Gun Club Hill Barracks

Gun Club Hill Barracks are barracks in , Kowloon, Hong Kong. It was the camp of British Army during rule in Hong Kong and after 1st July 1997 it is garrisoned by People's Liberation Army. The barracks are bounded by Austin Road, Jordan Path, Gascoigne Road and Chatham Road South. Within the camp is the Hospital of Gun Club Hill Barracks of the People's Liberation Army Hong Kong, which was completed around 1997.

The barracks was built some time after 1860 when the acquired Kowloon. The origins of the barracks' name is unknown, but it was likely named for a gun club or the King's Park gun range.

Troops

Troops were rotated from the Wellington and Victoria Barracks on Hong Kong Island. A list of troops stationed here:

* Sikh and Punjabi Mussulman Companies
* Hong Kong Singapore Battalion Royal Artillery
* First Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers
* Royal Welch Fusilers
* 25th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
* 1st Battalion, the Black Watch
* Second Royal Wesh Fusilers
* 1st Battalion Kings Shropshire Light Infantry
* 1st Battalion King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry↓
* 23rd Squadron, The Gurkha Transport Regiment
* 247 Gurkha Signal Squadron
* United Services Recreation Club
* 10th Intelligence and Security Company

Nearby attractions

* Kowloon Cricket Club
* King's Park

Whitfield Barracks

Whitfield Barracks were barracks in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

It is named after Henry Wase Whitfield, the commander of British Army in Hong Kong.

History

In the 1890s, the Barracks were first built for the British Indian garrisons. Twenty five barrack blocks were built by 1906; the Barracks were developed in subsequent years. By 1910, there had been 85 barrack buildings constructed. A was also built at the southeastern corner of the site for worship by the garrison.

It belonged to the when Hong Kong was under . The premises was later returned to the Government of Hong Kong in 1967. In 1970, Urban Council redeveloped the site into the Kowloon Park.

The Government ignited some controversy when it made proposals in 1982 for a strip of retail premises fronting Nathan Road included to be carved into the hill of Kowloon Park. The move was opposed by the Urban Council, as well as the moslem community, whose mosque was close by.

Blocks S4, S61 and S62 of barracks are "Grade III historical buildings" which were constructed in circa 1910. They are a pair of identical two storied colonial military barrack blocks. The roofs are pitched with Chinese tiles with tar finish. Blocks S61 and S62 have become the home for the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre, under the management of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Block S4 now houses Health Education Exhibition and Resources Centre.

Wellington Barracks, Hong Kong

Wellington Barracks was a barracks in of on the north side of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It was built in 1854. The barracks had an army hospital, and this still exists as Hong Kong International School. The barracks were closed in 1979 and demolished in 1992. The site was later rebuilt: north of the became Pacific Place and south the Harcourt Garden.

Victoria Barracks, Hong Kong

The Victoria Barracks were a barracks in the district of on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. The barracks were constructed between the 1840s and 1874, and situated within the area bounded by Cotton Tree Drive, and Queensway, Hong Kong. The Barracks with Murray Barracks, and Admiralty Dock formed a British military zone in Central.

The barracks were one of the first British military compounds in Hong Kong and were used by the Japanese during the . They underwent major restoration after World War II. Part of the land was returned to the Hong Kong Government in 1967; most of the rest was transferred to the government in 1979.

According to the Hong Kong Heritage Society, a Shinto-style arch was built and a pilau stone was erected by the Japanese Navy during the war. These Japanese structures still existed in the barracks in the late 1970s.

Part of the barracks were subsequently used as a branch office of the ; illegal immigrants went to the Victoria Barracks office for registration and application for Hong Kong Identity Cards in 1979.

The Planning for the redevelopment of the Barracks

In March 1977, the Governor of Hong Kong appointed the Victoria Barracks Planning Committee to advise him and the Executive Council on the planning of the area; in September in the same year, the committee published the ''Report to the Governor-in-Council on the Future Development of Victoria Barracks''.

The planning of the redevelopment of the Victoria Barracks had led to the strong public pressure in the late 1970s. According to the Report, the Royal Town Planning Institute and the Hong Kong Heritage Society objected to the setting up of the ''ad hoc'' committee, separate from the Town Planning Board.

In the report, the committee suggested that the public supported the preservation of the mature trees and the green zones, including the wooded slopes, in the Barracks; also, it was suggested that Flagstaff House and other historic buildings should be preserved. The Hong Kong Squash Racquets Association supported the retention of the historic squash court building, which was later demolished during the redevelopment and replaced by a new one. The Scout Association of Hong Kong requested to be allocated some of the buildings and structures to set up a scout training centre.

Some people proposed that the government should re-site the proposed new secondary school, the government offices and the then Supreme Court .

In 1979,the Government released the final planning proposal; the Urban Council, the Conservancy Association and the Hong Kong Heritage Society were dissatisfied that the Government refused to preserve the whole site of the Barracks.

Part of the site was converted to the Hong Kong Park while the southern part of the barracks was where Pacific Place, the and Queensway Government Offices now stand.

Historic Buildings

Some of the buildings within the barracks were preserved and graded as Historic Buildings:
* The Former Explosives Magazine complex of the Barracks was graded as a . It contains two former explosives magazines and a laboratory building separated by earth mounds known as traverses which were built as buffers in case of explosions .

The following buildings are graded as
* Cassels Block , the former barracks for married British officers. Originally named as "Block C". Since 1992 this has housed the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre.
* Rawlinson House , the former residence of the British Deputy General , converted in the 1980s into a marriage registry. Two Warrant Officers' Married Quarters were integrated with it into a single building in the 1960s.
* Wavell House , the former quarters for married British officers, converted in 1991 into the aviary support centre .
* Montgomery Block is currently home to Mother's Choice Limited and the KELY Support Group. It was returned from the British Forces to the Hong Kong Government in 1967.
* Roberts Block has been occupied since 1986 by the Jockey Club New Life Hostel of the New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association. It was returned from the British Forces to the Hong Kong Government in 1967.

Queen's line

Ching Yi To Barracks, formerly known as "Queen's Line", was part of the Barracks. The current Ching Yi To Barracks is used by the .

Dragon House and Paget House were two of the buildings of the former Victoria Barracks within the area occupied by the current barracks.

Destroyed Buildings

The following building was destroyed when the barracks were redeveloped into the Park:
*Blocks A,B,C, D and E: They were built around 1868 for the Indian troops of the garrison. Block A and B were later used to accommodate the Headquarters in the 1920s; A bamboo bridge was used to connect the two blocks during this period. Block D was used as the Headquarters of the Brigade of Gurkhas in the 1970s. The Victoria Barracks Planning Committee recommended that Block E should be preserved for community use in a report to the Governor and the then Executive Council .
* Alexander Block: Erected in the early 1900s.
* Birdwood Block was the identical twin of Cassels Block. Like the Cassels Block, it also had a stepped roof. The Block was named after Lt.General .It was used as a married officers' quarters.
* Colvin Block was used by the Women's Royal Army Corps,
* Freyberg Block was built in 1931 and was used to house the Head of the Intelligence Services.
* Gort Block
* Hamilton Block was returned from the British Forces to the Hong Kong Government in 1967.
* Kitchener Block was used as accommodation for school teachers.
* The Squash Courts building in the Barracks was the first such building built in Hong Kong.

Gallery

Osborn Barracks

Osborn Barracks was a British Army facility in Hong Kong. Located in the northern part of Kowloon on and Junction Road (across the street from Hong Kong Baptist University. The military facility was it was named for Company Sergeant Major Jack Osborn of the Winnipeg Grenadiers Osborn was a Canadian who died defending Hong Kong in 1941. He was given the Victoria Cross and the a barrack in Hong Kong named in his honour in 1945. Osborn is buried at Sai Wan Bay War Cemetery on Hong Kong Island.

Part of the land of the Osborn Barracks was given to Hong Kong Baptist University for new campus development in early 1990s. However, the government refused to give the remaining land to the university.

After Hong Kong Handover, the Osborn Barracks is still in use, now by the People's Liberation Army in Hong Kong. However, the facility is criticized for blocking the way from Kowloon Tong Station to the area of Renfrew Road, causing inconvenience to the students from HKBU as well as IVE Lee Wai Lee Campus.

Murray Barracks

Murray Barracks was a barracks for British Army in of in Hong Kong. It was named after Sir George Murray, the Master-General of the Ordnance at the time of construction.

Location

It was situated between present and Cotton Tree Drive. The Barracks was located at present Asia Pacific Centre and the Officer's Quarters, also known as Officer's Mess, is located at present Bank of China Tower, close to Queen's Road, .

Across Garden Road was Murray Parade Ground and Queen's Road North Barracks, which later known as .

Furthur west of parade ground, behind Battery Path, was Murray Battery.

Officer's Quarter

The quarter was known as Officer's Mess in early days. It was later renamed to Murray House. Before the construction of Bank of China Building, Murray House was dismantled brick-by-brick in the mid-1980s and stored for over 15 years. In around 2002 it was re-erected in and now houses several restaurants and Hong Kong Maritime Museum, a private maritime museum.

Kohima Camp

Kohima Camp was a military camp in Tai Po Tsai north of Clear Water Bay Peninsula in Hong Kong. The camp was built by British Army and demolished in 1980s when the army gradually withdrew from Hong Kong. The land became the site of a new university, namely The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, in 1986.

Before the construction of the university, The Scout Association of Hong Kong made use of the camp to set up a , namely the Hong Kong Diamond Jubilee Jamboree for the 75th anniversary of Hong Kong Scouting between 1986-12-27 and 1987-01-01.

Name

Kohima is a town close to the eastern border of India. In 1944 Imperial Japanese Army failed in offensive operation in Battle of Kohima and marked the limit of Empire of Japan.