Preserving Hong Kong’s Industrial Heritage
Rediscover stories from Hong Kong’s industrial past, published on this date in previous years.
York Lo: Bakilly – the forgotten maker of perfumes, hair cream, toothpaste and other personal care products HF: York added four images to his original article in March 2019. These are indicated by an asterisk in the captions. Founded in the 1910s, Bakilly (百家利) was a major local personal care product brand in Hong Kong for over half a century […]
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HF: IDJ has kindly sent the following newspaper article which, I think, was published in the Hong Kong Daily Press on 1st June 1939. Thanks to SCT for proofreading this retyped version of the original version of the newspaper article. HONGKONG PERSONALITY INTRODUCED – CAPT. R.W.THOMAS ”CAPPY THOMAS” – such is the nickname his many friends on the Kowloon piers […]
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“This firm was founded in 1902 by Mr. E. C. Wilks, as a marine engineers’ and surveyors’ bureau. Mr. Wilks was joined in 1903 by Mr. W. C. Jack, formerly Ingenieur en Chef of the Tonkin River Mail Service, and late assistant manager at the Kowloon establishment of the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Company. During the five years of […]
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IDJ: This article comes from Flight magazine 8th Feb 1952 Hugh Farmer: The article states that HAEC was formed by the “pooling of British shipping and air interests”. The HAECO group website says that the company was established in 1950 following a merger between Swire’s Pacific Air Maintenance Services (established in 1947) and Jardine Air Maintenance Company. I wonder what […]
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HF: Rob Weir started our interest in the possibility of Stonecutters Island being a site for Hong Kong airport given the dissatisfaction with Kai Tak post WW2 mainly related to its short runways and proximity to mountains. Rob found a Foreign Office file 371/53639 held at The National Archives at Kew, London, UK. The file refers to an investigation of […]
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IDJ: When Hong Kong was liberated after the surrender of the Japanese, one of the first groups to arrive was “Shield Force.” This mainly comprised 3,000 Royal Air Force personnel who had been diverted from their expected task of building Pacific island aerodromes to assist the Allied advance towards Japan. Not all RAF personnel in the war were involved in flying […]
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HF: From our archives with thanks to IDJ for the source of information. “Stonebreakers in the early twentieth century. Granite in Hong Kong is of high quality and abundant. As a common construction material for columns, door frames and floors, the demand for granite was large. Because of its weight granite was transported by stone-boat by water from the quarry […]
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Stephen Davies recently wrote an article for the SCMP about maritime street names in Hong Kong. He noted, “considering Hong Kong is one of the world’s great ports, street names with maritime connections are remarkably few – no more than 10 per cent of the total. But that is enough, when loaded into a database and tested for patterns, to add […]
» Read moreVaudine England: Just came across this typically 1900-era directory of the empire in the east with a neat summary of the Industry. [The author here, D. Warres-Smith, probably isn’t telling you anything you don’t know but thought would pass it on just in case.] I have extracted the sections of most interest to us, namely xxxx Source: European settlements in […]
» Read moreThe main urban areas in this district are Sheung Shui and Fanling. It also includes the rural towns of Ping Che, Sha Tau Kok and Ta Kwu Ling, several villages and many islands, some inhabited including Ap Chau (Robinson Island) and Kat O Chau (Crooked Island). This article is the result of several people’s research into industrial development, manufacturing, and other related topics in […]
» Read moreSee Victor Leung email include the date I worked at Caldbeck Macgregor Hong Kong from 1970 to 1972 as an inventory clerk, it was situated at Union House in Central District at that time, it moved to Jardine House near the harbour front years after I left. I remembered we have staff discount in purchase of wine and spirit on […]
» Read moreER em 7/24/2015 possible photo of Ah Kings see Gwulo Newsletter 10/1/17 I notice your posting about Ah King’s shipyard. I attach part of a BAAG trace-map of February 1945 of the north shore of HK island, showing their placement of Ah King in the bottom right hand corner of the typhoon shelter. Does this fit in with any of […]
» Read moreALREADY POSTED?? York Lo: Wo Kee Cheung (和記祥) and Wo Fung Cheung (和豐祥) Left: Ad for Wo Kee Cheung in 1964 (WKYP, 1964-1-3); right: Thank you ad by Wo Fung Cheung to guests attending the opening of its Tai Po Road branch in 1964 (WKYP, 1964-4-5) In the early 1960s, Canton Trust & Commercial Bank (廣東信託商業銀行) was one of […]
» Read moreJohn Huw Owens comment: I served my time as a Deck Apprentice from 1955 to 1959 on the Rowanbank, and twice on the Westbank. The training and experience gained was excellent, but unfortunately the length of the voyages meant that I changed to Furness Withy for the remainder of my Seagoing days in 1972. I don’t know how I have […]
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