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111-683: Gun Club Hill Barracks are barracks in King's Park , or in Jordan , Hong Kong formerly used by British Army garrisons during British colonial rule . The military began using the area shortly after 1860 when the British acquired Kowloon . The barracks are bounded by Austin Road , Jordan Path , Gascoigne Road and Chatham Road South . The barracks are currently occupied by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) who began using

222-402: A Company of some sixty men, four to a room, two to a bed. Standard furnishings were provided, and each room had a grate used for heating and cooking. In England, this domestic style continued to be used through the first half of the eighteenth century; most new barracks of this period were more or less hidden within the precincts of medieval castles and Henrician forts . In Scotland, however,

333-582: A day in the camp, including a bowl of congee given at 8:00 in the morning. Prisoners were confined in jail all day. Some were stripped naked.There were children in the camp as well. Two weeks later, the number of people in the camp reached 400. At 4 pm that day, all of them were forced to board a boat by the port at North Point. After a day, they arrived in Pinghai Town, Huizhou City . The able-bodied refugees were released; about seventy people deemed physically weak were slaughtered and their bodies were dumped into

444-606: A facelift with an annex added to the south elevation facing the Chatham Road entrance. A new remodelled entrance wing was added by 1930, which still stands. Key dates: (p. 277) : 1904 Barracks Blocks, Officers' Mess, Guard House, Soldiers' Canteen etc. in existence 1905 Col. Lewis, RE (Rt.) visited Gun Club Barracks, which then housed the Asiatic Artillery. King's Park was described as "very rough" and presumably still being used for army training. Rosary Church

555-682: A few bombs fell accidentally on Hong Kong territory, destroying a bridge and a train station. In 1936, Germany and the Empire of Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact . In 1937, Fascist Italy joined the pact, forming the core of what would become known as the Axis Powers . In the autumn of 1941, Nazi Germany was near the height of its military power. After the invasion of Poland and fall of France , German forces had overrun much of Western Europe and were racing towards Moscow . The United States

666-427: A hospital, a multi-purpose building, a restaurant, two staff quarter blocks and a single-storey changing block (Architectural Services Department, 1997). The Hospital Building is the principal building of the complex and features a crescent-shaped Low Block and an L-shaped 11-storey High Block. It includes such medical facilities as general surgical wards, out-patient rooms and an X-ray laboratory. The Composite Building

777-599: A land attack led to defensive ' lines ' being built around the dockyard towns, and infantry barracks were established within them (e.g. at Chatham, Upper and Lower Barracks, 1756, and Plymouth, six defensible square barracks, 1758–63). The newly constituted Royal Marines were also provided with accommodation in the vicinity of the Dockyards (e.g. Stonehouse Barracks , 1779) becoming the first Corps in Britain to be fully provided with its own accommodation. Large urban barracks were still

888-548: A long-term financier of Po Leung Kuk. There were very few public hospitals during the Japanese occupation, as many of them were forcibly converted to military hospitals. Despite the inadequate supply of resources, Tung Wah Hospital and Kwong Wah Hospital still continuously offered limited social services to needy people. In June 1943, the management of water, gas and electricity was transferred into private Japanese hands. Through schooling, mass media and other means of propaganda,

999-584: A more demonstrative style was employed following the Jacobite rising of 1715 (as at Ruthven Barracks ) and that of 1745 (as seen in the monumental Fort George ). This bolder approach gradually began to be adopted south of the border during the eighteenth century (beginning with nearby Berwick , 1717). There was much building in and around the Royal Dockyards at this time: during the Seven Years' War , fears of

1110-478: A new stage was begun with the handover of Hong Kong's sovereignty to China and Peoples Liberation Army became the new tenants for these historic facilities. Currently the barracks are being used by the Peoples Liberation Army who began using the barracks in 1997. It includes a hospital, housing blocks, a primary school, grocery stores and many other amenities. In 2015 Albert Chan Wai-yip suggested that

1221-550: A number of remains of Roman army barracks in frontier forts such as Vercovicium and Vindolanda . From these and from contemporary Roman sources we can see that the basics of life in a military camp have remained constant for thousands of years. In the Early Modern Period , they formed part of the Military Revolution that scholars believe contributed decisively to the formation of the nation state by increasing

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1332-618: A permanent military presence nearby. Prison cell blocks often are built and arranged like barracks, and some military prisons may have barracks in their name, such as the United States Disciplinary Barracks of Leavenworth . Barracks were used to house troops in forts during the Upper Canadian period . Leading up to and during the War of 1812 , Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe and Major-General Isaac Brock oversaw

1443-416: A possible invasion to retake the colony, the Japanese introduced a policy of enforced deportation. As a result, the unemployed were deported to mainland China , and the population of Hong Kong dwindled from 1.6 million in 1941 to 600,000 in 1945. Furthermore, the Japanese modified the territory's infrastructure and landscape significantly in order to serve their wartime interests. For example, to expand

1554-699: A rarity, though. In London there was a fair amount of barrack accommodation, but most of it was within the precincts of various royal palaces (as at Horse Guards , 1753). The prominent Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich (1776) was one exception (but significantly the Artillery were under the command of the Board of Ordnance rather than of the Army). In the aftermath of the French Revolution , though, things changed. The size of

1665-466: A series of tented encampments situated on where now stands Kowloon Park , Gun Club Hill and King's Park. They were connected to civilian areas by horse trails in the Chatham Road area. Through the years the area has been whittled down to ‘Gun Club Hill’ a smaller portion of the King's Park area between Jordan and Austin Road. During this period, there were no permanent structures so troops were rotated in from

1776-479: A skeleton said to date from Japanese occupation was unearthed in 1986. In the same year, various new classrooms were built at Gun Club Primary School. Three years after this, there were two severe floods, one on 2 May and another on 20 May during Typhoon Brenda , which caused significant damage to equipment, buildings and vehicles of the MT compound. The 1990s brought some new additions to the compound. A new military hospital

1887-636: A small boat, but soon after the journey started, a typhoon hit and the ships were left to drift on their own. Fourteen sank, killing about 3,000 people. The bow of another ship was destroyed. Survivors rescued later were unable to walk due to starvation. Many of them died on the beach. On 18 September 1942, the Japanese Occupation Government in Hong Kong held the first population census . According to historical documents, more than 2,000 people were killed or disappeared after being arrested during

1998-527: A small hotel, while some bankers who were viewed as enemies of the Imperial Japanese were executed. In May 1942, Imperial Japanese companies were encouraged to be set up. A Hong Kong trade syndicate consisting of Imperial Japanese firms was set up in October 1942 to manipulate overseas trade. To cope with a lack of resources and the potential for Chinese residents of Hong Kong to support the allied forces in

2109-510: A testimonial, English was forbidden from being taught and was not tolerated outside the classroom. Some private Japanese language schools were established to promote oral Japanese. The Military Administration ran the Teachers' Training Course, and those teachers who failed a Japanese bench-mark test would need to take a three-month training course. The Japanese authorities tried to introduce Japanese traditions and customs to Hong Kong students through

2220-594: A threat to the constitution, barracks were not generally built in Great Britain until 1790, on the eve of the Napoleonic Wars ). Early barracks were multi-story blocks, often grouped in a quadrangle around a courtyard or parade ground . A good example is Berwick Barracks , which was among the first in England to be purpose-built and begun in 1717 to the design of the distinguished architect Nicholas Hawksmoor . During

2331-573: Is a seven-storey rectangular block next to the primary structure which provides support for the whole complex and many of the mechanical and electrical facilities are stored there. Some buildings within the Gun Club Hill Barracks have been listed Grade II and III . Troops were rotated from the Wellington and Victoria Barracks on Hong Kong Island. A list of troops stationed at the barracks: Barracks The main objective of barracks

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2442-507: Is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training, and esprit de corps . They have been called "discipline factories for soldiers". Like industrial factories, some are considered to be shoddy or dull buildings, although others are known for their magnificent architecture such as Collins Barracks in Dublin and others in Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Vienna, or London. From

2553-543: The South China Morning Post . It became the mouthpiece of the Japanese propaganda. Ten local Chinese newspapers had been reduced to five in May. These newspapers were under press censorship. Radio sets were used for Japanese propaganda. Amusements still existed, though only for those who could afford them. The cinemas only screened Japanese films, such as The Battle of Hong Kong , the only film made in Hong Kong during

2664-694: The 2nd China Expeditionary Fleet . Originally formed by Zeng Sheng ( 曾生 ) in Guangdong in 1939, this group mainly comprised peasants, students, and seamen, including Yuan Geng . When the war reached Hong Kong in 1941, the guerrilla force grew from 200 to more than 6,000 soldiers. In January 1942, the Guangdong people's anti-Japanese East River guerrillas ( 廣東人民抗日游擊隊東江縱隊 ) was established to reinforce anti-Japanese forces in Dongjiang and Zhujiang Pearl River deltas. The guerrillas' most significant contribution to

2775-598: The Allies , in particular, was their rescue of twenty American pilots who parachuted into Kowloon when their planes were shot down by the Japanese. In the wake of the British retreat , the guerrillas picked up abandoned weapons and established bases in the New Territories and Kowloon. Applying the tactics of guerrilla warfare, they killed Chinese traitors and collaborators. They protected traders in Kowloon and Guangzhou , attacked

2886-835: The Barracks Complex in Września . Each of the Portuguese Army bases is referred as a quartel (barracks). In a barracks, each of the dormitory buildings is referred as a caserna ( casern ). Most of them are regimental barracks, constituting the fixed component of the Army system of forces and being responsible for the training, sustenance and general support to the Army. In addition to the regimental administrative, logistic and training bodies, each barracks can lodge one or more operational units (operational battalions, independent companies or equivalent units). Although there are housing blocks within

2997-549: The Chartist riots three barracks were established in north-west England in the 1840s, Ladysmith Barracks at Ashton-under-Lyne, Wellington Barracks at Bury and Fulwood Barracks at Preston. A review conducted following the demise of the Board of Ordnance in 1855 noted that only seven barracks outside London had accommodation for more than 1,000. This changed with the establishment of large-scale Army Camps such as Aldershot (1854), and

3108-675: The Crimean War . The first large-scale training camps were built in the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire (Germany) during the early 18th century. The British Army built Aldershot camps from 1854. By the First World War, infantry , artillery , and cavalry regiments had separate barracks. The first naval barracks were hulks , old wooden sailing vessels; but these insanitary lodgings were replaced with large naval barracks at

3219-698: The Gloucester Hotel became the Matsubara . The Peninsula Hotel, the Matsumoto; Lane Crawford , Matsuzakaya . The Queen's was renamed first the Nakajima Theatre, then the Meiji Theatre. Their propaganda also pointed to the pre-eminence of the Japanese way of life, of Japanese spiritual values and the ills of western materialism . Government House , the residence of British governors prior to occupation,

3330-572: The Japanese Military Yen . The exchange rate was fixed at 2 Hong Kong dollars to one military yen in January 1942. Later, the yen was re-valued at 4 Hong Kong dollars to a yen in July 1942, which meant local people could exchange fewer military notes than before. While the residents of Hong Kong were impoverished by the inequitable and forcibly imposed exchange rate, the Imperial Japanese government sold

3441-561: The Japanese occupation of Malaya , as well as other attacks including attacking the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor and American-ruled Philippines , and the Japanese invasion of Thailand . As part of a general Pacific campaign, the Japanese launched an assault on Hong Kong on the morning of 8 December 1941. British , Canadian , and Indian forces, supported by the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Forces attempted to resist

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3552-522: The Kai Tak Airport , the Japanese demolished the Sung Wong Toi Monument in today's Kowloon City . Buildings of prestigious secondary schools such as Wah Yan College Hong Kong , Diocesan Boys' School , Central British School , St. Paul's Girls' College , and La Salle College were commandeered by occupying forces as military hospitals. It was rumoured that Diocesan Boys' School was used by

3663-684: The Murray and Victoria Barracks . Tents and matsheds were used for accommodations and soldiers carried out shooting practice with rifles and larger weapons (Harfield, 1990) The first garrison to be stationed there were the "Gun Lascars", a group of Muslim artillery gunners originating from India. The following is a list of some of the regiments stationed at the encampments during that time: 1863 Second Battalion 20th Foot (arrived in December) 1888 91st Argylls (arrived in December) stayed in matsheds during quarantine period 1892 Argylls replaced by

3774-549: The Second Opium War . The British were in need of additional military facilities and had begun scouting sites on the Kowloon Peninsula. The purpose was not only to house garrisons but also provide military defences on both sides of the harbour. With the shoreline being used for civilian activities, sites in the King's Park area were selected to establish encampments. The area, dotted with gardens, streams and paddy fields

3885-491: The Surrender of Japan (15 August 1945) and formal surrender of Hong Kong to Rear Admiral Sir Cecil Harcourt (16 September 1945), fifteen Japanese soldiers arrested, tortured and executed around three hundred villagers of Silver Mine District of Lantau Island as retaliation after being ambushed by Chinese guerrillas. The incident was later referred as Silver Mine Bay massacre ( 銀礦灣大屠殺 ) by locals. The 38th Infantry Division ,

3996-575: The U.S. Marine Corps had gender-separate basic training units. Currently, all services have training where male and female recruits share barracks, but are separated during personal time and lights out. All the services integrate male and female members following boot camp and first assignment. After training, unmarried junior enlisted members will typically reside in barracks. During unaccompanied, dependent-restricted assignments, non-commissioned and commissioned officer ranks may also be required to live in barracks. Amenities in these barracks increase with

4107-630: The governor of Hong Kong , Sir Mark Young , surrendered the British Crown colony of Hong Kong to the Empire of Japan on 25 December 1941. His surrender occurred after 18 days of fierce fighting against the Imperial Japanese Army that invaded the territory. The occupation lasted for three years and eight months until Japan surrendered at the end of the Second World War . The length of

4218-517: The 1790s: first at Knightsbridge (close to the royal palaces), then in several provincial towns and cities: Birmingham, Coventry, Manchester, Norwich, Nottingham and Sheffield (as well as Hounslow Barracks just west of London). Several smaller cavalry and artillery barracks were established around this time, but very little was built for the infantry; instead, a number of large camps (with wooden huts) were set up, including at Chelmsford, Colchester and Sunderland , as well as at various locations along

4329-435: The 18th century, the increasing sophistication of military life led to separate housing for different ranks (officers always had larger rooms) and married quarters; as well as the provision of specialized buildings such as dining rooms and cook houses, bath houses, mess rooms, schools, hospitals, armories, gymnasia, riding schools and stables. The pavilion plan concept of hospital design was influential in barrack planning after

4440-425: The 1950s and 1960s, following a standardized architectural model, usually with an area of between 100,000 and 200,000 square metres, including a headquarters building, a guard house, a general mess building, an infirmary building, a workshop and garage building, an officer house building, a sergeant house building, three to ten rank and file caserns, fire ranges and sports facilities. In average each CANIFA type barracks

4551-550: The 1st Battalion, The King's Shropshire Light Infantry and quarantined in Kowloon matsheds because of smallpox outbreak on the troop ship from Alexandria 1899 Several companies of Royal Welch Fusiliers quartered Chatham Road, Austin Road, Jordan Road, Jordan Path and Gascoigne Road gradually ringed the grounds of Kowloon Cricket Club, and Gascoigne Road was named after Maj. Gen. Sir W.J. Gascoigne KCMG , Commander British Troops in China and Hong Kong from 1898–1903. During 1903–04,

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4662-728: The 34th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment was stationed at Gun Club from 1961 until 1963. In 1977, part of the Alanbrooke Block (British military quarters) and Infants’ School (Block 27) were demolished to make way for the construction of the New Gurkha MQs, Temple, Clinic and School started in the same year while the ten Intelligence and Security Company moved from Argyle Street Camp to colony Block (Block 36). Furthermore, Gurkha Transport Regiment and Gurkha Signal moved from Sham Shui Po Barracks to Gun Club and Victoria Junior School moved from Victoria barracks as well in 1978. During excavations,

4773-945: The British infantry battalions which were regularly stationed there, other organizations shared the compound. The United Services Recreation Club and the Intelligence and Security Company, which occupied the old Colony Club building were among them. The following is a chronological list of some of British military personnel stationed at the barracks during this time. 1956-1957 15 Medium Regiment Royal Artillery. 1965-1967 The First Battalion Queen's Own Buffs 1967 The First Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers, 1969 The First Battalion The Royal Welch Fusiliers 1971 The First Battalion The Black Watch 1974 The First Battalion The Royal Hampshire Regiment 1976-1977 The First Battalion The Light Infantry Note : The barracks were not used exclusively by infantry battalions,

4884-558: The Cavalry, Wellington Barracks for the Guards, and St George's Barracks (since demolished) behind the National Gallery . In several instances elsewhere, buildings were converted rather than newly built (or a mixture of the two, as at Cambridge Barracks, Portsmouth where a new frontage, housing officers, was built in front of a range of warehouses converted to house the men). In response to

4995-405: The First World War (when large camps such as Catterick were established), to the closure of many barracks in the interwar period . Many of those that remained were rebuilt in the 1960s, either substantially (as happened at Woolwich, behind the facade) or entirely (as at Hyde Park and at Chelsea – built 1863, demolished and rebuilt 1963, closed 2008). There has been an ongoing focus on improving

5106-563: The Governor's Office and its various bureaus. Two councils of Chinese and Eurasian leaders were set up to manage the Chinese population. All trade and economic activities were strictly regulated by Japanese authorities, who took control of the majority of the factories. Having deprived vendors and banks of their possessions, the occupying forces outlawed the Hong Kong Dollar and replaced it with

5217-583: The Hong Kong Dollar to help finance their war-time economy. In June 1943, the military yen was made the sole legal tender . Prices of commodities for sale had to be marked in yen. Hyper-inflation then disrupted the economy, inflicting hardship upon the residents of the colony. Enormous devaluation of the Imperial Japanese Military Yen after the war made it almost worthless. Public transportation and utilities unavoidably failed, owing to

5328-665: The Hong Kong area from October 1942. Most of these raids involved a small number of aircraft, and typically targeted Japanese cargo ships which had been reported by Chinese guerrillas. By January 1945 the city was being regularly raided by the USAAF. The largest raid on Hong Kong took place on 16 January 1945 when, as part of the South China Sea raid , 471 United States Navy aircraft attacked shipping, harbour facilities and other targets. The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong ended in 1945, after Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945. Hong Kong

5439-558: The Imperial Japanese influence on Hong Kong, two Imperial Japanese banks, the Yokohama Specie Bank and the Bank of Taiwan , were re-opened. These two banks replaced the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and two other British banks responsible for issuing the banknotes. They then liquidated various Allied banks. British, American and Dutch bankers were forced to live in

5550-546: The Imperial Japanese occupation, Hong Kong was ruled under martial law as an occupied territory. Led by General Rensuke Isogai , the Japanese established their administrative centre and military headquarters at the Peninsula Hotel in Kowloon. The military government; comprising administrative, civilian affairs, economic, judicial, and naval departments; enacted stringent regulations and, through executive bureaux, exercised power over all residents of Hong Kong. They also set up

5661-447: The Japanese as an execution site. Life was difficult for Hong Kong people under Japanese rule. As there was inadequate food supply, the Japanese rationed necessities such as rice, oil, flour, salt, and sugar. Each family was given a rationing licence, and every person could only buy 6.4  taels (240 g (8.5 oz)) of rice per day. Most people did not have enough food to eat, and many died of starvation. The rationing system

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5772-475: The Japanese influence over Hong Kong. For instance, there was Yasukuri or Shrine Festival honouring the dead. There was also a Japanese Empire Day on 11 February 1943 centred around the worship of the Emperor Jimmu . The Hong Kong News , a pre-war Japanese-owned English newspaper, was revived in January 1942 during the Japanese occupation. The editor, E.G. Ogura, was Japanese and the staff members were mainly Chinese and Portuguese who previously worked for

5883-443: The Japanese lessons at school. Famous historical stories such as Mōri Motonari 's " Sanbon no ya (Three Arrows)" and Xufu 's ( 徐福 ) voyage to Japan were introduced in Japanese language textbooks. The primary aim of the Japanisation of the education system was to facilitate Japanese control over the territory's populace in furtherence of the establishment of the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere . By 1943, in stark contrast to

5994-462: The Japanese occupation, a total of 20,000 Hong Kong people and 20,000 mainlanders were abducted to mine in Hainan Island, where they were abused and many died of starvation.Of the 40,000 Chinese workers on Hainan Island, only 5,000 survived. On the afternoon of 1 December 1944, a woman went out to collect firewood sticks on the side of the mountain. Suddenly, a Japanese military police and two Chinese police officers came to arrest her and stabbed her in

6105-421: The Japanese occupation. Directed by Shigeo Tanaka ( 田中重雄 Tanaka Shigeo ) and produced by the Dai Nippon Film Company , the film featured an all-Japanese cast but a few Hong Kong film personalities were also involved. This film appeared on the first anniversary of the attack. In 1941, the Japanese army transported a carload of people to the beach near the Queen Mary Hospital and killed them all. Identities of

6216-408: The Japanese tried to foster favourable view amongst residents of the occupation. This process of Japanisation prevailed in many aspects of daily life. It was the Japanese conviction that education was key to securing their influence over the populace. The Japanese language became a mandatory subject in schools, and students who performed poorly in Japanese exams risked corporal punishment. According to

6327-404: The Police into five divisions, namely East Hong Kong, West Hong Kong, Kowloon, New Territories and Water Police. This force was headed by Colonel Noma Kennosuke . The headquarters was situated in the former Supreme Court Building . Police in Hong Kong were under the organisation and control of the Imperial Japanese government. Imperial Japanese experts and administrators were chiefly employed in

6438-572: The Stanley Internment Camp in 1945. Moreover, the Imperial Japanese military government blockaded Victoria Harbour and controlled various warehouses in and around the city. Early in January 1942, former members of the Hong Kong Police , including Indians and Chinese, were recruited into a reformed police called the Kempeitai with new uniforms . The police routinely performed executions at King's Park in Kowloon by using Chinese for beheading, shooting and bayonet practice. The Imperial Japanese gendarmerie took over all police stations and organised

6549-476: The US Pacific Fleet in the sea off Zhoushan, Zhejiang. The ship sank on 2 October. Although some prisoners of war swam out of the cabin to escape, the Japanese soldiers on the adjacent ships shot and killed the escaped prisoners, resulting in about 1,000 deaths and 384 injuries. In July 1944, about 400 refugees were found on the Beaufort Island where there were few plants or animals. They were left to fend for themselves. According to residents of Cape D'Aguilar in

6660-482: The army grew from 40,000 to 225,000 between 1790 and 1814 (with the Militia adding a further 100,000). Barrack accommodation at the time was provided for a mere 20,000. To deal with the situation, responsibility for building barracks was transferred in 1792 from the Board of Ordnance to a specialist Barracks Department overseen by the War Office. With a view to dealing with sedition, and perhaps quelling thoughts of revolution, several large cavalry barracks were built in

6771-473: The back.Two other elderly women who were arrested at the same time were also stabbed in the back. They were immediately taken to the Aberdeen Police Station and imprisoned. During the period, they were not provided with food and water. They were taken to the North Point Refugee Camp on 2 December. There were also many prisoners in the camp, and the camp gate was guarded by Japanese military police and Chinese police with weapons. Some said there were only two meals

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6882-425: The barracks 1935 Officers' Mess addition built 1942-45 Japanese Occupation . Equipment abandoned on withdrawal to Hong Kong island. Japanese artillery silenced by British guns on the island 1947 25 Field Regt. Royal Artillery (RA) stationed at Gun Club. 1949 58 Medium Regt. RA at Gun Club. After the Japanese occupation, a number of regiments were stationed at the Gun Club Barracks. In addition to

6993-411: The barracks and personnel are maintained in an orderly fashion. Junior enlisted and sometimes junior NCOs will often receive less space and may be housed in bays, while senior NCOs and officers may share or have their own room. Junior enlisted personnel are typically tasked with the cleanliness of the barracks. The term " Garrison town" is a common expression for any town that has military barracks, i.e.,

7104-510: The barracks be decommissioned for more residential space. In 1994, construction began on a new hospital, and its construction was completed in 1997. Gun Club Hill Barracks Military Hospital provides medical services for all PLA personnel stationed in Hong Kong. It is located in the Gun Club Hill Barracks compound, bordered by Gascoigne Road, Jordan Road and Jordan Path. This multifunctional facility with nearly 17,000 square metres (180,000 sq ft) of working space, includes six buildings:

7215-449: The barracks’ layout shown as an Infants School, Followers Hut, Sikh/Muslim Cook-house, NCOs Quarters, Guard House, Sergeants Mess, Officers Mess, and a small Medical Centre. Gun Club barracks saw the organisation of its first battalion in 1910 consisting of about 446 soldiers including eight staff sergeants, 43 mounted troops, 312 soldiers from the artillery companies, 60 from engineer companies and 23 band members. The Officers’ Mess underwent

7326-402: The census. On 25 September 1942, the Japanese army brought 1,816 prisoners of war from the Sham Shui Po prisoner of war camp to the freighter "Lisbon Maru" moored at Stonecutters Island , and set sail two days later to transport the prisoners of war to Japan for hard labor. The Japanese army did not mark the ship as transporting POWs. Lisbon Maru was torpedoed by the submarine USS Grouper of

7437-516: The construction of Fort York on the shores of Lake Ontario in present-day Toronto . There are several surviving British Army barracks built between 1814 and 1815 at that site today. Multiple limestone barracks were built half a mile west of Fort York in 1840, only one of which survives. The British Army handed over " New Fort York ", as the second fort was called, to the Canadian Militia in 1870 after Confederation . The Stone Frigate , completed in 1820, served as barracks briefly in 1837–38, and

7548-410: The day was known as "Black Christmas". The surrender of Hong Kong was signed on the 26th at The Peninsula Hotel . On 20 February 1942 General Rensuke Isogai became the first Imperial Japanese governor of Hong Kong. This ushered in almost four years of Imperial Japanese administration, which they used the city as a naval and logistics base for their campaign in the western Pacific. Throughout

7659-626: The end of 1882, the money collected for exemption from billet was transferred to the military ministry. This has made it possible to step up the construction of barracks for the army. By 1 January 1900, 19,015 barracks had been built, which accommodated 94% of the troops. In the 17th and 18th centuries there were concerns around the idea of a standing army housed in barracks; instead, the law provided for troops routinely to be billeted in small groups in inns and other locations. (The concerns were various: political, ideological and constitutional, provoked by memories of Cromwell 's New Model Army and of

7770-413: The escape. A team of amateur archaeologists found the remains of half of a badge. Evidence pointed to its belonging to Barclay, the captain of the Royal Army Medical Corps , therefore the archaeologists presented it to Barclay's son, Jim, who had never met his father before his death. Other notable massacres near the end of the Battle of Hong Kong including the St. Stephen's College massacre . Between

7881-414: The establishment of a number of Naval barracks (an innovation long resisted by the Royal Navy, which had tended to accommodate its sailors afloat either on their ships or else in hulks moored in its harbours). The first of these, Keyham Barracks in Devonport (later HMS Drake ), was begun in 1879, and only completed in 1907. During the 20th century, activity ranged from the need for speedy expansion during

7992-474: The expansion of Garrison towns such as Colchester ; over time in these locations temporary huts were replaced with more permanent barracks buildings. Large-scale camps were not the only way forward, however; from the 1870s, the localisation agenda of the Cardwell Reforms saw new and old barracks established as depots for regional or County brigades and regiments. The latter part of the 19th century also saw

8103-451: The expense of maintaining standing armies . Large, permanent barracks were developed in the 18th century by the two dominant states of the period, France the "caserne" and Spain the "cuartel". The English term 'barrack', on the other hand, derives from the Spanish word for a temporary shelter erected by soldiers on campaign , barraca ; (because of fears that a standing army in barracks would be

8214-541: The facility after the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong on 1   July 1997. The compound now includes a hospital constructed for the People's Liberation Army, Hong Kong, completed around 1997. A long-standing part of Hong Kong's military history, the Gun Club Hill Barracks arose out of the need to house soldiers on the Kowloon Peninsula following the cession of the area under the 1863 Treaty of Tientsin following

8325-591: The first permanent buildings were built for infantry, but very soon occupied by the Asiatic Artillery made up of Sikh and Punjabi Mussulman Companies called Gun Lascars. Four companies of soldiers were billeted in a new barrack blocks flanking the parade ground completed in 1905. According to the Public Record Office , the construction was of “brick and granite and best Manilla Hardwood; outlet walls of Amoy Brick and inner walls of Canton Brick" (Harfield, 1990, p. 357). In 1909, other buildings were constructed and

8436-410: The formation of a proper combat army. Emperor Paul understood that the organization of military accommodations has its own task not only to provide a soldier with a house, but also to adapt him to the purpose and conditions of life of the soldier. Only a barracks cohabitation, concentrated in more or less significant masses, seemed to Paul the only purposeful approach for the development and maintenance of

8547-575: The guerrillas were noteworthy in rescuing prisoners-of-war, notably Sir Lindsay Ride , Sir Douglas Clague , Professor Gordan King , and David Bosanquet . In December 1943 the Guangdong force reformed, with the East River guerrillas absorbing the HK-Kowloon brigade into the larger unit. The British Army Aid Group was formed in 1942 at the suggestion of Colonel Lindsay Ride. The group rescued allied POWs, including airmen shot down and workers trapped in

8658-529: The high reparation costs forced them to promote fundraising activities like musical performances and dramas. Tung Wah Hospital and the charitable organisation Po Leung Kuk continued to provide charity relief, while substantial donations were given by members of the Chinese elite. Po Leung Kuk also took in orphans, but were faced with financial problems during the occupation, as their bank deposits could not be withdrawn under Japanese control. Their services could only be continued through donations by Aw Boon Haw ,

8769-570: The interrogations were conducted by the Japanese military police only. There were no judges, lawyers, and observers. In March 1942, 484 civilians who had been imprisoned at the Hop Kee Company on Gloucester Road, Wanchai, were deported to Hainan Island via the Japanese cargo ship Yuen Lam for forced labour. After the Liberation of Hong Kong, only a hundred people were able to return. More than 300 people died of torture and starvation. During

8880-493: The major dockyard towns of Europe and the United States, usually with hammocks instead of beds. These were inadequate for the enormous armies mobilized after 1914. Hut camps were developed using variations of the eponymous Nissen hut , made from timber or corrugated iron. In many military forces, both NCO and SNCO personnel will frequently be housed in barracks for service or training. Officers are often charged with ensuring

8991-433: The military spirit and discipline, for the study of the soldier's personality and qualities, for the convenience of training and military exercises. Barrack is not only the home of a soldier, but also the school where he is brought up. This idea was fully grasped by Paul, and the construction of barracks for the army everywhere became his main objective, to the achievement of which he put all his strength, all his energy. From

9102-487: The nearby region, they often heard screams and cries coming from the island. Skeletons were found all over the area later on, most died from starvation or drowning in failed escape. During the Japanese occupation, most people released from the Station died soon after, and it is estimated that more than 100 died due to starvation or torture. The police also transported some prisoners directly for execution without trials. Most of

9213-567: The occasion demands" and "it would be easier for Cantonese people to learn Japanese than Japanese people to learn Cantonese". The Japanese promoted the use of Japanese as the lingua franca between the locals and the occupying forces. English shop signs and advertisements were banned and, in April 1942, streets and buildings in Central were renamed in Japanese. For example, Queen's Road became Meiji -dori and Des Voeux Road became Shōwa -dori. Similarly,

9324-563: The occupied colony. It also developed a role in intelligence gathering. In the process, the Group provided protection to the Dongjiang River which was a source for domestic water in Hong Kong. This was the first organisation in which Britons, Chinese and other nationalities served with no racial divide. Francis Lee Yiu-pui and Paul Tsui Ka-cheung were commissioned as officers. United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) units based in China attacked

9435-655: The perimeter of some regimental barracks, the Portuguese usual practice is for the members of the Armed Forces to live outside the military bases with their families, inserted in the local civilian communities. Many of the Portuguese regimental barracks are of a model developed by the old Administrative Commission for the New Infrastructures of the Armed Forces (CANIFA). Because of this, they are commonly referred as "CANIFA type barracks". These types of barracks were built in

9546-503: The period ( 三年零八個月 , lit.   ' three years and eight months ' ) later became a metonym of the occupation. During the Imperial Japanese military's full-scale invasion of China in 1937, Hong Kong as part of the British Empire was not under attack. Nevertheless, its situation was influenced by the war in China due to proximity to the mainland China. In early March 1939, during an Imperial Japanese bombing raid on Shenzhen ,

9657-780: The police station at Tai Po , and bombed Kai Tak Airport. During the Japanese occupation the only fortified resistance was mounted by the East River guerrillas. In January 1942, the HK-Kowloon Brigade ( 港九大隊 ) was established from the Guangdong People's anti-Japanese guerrilla force. In February 1942, with local residents Choi Kwok-Leung ( 蔡國梁 ) as commander and Chan Tat-Ming ( 陳達明 ) as political commissar, they were armed with 30 machine guns and several hundred rifles left by defeated British forces. They numbered about 400 between 1942 and 1945 and operated in Sai Kung . Additionally,

9768-449: The puppet Chinese Representative Council and Chinese Cooperative Council , consisting of local leading Chinese and Eurasian community leaders. In addition to Governor Mark Young, 7,000 British soldiers and civilians were kept in prisoner-of-war or internment camps, such as Sham Shui Po Prisoner Camp and Stanley Internment Camp . Famine, malnourishment and sickness were pervasive. Severe cases of malnutrition among inmates occurred in

9879-493: The quality of barracks accommodation; since the 1970s several former RAF bases have been converted to serve as Army barracks, in place of some of the more cramped urban sites. Today, generally, only single and unmarried personnel or those who choose not to move their families nearby live in barracks. Most British military barracks are named after battles, military figures or the locality. In basic training, and sometimes follow-on training, service members live in barracks. Formerly,

9990-460: The rank of the occupant. Unlike the other services, the U.S. Air Force officially uses the term " dormitory " to refer to its unaccompanied housing. During World War II, many U.S. barracks were made of inexpensive, sturdy and easy to assemble Quonset huts that resembled Native American long houses (having a rounded roof but made out of metal). Japanese occupation of Hong Kong The Imperial Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began when

10101-462: The rapidly advancing Japanese, but were heavily outnumbered. After racing down the New Territories and Kowloon , Japanese forces crossed Victoria Harbour on 18 December. After fierce fighting continued on Hong Kong Island on 25 December 1941, British colonial officials headed by the governor of Hong Kong , Mark Aitchison Young , surrendered at the Japanese headquarters. To the local people,

10212-473: The rough barracks of 19th-century conscript armies, filled with hazing and illness and barely differentiated from the livestock pens that housed the draft animals , to the clean and Internet-connected barracks of modern all-volunteer militaries , the word can have a variety of connotations. Early barracks such as those of the Roman Praetorian Guard were built to maintain elite forces. There are

10323-424: The sea. On 19 December 1941, a group of Japanese soldiers killed ten St. John stretcher bearers at Wong Nai Chung Gap despite the fact that all the stretcher bearers wore the red cross armband . These soldiers captured a further five medics who were tied to a tree , two of whom were taken away by the soldiers, never to be seen again. The remaining three attempted to escape during the night, but only one survived

10434-452: The shortage of fuel and the aerial bombardment of Hong Kong by the Americans. Tens of thousands of people became homeless and helpless, and many of them were employed in shipbuilding and construction. In the agricultural field, the Imperial Japanese took over the race track at Fanling and the air strip at Kam Tin for their rice-growing experiments. With the intention of boosting

10545-614: The south coast. Barrack-masters were appointed, one such was Captain George Manby at the Royal Barracks, Great Yarmouth . Coincidentally his father, Captain Matthew Manby, had been barrack-master at Limerick . It was not until some years after the end of the Napoleonic Wars (and post-war recession ) that barrack-building began again. John Nash built four as part of his London improvements: Regent's Park and St John's Wood for

10656-510: The successful imposition of the Japanese language upon the local populace, only one formal language school, the Bougok School ( 寳覺學校 ), was providing Cantonese language courses to Japanese people in Hong Kong. According to an instructor at the Bougok School, "teaching Cantonese is difficult because there is no system and set pattern in Cantonese grammar; and you have to change the pronunciation as

10767-483: The unit mainly responsible for capturing Hong Kong, departed in January 1942. The Hong Kong Defence Force was established during the same month, and was the main Japanese military unit in Hong Kong throughout the occupation. The other Japanese military units stationed in Hong Kong from early 1942 were the small Hong Kong Artillery Force and the Imperial Japanese Navy 's Hong Kong Base Force, which formed part of

10878-511: The use of troops in reign of James II to intimidate areas of civil society. Furthermore, grand urban barracks were associated with absolutist monarchies, where they could be seen as emblematic of power sustained through military might; and there was an ongoing suspicion that gathering soldiers together in barracks might encourage sedition.) Nevertheless, some "soldiers' lodgings" were built in Britain at this time, usually attached to coastal fortifications or royal palaces. The first recorded use of

10989-449: The victims are still unknown. On 19 May 1942, 10,000 refugees were detained by the Japanese army and escorted to the Sai Wan , where they boarded the ships. When they boarded the ship, each was given a jar of rice weighing about two kilograms, two pieces of bread, and ten Hong Kong dollars. After boarding the ship, the refugees were locked in the bilge. A total of nineteen ships were towed by

11100-654: The word 'barracks' in this context was for the Irish Barracks, built in the precinct of the Tower of London in 1669. At the Ordnance Office (responsible for construction and upkeep of barracks) Bernard de Gomme played a key role in developing a 'domestic' style of barrack design in the latter half of the 17th century: he provided barrack blocks for such locations as Plymouth Citadel and Tilbury Fort , each with rows of square rooms arranged in pairs on two stories, accommodating

11211-413: Was a popular place to hunt birds and, once the military encampments were established, several firing ranges were set up for training. Despite the lack of verification, Sinologist R.G. Horsnell believes it is plausible that is how this area got its name. The barracks compound is about 10 hectares (25 acres), although the original Gun Club Hill Barracks encompassed a much larger area. The military organised

11322-662: Was abolished in 1944. According to eyewitnesses, the Japanese committed atrocities against many locals, including the rape of many ethnic Chinese women. During the three years and eight months of occupation, an estimated 10,000 civilians were executed, while many others were tortured, raped, or mutilated. Between the Surrender of Japan (15 August 1945) and formal surrender of Hong Kong to Rear Admiral Sir Cecil Harcourt (16 September 1945), fifteen Japanese soldiers arrested, tortured, and executed around three hundred villagers of Silver Mine District of Lantau Island in retaliation for being ambushed by Chinese guerrillas. The incident

11433-463: Was built facing Jordan Road after demolishing Colony Club (Block 36), St. Eligius’ Church and also the old gum shed. Some of the banyan trees were transplanted into other areas of the barracks and some were moved to the new Kowloon Walled City Park . Another remarkable event happened in 1995, the hand over of the barracks vacated by the British regiment, the Gurkha's, to Hong Kong Government. Lastly, in 1997,

11544-742: Was built in the same year in Chatham Road (then named De Voeux Road). 1909 Muslim/Sikh Cook-house and Followers' Hut in existence 1910 1st Battalion. The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry stationed at Gun Club Barracks 1914 Hong Kong – Singapore Battalion. RGA at Gun Club with D & E Companies quartered at Whitefield Barracks Four 10-pounder BL Mountain guns at Gun Club 1914-18 First World War. Armed Forces in Hong Kong mobilised. 1920s Hong Kong - Singapore Artillery still at Gun Club where these Indian troops trained their mule handlers. Gun Club still unfenced at this time c. 1925 St. Mary's Can Ossian College built in Austin Road opposite

11655-520: Was handed over by the Imperial Japanese Army to the Royal Navy on 30 August 1945; British control over Hong Kong was thus restored. 30 August was declared as " Liberation Day " (Chinese: 重光紀念日 ), and was a public holiday in Hong Kong until 1997. General Takashi Sakai , who led the invasion of Hong Kong and subsequently served as governor-general during the Japanese occupation, was tried as

11766-507: Was intended to lodge around 1000 soldiers and their respective armament, vehicles and other equipment. Until the end of the 18th century personnel of the Imperial Russian Army were billeted with civilians homes or accommodated in slobodas in a countryside. First barracks were built during the reign of Emperor Paul I . For these purposes, Paul I established a one-time land tax based on the amount of land owned by citizen. This tax

11877-656: Was later referred by locals as the Silver Mine Bay massacre ( 銀礦灣大屠殺 ). During the occupation, hospitals available to the masses were limited. The Kowloon Hospital and Queen Mary Hospital were occupied by the Japanese army. Despite the lack of medicine and funds, the Tung Wah and Kwong Wah Hospital continued their social services but on a limited scale. These included provision of food, medicine, clothing, and burial services. Although funds were provided, they still had great financial difficulties. Failure to collect rents and

11988-538: Was neutral and opposition to Nazi Germany was given only by Britain, the British Commonwealth and the Soviet Union. The United States provided minor support to China in its fight against Imperial Japan's invasion. It imposed an embargo on the sale of oil to Japan after less aggressive forms of economic sanctions failed to halt Japanese advances. On 7 December 1941 (Honolulu time), Japan entered World War II with

12099-403: Was not mandatory, but person who paid it was permanently exempted from billets. He considered as unquestionably harmful for the combat development of the soldier not only a constant participation in the home life of civilians, caused by the billet system, — Paul believed that even an accommodation in the slobodas, which did not cut soldier off from a household concerns and chores, is unsuited to

12210-553: Was refitted as a dormitory and classrooms to house the Royal Military College of Canada by 1876. The Stone frigate is a large stone building originally designed to hold gear and rigging from British warships dismantled to comply with the Rush–Bagot Treaty . In Poland barracks are represented usually as a complex of buildings, each consisting of a separate entity or an administrative or business premises. As an example,

12321-504: Was the seat of power for the Japanese military governors. During the occupation, the buildings were largely reconstructed in 1944 following designs by Japanese engineer Siechi Fujimura , including the addition of a Japanese-style tower which remains to this day. Many Georgian architectural features were removed during this period. The roofs also continue to reflect a Japanese influence. The commemoration of Japanese festivals , state occasions, victories and anniversaries also strengthened

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