History of Mapping Hong Kong Part 9 – The GSGS 3868 Map

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Tymon Mellor: In 1928 the Geographical Section General Staff (GSGS), a department in the British War Office, published a new map of Hong Kong reference GSGS 3868. The map contained 24 sheets at a scale of 1:20,000 and set a new standard for mapping. It had been produced from aerial photographs and unusually for the time, adopted the metric measurement system. At the foot of each map is a reference to the man that made it happen, Lieutenant Henry Wace RE.

GSGS 3868 Map

Man Makes A Map

In December 1924, HMS Pegasus and her complement of aircraft arrived in Hong Kong to undertake the first aerial survey of the colony. Thousands of images were exposed to capture the territory before being stitched together to form an aerial image of the entire colony. These images were then used to create a new and accurate map of Hong Kong. To achieve this goal, two actions were required. Firstly, markings were required on the ground that could be seen on the aerial images and the markings had to be surveyed to allow their locations to be calculated. In turn, this would require the establishment of a territory wide network of survey stations or trig points.

Establishment of the markings was delegated to the Public Works Department (PWD) and for the survey work, a small team from the Second Colonial Military Survey Section of the Royal Engineers was sent out from Britain to undertake the work.

The survey team arrived in Hong Kong in October 1924 ahead of the arrival of HMS Pegasus giving them time to prepare, coordinate with the PWD, and start establishing the survey monuments. The team was led by Henry Wace a 26-year-old Lieutenant. Henry was born in Surbiton on the 20th March 1898 and attended a prep school in Turnstall in Kent. His father died in 1907 at the age of 38. His mother, and younger brother relocated to Oxfordshire. Wace joined the Royal Engineers at the age of 18 in 1916[1] and fought in the Great War.

During the fighting he was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant in February 1917 and with the advent of peace in 1918, he spent the next four years undertaking survey work in Northern Russia, Southern Russia and Constantinople. In the summer of 1922, he attended a 12-month course at Cambridge University studying Machinal Science Tripos, for which he was awarded a First Class Honours. He followed that by attending the Royal School of Military Engineering at Chatham to take supplementary military courses until September 1924 when he was assigned Special Survey Duty in Hong Kong[2].

With him was a non-commissioned officer, Sergeant D Johnstone who held the qualification of the Ordnance Survey Topographer “Superior”, and also Acting Sergeant Major Edwards. Their goal was to establish the trig stations and locally survey the territory at a scale of 1:20,000 for the production of a map at 1/31,680 or 2 inches to the mile.

The team settled in at Victoria Barracks and started to gather information, make contacts with the civilian authorities and to prepare for the arrival of HMS Pegasus. It quickly became apparent that the situation was more complex than first assumed, most notably that the PWD had no reliable heights for the trig stations and the PWD had done nothing about establishing marks to coordinate the aerial survey. With the arrival of HMS Pegasus, the crew took it upon themselves to establish some marks around the shorelines, and these now needed to be surveyed to locate them.

Coverage of Map GSGS 3868

By the end of December 1924, the aerial images were available and Wace provided a positive review to his boss, Lieutenant Colonel H S Winterbotham back in London:

“I have checked a few heights [of the aircraft] and have not found any which deviate from the value 12,000 ft. by more than 50 ft. Tilt also seems not too bad, anything over 1 deg. has been discarded by the Pegasus themselves, the photos are beautifully clear, and the ground amply covered.”[3]

Back in London, GSGS Sergent O A West was reviewing the King map to ensure that it would be suitable to use as the basis for the new Hong Kong map. On close inspection there were apparent discrepancies and it was not clear how the sheets had been compiled, so he requested Wace to investigate the history of the map to see if Hong Kong had any information on its production[4]. To save money GSGS wanted to do as much work in London, using the existing mapping and the new aerial photos, minimising the field work in Hong Kong. As noted in a letter of the January 1925:

“One must cut ones coat in accordance with ones cloth, and from the W.O. point of View, a map that will “do” is far superior to an uncompleted ‘perfect’ map.”[5]

The more Wace looked into the detail of the King map, the more problems that were identified. In February 1925, he reported that an error or 150 feet or 45m had been identified in the height of Cloudy Hill (Tai Po) affecting all the surrounding spot heights[6]. Despite the promise of assistance from the Hong Kong Government, the PWD had failed to extend the triangulation or provide technical assistance, and the only support provided came from the police who provide a vehicle for transport.

Without the ground markings for the aerial survey, it would be necessary to use existing features to coordinate the images. The King map was considered suitable for this task, leaving Hong Kong Island and the areas not covered by the map requiring to be surveyed. Wace and his small team set about establishing a survey network across the territory and filling in the missing sections. This required the team to go out into the countryside, carrying heavy canvas tents and camping in the areas being surveyed. After the first survey season, a request was made for lightweight camping equipment!

Surveyor Team Camping in the NT (1922)

In spring 1925, a broader review was undertaken in London on the availability of mapping for areas of British military interest, including Hong Kong and Northern China. It was agreed that the Hong Kong survey team’s presence would be extended through to 1926 and during the summer rainy season, Wace could be made available to undertake survey work at Sha-Hai-Kuan (Shanhaiguan) in preparation for the construction of a new barracks as part of reinforcing British Troops in Northern China[7].

Survey Location in Northern China (Map 1922)

The British had an existing military camp for the North China battalion (around 1000 men) at Tientsin, but the old buildings were to be pulled down and the site turned into a “parade and recreation ground”. The new site at Shan Hai Kuan had been selected as it was owned by and leased to the British Government and had sufficient space for the existing troops and the proposed reinforcements. A detailed survey was required for the new barracks or hutted camp along with a small-scale survey of the countryside adjoining the railway and coast between Shan Hai Kuan (Shanhaiguan) and the ice-free port of Chin Wang Tao (Qinhuangdao), ten miles away. As noted by the Commander of Forces in China, “Operations are always possible in this strategically important area and the mountainous country immediately inland of the Shan Hai Kuan limits these operations to the flat area adjoining the railway”[8].

Wace was told of his new assignment in late March 1925 and he was not happy with no enthusiasm for the task. With wet weather and low cloud, the Hong Kong survey work was suspended on the 12 April, 1925 and would not recommence until September. He estimated the progress to be 20% complete have completed a new survey of Hong Kong Island and much of the north-east New Territories.

Survey Completed (Red Hatched) By April 1925

With no field work to undertake, Wace was spending his time interpreting the aerial photos, trying to work out how to establish spot heights and address paper distortions. He was also experimenting using sheets of aluminium to record the survey information and avoid the problems of paper in the very humid conditions[9]. Provided that he did not have to resurvey the areas of the King map, he was forecasting to complete the field work for the map in 1926. London was happy with the progress; “You are putting up a first class show”[10].

Wace departed for northern China on the 16th April, 1925 with an NCO and was now looking forward to getting away from the heat and humidity of Hong Kong. On arrival in Shan Hai Kuan, he immediately got to work on the large-scale plan for the new camp, establishing a traverse around the British and adjacent German concession. With his NCO filling in the details he went off to look at the survey along the railway line, and this was a bigger challenge. The land was flat and covered with trees, making it difficult to establish a baseline. To minimise errors, he borrowed a “superb instrument” from the Kailan Mining Company, who also provided him with a bungalow and resources to support the survey. This was work the mining company would eventually need to do, so it was easier to support Wace and allow him to tie his survey into their survey network. This was slightly problematic as the mining company had adopted magnetic north and not true north, so adjustments would have to be made.

Map of Shan Hai Kuan First Published 1927

Wace quickly settled in and in addition to the survey work was able to go out hunting the local wildlife, bagging “nearly 100 brace of Snipe in three weeks”, along with quail, pigeon and hares. His only regret was having to leave his dog in Hong Kong due to the risk of rabies[11]. By the end of July, 1925 Wace was back in Hong Kong having completed the triangulation and topographic survey in Northern China. Back in London, the GSGS compiled the map based on the Wace survey and information from the French and other surveys. The Shan Hai Kuan map was published in 1927.

Shan Hai Kuan Map Showing British Military Facilities

(fort, barracks, officers club, trolley line & rifle range)

Following Wace’s return, the Hong Kong survey work recommenced in the autumn of 1925 with the objective of completing the field work by the 31 March 1926, and the scope was trimmed to meet the date. The work immediately went into delay as one staff had three weeks in hospital with an injured knee while another was off for two months with malaria. Things improved and by October all the triangulation was complete and good progress was being made on the topographic mapping of Castle Peak and Sai Kung areas. This left only the outlying islands and a check on the areas covered by the King map. His aluminium drawing sheet proved to be a great success, overcoming the earlier problems of paper distortion in the humid atmosphere[12].

In early 1926, it was agreed that following the completion of the survey in Hong Kong, Wace and NCO would return to Northern China to undertake a little more detailed survey and expand the triangulation to connect to survey work previously undertaken by the China Field Force in 1902/03 that had recently become available[13]. Wace was keen to return to complete the survey and have another go at the Snipe. However, disaster struck in March 1926, as Wace discovered that his senior NCO had been taking some short cuts with the trigonometric survey of the Sai Kung area and his work could not be used.

Areas Needed to be Re-Mapped (1926)

Sergeant Johnston was reprimanded for his poor work and being “technically incompetent” and was reassigned to topographic work. The team was running out of time, so Wace cancelled his trip to North China and set about completing the mapping before his planned departure to Singapore. He completed much of the work before he sailed for Singapore in May 1926 to undertake a survey before returning to Britain.

Whilst on the boat to Singapore, new plans were being made. Both Hong Kong and London had decided that the King map was after all not that good, as it had been found to be “unreliable” and not suitable to use as a base to geolocate the aerial photographs taken by HMS Pegasus. Wace would have to return to Hong Kong in November 1926 for another survey season[14]. So much for a six-month posting.

During the summer of 1926, discussion continued as to the scale of the final map to be published, and the proposed scale of 1:20,000 was gaining traction along with the idea of adopting contours at 10m intervals. The question of the correct spelling of places had been a challenge for Wace and the team, but this was resolved by working with the respective District Officers to agree the names.

Sheet 19 of GSGS 3868 (1930)

Wace arrived back in Hong Kong in October 1926 and stablished himself in Tai Po with the District Magistrates. His proposed schedule was to re-survey the frontier area surveyed in 1922/23, complete the re-survey of the area previously undertaken by Johnston, and the area covered by the King map. However, his mind was on other matters – promotion[15]. Wace had been planning to return to England to sell a property, possibly get married and work on his promotion. The return to Hong Kong put all these at risk as he would not have time to prepare, and following changes in military rules, unless he was promoted, he would be forced to leave the army through compulsory retirement.

In November 1926, he formally applied for promotion to Captain and noted that due to his extended posting to Hong Kong, he had “no opportunity of working for my examinations, I have been unable to attend any tactical exercises and I have been completely out of touch with all military duties”[16].

Unsurprisingly, his promotion was not successful.

By the end of November, good progress had been made. The priorities had changed with the re-survey of the 1:20,000 being the most important, and the field work was complete and he had moved onto establishing a new survey control and spot heights for the King map. But his mind was on his future, and so he started to get in touch with civilian survey companies working in Malaya and the Dutch Islands.

In early 1927 Wace had some good luck, as amongst old papers in the survey office, he managed to find the original survey sheets and the triangulation information on the King map. This would simplify the process of updating the King map to Wace’s new survey[17].

Wace completed his work and returned to England. He gained his promotion to Captain and remained with the RE. In 1934 he was stationed at Normanton Barracks in Derby when in July he had a motorcycle accident resulting in a compound fracture of his lower left leg from which he died of septicaemia on the 14th August 1934, aged 36.

As for the map, by the summer of 1928 the first two sheets had been drawn up and ready for printing. They were described as “one of the finest medium scales series as yet produced” by Winterbotham[18]. The map sheets for GSGS 3868 would be published over the next few years starting in 1928 and the last sheet in 1934. The initial maps were titled “Hong Kong and Leased Territory” but following an objection from the Governor, the subsequent sheets and revisions were changed to “Hong Kong and New Territory”[19].

Along with the new map, the GSGS published a full list of the survey stations in 1930, “Triangulation of Hong Kong and New Territories” allowing the PWD and others to use the established survey network. Hong Kong now had a comprehensive survey, a network of survey stations and the knowledge to maintain and update the maps. Aerial photography had been used to create the map and would continue to be used to improve and maintain the map of the territory to this very day.

 

Source

  1. Statement of the Services of Henry Wace, WO 25. Including campaigns, marriages, births of children, names and address of next of, WO 25/3916 ↑
  2. Letter H Wace to Chief Engineer, South China Command, 14 Nov, 1926 ↑
  3. Wace Progress Report, Dec 1924, WO 181/81 ↑
  4. Letter O A West to Wace, 1 Jan 1925, WO 181/81 ↑
  5. Letter Sd L N King to Wace, 23 Jan 1925, WO 181/81 ↑
  6. Letter Wace to Major, 26 Feb 1925, WO 181/82 ↑
  7. Letter General Officer Commanding the Forces in China to Under Secretary of State for War, 23 March 1925, WO 181/82 ↑
  8. Letter General Officer Commanding the Forces in China to Under Secretary of State for War, 23 March 1925, WO 181/82 ↑
  9. Letter Wace to Major, Received 4 Apr 1925, WO 181/82 ↑
  10. Letter West to Wace, 7 Apr 1925, WO 181/82 ↑
  11. Latter Wace to Colonel Winterbotham, 29 May 1925, WO 181/82 ↑
  12. Letter Wace to Colonel Winterbotham, 5 Oct 1925, WO 181/83 ↑
  13. Letter Office Commanding the Forces of China to Under Secretary of State for War, 28 Jan 1926, WO 181/84 ↑
  14. Memo from Winterbotham, 19 May 1926, WO 181/84 ↑
  15. Memo Wace to Colonel Winterbotham, 28 Oct 1926, WO 181/84 ↑
  16. Letter Wace to Chief Engineer Southern China Command, 14 Nove 1926, WO 181/84 ↑
  17. Letter Wace to Colonel Winterbotham, 31 Jan 1927, WO 181/84 ↑
  18. Note on the Mapping being carried out by the Geographical Section, General Staff, in or near Hong Kong. Winterbotham, 5th Jun 1928. ↑
  19. Telegram Governor HK to Secretary of State, 24 April 1929, WO 181/113 ↑

This article was first posted on 1st August 2024.

Related Indhhk articles:

  1. Mapping Hong Kong Part 1 – Where Are We?
  2. Mapping of Hong Kong Part 2 – 1841 The Belcher Map
  3. Mapping of Hong Kong Part 3 – 1845 The Collinson Map
  4. Mapping Hong Kong Part 4 – 1866 Map of San On District
  5. History of Mapping Hong Kong Part 5 – Mapping Kowloon
  6. History of Mapping Hong Kong Part 6 – 1901 The Tate Map
  7. History of Mapping Hong Kong Part 7 – 1904 The Maps of King and Newland
  8. History of Mapping Hong Kong Part 8 – HMS Pegasus
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