camouflage nets draped over them, and protected from the weather when not in use by canvas tarpaulins. The concrete gunhouses built over the two lower guns by the Japanese were probably not bombproof casemates and would only have given the gunners protection from the weather and from strafing by enemy fighters. Judging by old photographs of the gunhouses, the arc of fire must have been severely restricted. The Stanley Battery, situated at the south-east corner of the peninsula, was made up of three gun emplacements and a large number of magazines, bunkers, and other battery support buildings spread over a fairly wide area. Most of these structures are still in existence. Page 285 Page 286 ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-2002 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/mp4901278 Date 2002 April 13 May 4 May 18 June 1 August 10 August 31 November 23 2003 January 25 March 1 Local Visits Ha Tsuen Market Town, Deep Bay, led by Dr Patrick H. Hase (see also Lecture Programme) "Waglan Island Lighthouse, led by Dr Dan Waters & Tim Ko (see also Lecture Programme) Pak Sha O in Sai Kung Country Park, led by May Holdsworth & Dr Patrick H. Hase Ha Tsuen Market Town, Deep Bay, led by Dr Patrick H. Hase (Repeat Visit) Fing Ping Shan Museum, to visit the Da Qin – An Imperial Christian Site of the Tang Dynasty Exhibition led by Dr Martin Palmer (see also Lecture Programme) Roman Catholic Cathedral and Archives, led by Anna Kwong & Fr Louis Ha Visit to Ming Chi Sing Cantonese Opera Troupe: Backstage Visit, "The Sweet General", led by Stella Ma (see also Lecture Programme) Devil's Peak Fort, led by Lawrence Lai, assisted by Tim Ko (see also Lecture Programme) Hong Kong Museum of History, to visit the "War and Peace: Treasures of the Qin and Han Dynasties" Exhibition, led by Dr Joseph Ting Overseas Visits Date 2002 March 28-April 2 Xi'an, led by Dr Joseph Ting September 28-October 1 Angkor Wat, Cambodia & Saigon, Vietnam, led by Dr Patrick H. Hase 2003 January 30-February 13 Eastern Bhutan, led by Dr Brian Shaw xxxii ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-2002 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/mp4901278 103 6 Certain Stations at Home and Abroad shortly before the taking up of the New Territories by the British in 1898. The War Department had a scheme, drawn in 1902, to develop the "low promontory" between Yau Tong and Chong Lui (which has become the present Lei Yue Mun Typhoon Shelter) into a barracks area. This promontory is now the Yau Tong industrial and residential zone. The proposed military reserve was extended to cover the entire Cha Kwo Ling promontory ("Rocky Hill"). Neither the barracks scheme nor the reserve has ever been implemented. However, there is no doubt that the British military attached great significance to the Lei Yue Mun and Devil's Peak area in the late 19th Century. The leasing of the New Territories definitely had a clear military intention, because it had the French, Russian, or Imperial Chinese forces in mind. The Gough Battery was definitely in place as early as 1900. The Pottinger Battery was likely erected at the same time, and not later than 1902. The Duke of Connaught was said to have observed the firing practices of both the Gough and Pottinger Batteries in 1907 (Rollo 1992: 83). The approved establishment for the Gough Battery in 1914 was one officer plus 15 soldiers (Rollo 1992: 96). [The Pottinger Battery had two 9.2-inch BL (Breech-Loader) Mark X guns. The Gough Battery originally had two 6-inch BL Mark VII guns. However, one of the gun emplacements was later enlarged to accommodate a 9.2-inch BL gun no later than 1910. The approved establishment strength of the Pottinger Battery in 1914 was one officer plus 26 soldiers (Rollo 1992: 96).] The Devil's Peak Redoubt was the location of the Eastern Fire Command. It was definitely in place by 1914. Though it could accommodate at least 150 soldiers in action, the approved establishment of the Redoubt in 1914 was only one officer plus 10 soldiers (Rollo 1992: 96). The 6-inch gun at the Gough Battery was removed as early as 1912. The three 9.2-inch BL guns at Devil's Peak were subsequently relocated to the batteries on Hong Kong Island South. The 9.2-inch calibre Mark X gun at Gough Battery, originally on a Mark V mounting (Rollo 1992: 187), was removed in 1936 to Stanley Fort and placed on a Mark VII mounting (Horsnell 1998/1999: 249), and the two guns at ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-2002 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/mp4901278 105 Earlier works and past records on the Devil's Peak Redoubt and Gough Battery A detailed account of the history and operation of the artillery aspects of the military sites on Devil's Peak can be found in Rollo (1992). The history of the 9.2-inch gun of Gough Battery at Stanley Fort can be found in JHKBRAS (Vol.38, pp.247-263). The results of the initial building inspection and documentary analysis of the sites by the authors are presented in their forthcoming work. The most relevant public documents about the siting and architectural details of the sites that can be inspected at the Public Records Office and Lands Department are shown in Table 1 below for the benefit of researchers in military architecture and aerial photo interpretation. ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-2002 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/mp4901278 115 for the surveying and associated film shooting exercises. REFERENCES Books and journal articles Bard, Solomon 1988 In Search of the Past: a Guide to the Antiquities of Hong Kong. Hong Kong, Urban Council. Eather, Charles Chic 1996 Airport of the Nine Dragons: Kai Tak Kowloon. Surfers Paradise, Australia, ChingChic Publishers. Empson, Hal 1992 Mapping Hong Kong: a Historical Atlas. Hong Kong, Government Printer (Bilingual: English and Chinese). Horsnell, R.G. 2000 "The Story of Stanley Fort,” The Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. 38, 1998/1999, pp. 247-263. Horsnell, R.G. 2000 "The Story of Gun Club Hill Barracks,” The Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. 38, 1998/1999, pp. 265-280. Ko, Tim Keung and Wordie, Jason 1996 Ruins of War: A Guide to Hong Kong's Battlefields and Wartime Sites. Hong Kong, Joint Publishing (Hong Kong). Ko, Tim Keung 2001 War Relics in the Green. Hong Kong, Cosmos Books. Lai, Lawrence Wai Chung; Ho, Daniel Chi Wing and Lung, Ping Yee 'Disused Military Structures on Devil's Peak: a Post-Colonial Planning and Building Analysis on Pre-war British Coastal Defence Structures in Hong Kong', EKISTICS, forthcoming. Lee, Klaudia 2002 "War Relics Disappearing Under the Weight of Neglect, Historians Warn," South China Morning Post, 17 November 2002, p. 2. Rollo, Denis 1992 The Guns and Gunners of Hong Kong. Hong ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-2002 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/mp4901278 # Appendix I: A chronology of events concerning Devil's Peak and its vicinity Date Event Source Remarks 1368-1643 Lei Yue Mun classified by the Ming Dynasty as one of the 16 major sea passages and placed under naval patrol. Siu, 1997, p.24 Circa 1646-1656 Lei Man Wing, a supporter of a Ming Prince, occupied Devil's Peak and established his own "customs post" at Lei Yue Mun. Siu, 1997, p.24 1656 Lee Man Wing surrendered to the Manchu Dynasty. Siu, 1997, p.25 Circa 1661 Cheng Sing King (Coxinga or Surname of the Royal Family) drove the Dutch out of Taiwan (Formosa), his general Cheng Kin settled at Lei Yue Mun. Siu, 1997, p.26 c.f. Leung 1980, pp.68-69 Circa 1735 Cheng Lin Cheng, the great grandson of Cheng Kin, a pirate, established his camp in Devil's Peak. The name Devil's Peak owed to the ferocity of Cheng. Empson, 1992, p.104 (Plate 1-19); p.106 (Plate 1-20) 1753 Cheng Lin Cheong built a Tin Hau Temple along the coast as an observation post. This temple has been repaired several times since then and still exists. Empson, 1992, p.98 (Plate 1-14) 1819 The name Devil's Peak appears in Hong Kong maps produced by James Wyld and Captain Belcher, Empson, 1992, p.128 (Plate 2-1) 1841 The term "Lei Yue Mun fort" appears in a map to the Sun On Gazetteer, referred to as "San On Country Directory", Empson, 1992, p.112 (Plate 1-24) The location of the fort is uncertain as the map is not to scale and not at all accurate. 1845 1860 The name Devil's Peak appears in the lease map for the Treaty of Peking 1860, by which Kowloon was ceded to Britain. 127 ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-2002 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/mp4901278 1864 The terra "Kowloon Battery" appears right to the north of the expression "Lei Yue Mun" in the Sun On Gazetteer, referred to as the "Sun On District Gazetteer Map." Empson, 1992, p.113 (Plate 1-25) 1876 The name Devil's Peak appears in a sea defences map of 1876. 1888 1895 27 May 1898 The name Devil's Peak appears in Stanford's Map of Hong Kong and Kowloon. The Chinese translation "Kwei Shan," literally "devil hill," appears alongside Devil's Peak in the revised Collinson Map. The Committee on Armament on Certain Stations at Home and Abroad decided on 27 May 1898 that two 9.2-inch Bl. Mark X and two 6-inch QF guns were to be mounted on Devil's Peak at sites to be called Pottinger Battery and Gough Battery, respectively, to strengthen Eastern defences. Empson, 1992, p.134 (Plate 2-3) (Plate 2-4) Empson, 1992, p.135 Empson, 1992, pp.136-137 Rollo, 1992, p.70 The Kowloon Battery is universally associated with the fort outside the south gate of the Kowloon Walled City. See p. 187 Rollo, 1992 for a drawing of a 9.2-inch BL Mark X on a Mark V mounting June 1898 January 1899 The leasing of the New Territories for 100 years by the British with effect from 1 July 1898, Devil's Peak became part of British Hong Kong. Conference on Armaments regarded Hong Kong as a dockyard, port, and naval base of great importance. The 6-inch guns proposed by the 1898 Committee took shape in the form of BL guns on Centre Pivot Mark II mountings instead of QF guns, Three batteries proposed for Devil's Peak. Rollo, 1992, p.72 128 Page 195 Page 196 ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-2002 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/mp4901278 Peak headland. 11 November 1945 RAF aerial photograph Aerial Photograph no. 0286 (F63/58A/RAF/775) showing Devil's Peak taken. Sometime before Systematic destruction of disused military structures in Hong Kong by government. 1949 March 1956 1959 25 January 1963 Two Royal Navy Sea hawks struck Devil's Peak in fog, killing the pilots and an old lady. Local writer Hsu Hong Shing wrote the essay "The fogs at Lei Yue Mun." RAF aerial photograph No. 4037 showing Devil's Peak taken. Aerial photograph No. 5244 (2700 feet) taken on 25 January 1963 by Hunting Surveys Ltd. Aerial Photograph No. 0286 Bather, 1996, p.115 Aerial Photograph No. 5244 1:600 Survey Plan No. C-198-NW-15 1973 Formation of a cut platform above Pottinger Battery commenced. Publication of 1:1000 Survey Plan Survey Plan 11-SE-4D, June 1975 July 1975 Publication of 1:1000 Survey Plan Survey Plan 11-SE-9B. March 1976 1976 13 July 1977 Publication of a revised edition of 1:1000 Survey Plan Survey Plan 11-SE-9B. "Plan of the Proposed Site for Public Park, Devil's Peak, Sai Kung District," Drawing No. SKG1405, File no. LNT52/SGS/59, Survey Sheet No. 11-SE-B1,2,3,4 showed the Redoubt as a "water works reserve;" the borrow area above Pottinger Battery. Dr. S.M. Bard inspected the fortifications on Devil's Peak. The record in the A&M file dated 13.7.1977 states: Devil's Peak, Kowloon Area A:"lower fort," this is within the area proposed for a public park. Fortifications in reinforced concrete, underground shelters, and cement/concrete gun-platforms (2 large ones). Survey Plan 11-SE-9B Survey Plan 11-SE-4D Survey Plan 11-SE-9B AM77-0101 Rollo's work has revealed the complete history of the Redoubt, Gough and 133 ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-2002 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/mp4901278 June 1978 April 1981 29 September 1983 October 1985 Area B: "upper fort": This is the Devil's Peak. Mostly cement and reinforced concrete, but also utilising normal rock formations and old stone walls. Very formidable arrangement of fortifications; possibly of two periods - stone and concrete. between 1st and 2nd World War. There is a tract leading from A to B. With cemented walls. Inspection of maps revealed that in the sheet printed in 1954, Area B is shown as "fort ruins," but in the sheet printed 1924, it is not shown. Formation of cut platform and road to Chinese cemetery completed. Publication of a revised 1:1000 Survey Plan Survey Plan 11-SE-4D. Publication of a revised 1:1000 Survey Plan Survey Plan 11-SE-4D, A letter from Dr. S.M. Bard to A&M Office states that the "Tung Lung Volunteer Team" found a 25cm x 25cm stone inscription "40 Coy, RE 1914" in a passage inside the Redoubt. Dr. Bard explained that "RE" stands for "Royal Engineers." "That is, the fort was constructed by the 40th Company of the Royal Engineers in 1914." The letter also states that in 1977, he "could not find many facts about the 'Area B' (upper fort), beyond the fact that it was of British origin. Enquiries at the PRO and the Headquarters British Forces were also negative. In particular, the date of construction of the fort could not be ascertained." Publication of a revised 1:1000 Survey Plan Survey Plan 11-SE-9B. H Survey Plan 11-SE-4D Survey Plan 11-SE-D Survey Plan 11-SE-9B Pottinger Batteries. Area A is Gough Battery; B is the Redoubt. The concealment of the Redoubt on maps is probably due to security consideration. October 1987 1988 Publication of a revised 1:1000 Survey Plan Survey Plan 11-SE-4D. The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club funded the repair of a footpath to Gough Battery, Survey Plan 11-SE-4D 134 ================================================================================