July 28, 1902.
MONUMENT TO DECEASED
+
SOLDIERS.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
at once agreed that a cemetery should be reserved for the soldiers of the Garrison of
Hongkong. To some of you it may seem that rather small, but when you come to see this the little plot of, ground où which we stand is great cemetery nearly full, and remember that from the side of the bill, I think you will all every inch of ground in it had to be cut away agree that even if the plot is small yet it was it should be reserved for us, the soldiers of the generous on Mr. Chatham's part to order that
Garrison.
a
raised
to him.
THE TYPHOON.
His Excellency Major-General Gascoigne on the 24th inst. unveiled a monument in the Happy Valley Cemetery which has been bretted to lleceased soldiers of the Garrisor; and which stands on a plot of ground reserved for the graves of those soldiers who have died in Hongkong. His Excellency was accompanied by Lady Gascoigne, and the interesting cere mony was watched by about a score of officers and an equal number of men, the civilian element, which included the Hon. F. H. May, C.M.G. (Colonial Eecretary), and the Hon. W. Chatham, Director of Public Works, bring in the majority. The assembly, however, was not large, anu probably did not number à couple of hundred. The band of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers was present under Bandmaster Moir, and on the arrival of His Excellency played the voluntary Comfort O Lord" (Crotch).
The Rev. E. H. Good, H.M.S, Tamar, the officiating clergyman, gave out Hymn 225, "Brief life is here our portion," and when this had been sung and a part of the burial service read,
HIS EXCELLENCY Faid-Soldiers of the Garrison, of all the things in which I have been identified at Hongkong, I think this soldiers' cemetery is the one that gives me most pleasure to feel that I am associated with, and in saying this, pray believe that I do not forget that I have had but a very small part indeed to do with it. It is the soldiers' work, the soldiers of the Garrison. The officers have helped, as the officers always will do in anything that meets the wishes of the men, but it was the soldiers entirely who carried out the thing. Perhaps it may interest some of those who have lately come Garrison to know something of the facts of the case connected with the soldiers' cemetery and the memorial I propose to unveil to-day. It was very shortly after I came to Hongkong that I found that the soldiers of the Garrison who were buried in this cemetery were buried in any part of it-any part that happened to be convenient, and not together. Well, I think we soldiers are all alike in one respect, and I think perhaps that the public generally does not quite realise what that is. We soldiers give up our lives to our profession, not certainly for the sake of money; we are paid to enable us to live, but it is certainly not for money that we give our services in the first place; it is for the honour and glory of serving our King and our country. We have to take that service in any part of the globe; we may be sent to a good station and a healthy climate, or to a bad station and an unhealthy climate. It is all in the day's work, and we soldiers, all of us, from the seniors to the juniors, like to feel that when that day's work is over, done to the best of our ability, whether it is a short day or a long day-we like to think, to feel, that we
Drum Major KIRKPATRICK, are not buried in a nameless grave, but that we remain green in the hearts of our comrades, stepped forward. and after thanking His that there is some kind of image of which Excellency for his kind words and for the interest he had all along taken in the scheme, perhaps a photographi could be taken and sent to our loved ones at home. So I explained that the cemetery was to be reserved fer European soldiers of the Garrison who died here, thought it would be a very nice thing and that their names would be inscribed on the indeed if we could get a little cemetery reserved to ourselves, the soldiers of the Hongkong Gar-monument, which also bears the urines of men who died or were killed in North China and of rison, and I assembled the soldiers together in
those who perished in the fire in Tientsin
At 5.30 a.m. on the 18th inst, the black cone on the Tamar and on the Kowloon Wharf and was hoisted at the Tsimtshatsui Police Station, Godown Co.'s flagstaff and the typhoon gun was made for the shelter of Causeway Bay ind fired. The Chinese craft and launches at once
Yaumati, and during the day the Harbour was p.m. the following warning was issued:- The clear except for the big steamships. At 1230
forward again, and they arranged among them-northward and likely to approach the neighbour Well then, the soldiers came typhoon to the southwards appears to be moving selves to give monthly subscriptions-purely hood of Hongkong. It may pass to the east voluntary-in order that every poor fellow ward of the Colony, in which case the gale will who died here in Hongkong should have be from north and west." The black cone was
fitting memorial
The taken down and the black drum hoisted at soldiers then larger, sum
were auxious to give me a2.20 p.m. of money than I felt was wanted, yet the matter has gone on now, danger of being visited by that peril of the Only a week ago the Colony was in hourly and funds have been paid in steadily month China seas, a typhoon, and when it veered off by month till fually we had a sufficient and the sampans and junks came creeping out orial, which would, as it were, mark the it was recognised that the respite might be of sum of money to enable as put up a larger mem- of their shelter places in the harbour even then cemetery for all time, so long as it exists, very short duration. for we are now in the as something reserved for us, the soldiers of typhoon season and liable to be visited by one the Garrison of Hongkong. Well, we went at very short notice. That these fears were well ahead with the matter, and we got as hand-founded has been proved by the experience of some a memorial as it was possible to get, but the past two days, for the black cene, after dis- when we came to lock over the accounts placing the red on the various signal points, was we found we had rather overstepped our bounds, itself succeeded yesterday afternoon by the black upon which another institution that I am proud drum. Before that, however, the Chinese to say I am associated with, the Soldiers" "Club, population on the waters of the Colony had out of their own funds, to put us on our legs typhoon and sought shelfer came forward and gave us a sum of $300 again anticipated the nearer appreach of the bebind the again. Now, ladies and gentlemen and soldiers Causeway Bay breakwater and at other places of the Garrison, you will not be surprised where safety was assured. Old hands on the sociated with these two things, the Soldiers during a time of heavy rain, but, be that to hear me say that I am proud of being as China coast say that, there can be no typhoon Club, which contributed to this memorial, and as it may, some of them were apparently our soldiers' glave, as we might call it, when disincl.ued to put their belief to the test, for you know that those two institutions have been yesterday quite half-a-dozen outward-bound carried out by the soldiers themselves without coasting steamers were lying at East Point any outside help whatever. I know well, from wait ng for moderation in the weather. The and from the feeling there is for the soldiers, of the Ferry launches rather difficult; as the feeling I have had shown to me in Hongkong, harbour was very rough, and made the crossing that if I had gone ont into the streets to ask matter of fact. passengers at the tiffin hour were these things concerned ourselves. and I thought being interupted. Two sampads were wrecked for any sum of money I should have got it, but waned that there was a likelihood of the run it was well to keep them entirely in our own off Blue Euildings, but it is believed that the hands, and I am very glad to think that accidents were unaccompanied by loss of life. these two institutions have been carried out the soldiers only. Well now, entirely and completely by the soldiers, and shortly just to unveil this monument, which we propose marks, as I say. for all time that bere we have a little resting-place for every poor fellow who died here in Hongkong, so that they might feel they were not forgotten by their comrades nor by their country, and, as I say, I am more proud to be associated with this movement than I think I am with anything during my stay in Hongkong. I would very much like now if one of the members of the sub-committee would say a few words just to mark their sense of the thing.
to the
Barracks last year.
EL
FEI RY LAUNCHES STOPPED. About three o'clock the harbour became so matical. The Morning Star was the last one rough as to make crossing with safety proble- to leave Hongkong, which she did shortly after three with a fair complement of European passengers on board. through the water an occasional
As she pushed her way would ware leap up and wash the upper deck, sometimes even reaching the funnel. However, she reached the other side in safety, but no other of the fleet risked the trip. This cessation of the running was made known to Kowloonites only on their arrival at the Hongkong wharf to catch the usual ferry and as the afternoon wore on a melancho- R.W.Fly crowd of ticket-holders collected under the verandah of Queen's Buildings and gazed mourn ully across the tumbling waters in the direction of home and dinner and dry clothes. But the launches were safe and snug in dock, and the waiting passengers bad to turn away disconsolate.
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their different units, by representatives. and I put the matter to them whether they liked the idea, and they one and all agreed to it. The monument was then unveiled by His Well, just at that point the Legation troubles
EXCELLENCY, after some sight trouble owing to broke out at Peking, and both I and the red, white and b'ne cloth which enveloped my staff were up to our eyes in work, and I con- it catching on the supporting bamboo poles. fess the matter escaped my memory. Months This slight bitch drew from His Excellency went by, and then-I think it was Colonel the cbservation, addressed to Mr Chatham, "It Bertie, commanding the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, doesn't come as easily as yours did the other came to me and delivered a message from the day," the remark applying to the unveiling of men of his regiment. They said that although the Connaught statue. The monument is of, the General might have forgotten his promise, Hongkong granite, stands about fifteen feet high, they had not forgotten it, and they begged that and is surmounted by a cross. On one side is the it might be fulfilled. They were already rais- inscription, "Sacred to the memory of soldie: B ing subscriptions, and they were particularly who died in the service of their country. Dulce anxious that the matter should go forward. I et decorum est pro patria mori"; and on another, felt then that there were no grounds for hesitat- This enclosure is reserved exclusively for the ing any longer, and I went to the Colonial graves of soldiers who have died in Hongkong." Office and to Mr. Chatham, the Director of The other two sides of the monument are taken Public Works, whom 1 am glad to see here to-up by the 1 mes of oldiers of the Garrison day to show the interest he has taken in this who died lre and in tle North. matter, and I should like to take this public op- portunity of saying to you that Mr. Chatham
The ceremony concluded with the voluntary ly the band, Chorale," by Novello.
The harbour presented a very bleak appear- ance indeed, the relting rain driving along in a streaky cloud over the swirling, foam- topped waters. The few ships lying at their Inoys looked phantom like in the mist as they rolled and dipped in the choppy seas.
One of. them, the Airlie, left her mouings about five o'clock and procecded to the shelter of K "wloon Bay.
Un shore the strong, gusty wind blew down numerous barricadings, and foot passengers stood in no small danger from falling signboards Heavy rains fell during the night, flooding the streets in many parts.
LOSS OF LIFE AND HEAVY DAMAGE. As was only to be expected, the storm which visited the Colony on the 18th inst. did not pass without leaving evidence of its violence in lives lost and property destroyed. As in the memorable typhoon of 10th November, 1900, Yaumati district suffered most severely, for the gale blew straight towards it and converted into # veritable deathtrap the crowded little bay into which junks and sampens had retreated earlier for aholter. Crushing
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