In late september 1994, we visited moscow, seeing many of the places that tourists usually see. Hkfp lens, author at hong kong free press hkfp page 25 of 25. Completed in 1937, shing mun reservoir is a great source of fresh water and home to many species of butterflies and migratory birds. The shing mun redoubt straddles scenic smugglers ridge, secluded amid the ferns and australian paperbark trees that swathe the volcanic hills. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. It was the loss of the shing mun redoubt and the weakness of the left flank of the gdl that necessitated the earlier than anticipated evacuation of the mainland. If you have a vehicle, and a day, the redoubt with its 4 pbs, observation post and linking tunnels is probably worth visiting.
Phone number available call the company phone number available get more information. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. Attackers could enter the concrete tunnels through the various fighting positions or by the main entrances. The deep defensive tunnels with ventilation shafts and observation points were. Escapes under the berlin wall and the historic films the jfk white house tried to kill by mitchell, greg isbn. The japanese penetrated the line when they seized the shing mun redoubt on the night of 9th10th december 1941. Dec 22, 20 as an example, the tunnels and other remnants of the shing mun redoubt are referred to on nearby signs as desolate trenches and its only thanks to the likes of jason wordie in particular, his streets. Dec 04, 2014 the japanese penetrated the line when they seized the shing mun redoubt on the night of 9th10th december 1941. Founded in 2015, hong kong free press is a nonprofit, englishlanguage newspaper run by journalists and completely independent.
Entering the tunnels is like descending into some kind of strange wartime london underground buried in the shing mun hills. The companies leading the attack assaulted the eastern position shing mun redoubt. Shing mun redoubt is still virtually intact, although some of the tunnels are now flooded and silted. As of the 2016 bycensus, there were at least 44,744 persons of south asian descent in hong kong. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Signpost inside the shing mun redoubt war tunnels, shing mun. A harrowing tale of cold war escape and suppression in the tunnels a new book explores a time in the early 1960s when two groups of diggers. It is a story about a boy will burrows and his father roger who are mystified researchers history.
Tai mo shan to shing mun reservoir hong kong tourism board. The following day japanese aircraft attacked the royal air force contingent based at kai tak airfield, situated on the mainland of the. One of the sites described in the book is the shing mun redoubt, but his first attempt to visit ended in failure. Youll not likely find it any of the guide books, but high above tsuen wan in shing mun country park. On december 7 th 1941 the japanese imperial navy attacked pearl harbour, which resulted in the united states of america declaring war on the japanese. Shing mun reservoir japanese tunnels below redoubt c. Since the redoubt was constructed by the british garrison stationed in hong kong, each of the passageways presumably in order to aid navigation was named after a famous london thoroughfare. Directly below about 1015 meters is the larger, accessible tunnel. Flashlight in hand, i descend into the tunnels, which are dark and damp, yet clean and navigable with the exception of some collapsed or mudfilled laterals thanks to intriguing road signs. At this point, all you have to do is to get back up the hill and back to the main redoubt part where your car is parked.
This paper map can be found all across the redoubts tunnels next to many other bunches of. Exploring hong kong and a local history enthusiast friend that i knew of their existence. Fighting was especially intense here on 12 december 1941, and that evening and the next morning the remaining forces withdrew. Here you have the option to explore the tunnels named after famous london lan. Shop hong kong signpost inside the shing mun redoubt war tunnels, shing mun country park, hong kong hong kong the form below can be used to purchase 5year, worldwide, rightsmanaged licenses for the most popular editorial uses. Green concerns prompt innovative construction method. York redoubt and tunnels near halifax, ns a snowshoeing. There are books on what happened during the battle for.
Media in category shing mun tunnels the following 6 files are in this category, out of 6 total. Hike part of the famous maclehose trail before stopping at shing mun redoubt, historical world war ii relics, part of gin drinkers line. Shing mun redoubt, in shing mun country park, was part of the gin. I noticed that the book noted editor, who found harry potter, but it is the only link with harry. The battle this page concerns the battle for hong kong, which began on 8 december 1941 with the japanese crossing the border of the new territories, and ended in the early hours of december 26th when the christmas day order to surrender finally reached remoter areas. Hong kong has a longestablished south asian population. Exploring shing mun redoubt, hong kongs secret wwii tunnels. This book is about a boy will burrows, and his friend chester who goes on a quest initially intended to search for his fatherwho disappeared in some strange tunnels, in which he eventually finds an underground colony inhabited by strange and cynical beings called the styx. An account of the action at the redoubt written by colonel doi. Second world war relics in hong kong hong kong outdoors. Hong kong pillboxes the pillbox study group website.
At the first flat path section there will be one or two large cuttings into the earth, below the trail. The tunnels are named after famous london streets, such as shaftesbury. View of kwai chung, needle hill, and tai mo shan shing mun, kowloon and shek lei pui reservoir. A few hundreds years prior, the region around the repository was a thick woods with not very many tenants. This one had lots of bush and vines going into the portal, and had obviously had not been entered in quite a while. When that plan was scuttled in 1940, the plan then was not to hold the line. They also measured and mapped the incredible and extensive network of tunnels of the shing mun redoubt above shing mun reservoir a bastion of the gin drinkers line where an important and controversial battle which saw japanese soldiers overrun the redoubt in just three hours. Dec 05, 2014 the japanese penetrated the line when they seized the shing mun redoubt on the night of 9th10th december 1941. They are a part of route 9 and the tsuen wan entrance is the reset point as route 9 is apparently a loop of route 9.
This, of course, was the plan which called for reinforcements for the defence of the gindrinkers line to be brought up from singapore. For example, only 30 soldiers defended shing mun redoubt in the battle of. Hong kong is as rich in flora and fauna as it is in worldclass skyscrapers, and this trail takes you into the heart of it all. The book tunnels i found on a shelf in a public library, i read a little summary. A harrowing tale of cold war escape and suppression in. The lynch pin was the shing mun redoubt, which comprises an intricate tunnel network linking pillboxes,bunkers, a command post and artillery. This first book in the tunnels series boasts an intriguing premise.
Shing mun tunnels administration building tsuen wan new territories. The tunnels are named after famous london streets, such as shaftesbury avenue, piccadilly and charing cross. Mar 01, 2012 this is the 4th book in the tunnels series. Drivers will be able to use octopus, visa paywave, mastercard contactless and unionpay quickpass at electronic payment terminals at shing mun tunnels from sunday. Dec 12, 2012 home abandoned hk places shing mun redoubt, hks secret wwii tunnels places shing mun redoubt, hks secret wwii tunnels 16 the remains of an extensive british military defensive line used against the japanese stretch for 18km loosely tracing the border between kowloon and the new territories. I sat on my couch and read through the whole thing without stopping. Places shing mun redoubt, hks secret wwii tunnels 16. Signpost inside the shing mun redoubt war tunnels, shing mun country park, hong kong shop hong kong signpost inside the shing mun redoubt war tunnels, shing mun country park, hong kong. These stateoftheart machineries are equipped with inhouse innovations namely mobydic, snake and telemach which enable realtime. The bodies of two female students are found mutilated and oddly positioned in the dark labyrinth beneath the schoolhaunting symbols painted on the walls above them. Shing mun reservoir likewise called jubilee reservoir is a repository in hong kong. Someone with a sense of humour originally named the tunnels after famous. A couple of books have brought the horrors of that time more clearly to my mind.
Naming the tunnels in the shing mun redoubt had the same effect. Adding new elements and designing their own tunnel books will only be a matter of time. I bought a copy of the first book a couple weeks after it was released, and i read it and loved it. To get you started we prepared a printable under the sea tunnel book template which the kids or you can print, color and asemble.
Theres just something about underground caverns and civilizations thats almost automatically appealing, and this is a particularly rich and nasty one, with cultish overtones and hints of an ancient history. The day a cargo ship washed up on cheung chau beach. There are about 7 subplots that are developed by this time, so the story doesnt drag, plus this gives ample opportunity for more 3 dimensional characters and action. The wartime defences gin drinkers line and shing mun redoubt are worth having a look at.
Posts about around the world 94 written by dstribling. The 1958 hong kong cha cha championship winner bruce lee. Tunnel books are super easy to make and your kids and you will get hooked. It is situated in shing mun, the zone between tsuen wan and sha tin, in the new territories. In her decade tracking serial killers, fbi special agent kelly jones has seen some of the worst humanity can inflict. We started off from the shing mun reservoir and walked up the. Built in 1936 to halt japanese invasion, insufficient troops, poorly trained soldiers, and underestimation of the japanese meant that a battle expected to last a month took two days. The lynch pin was the shing mun redoubt, which is the focus of this months walk. Take purcell cove rd highway 253 just up from the rotary. Defensive headquarters were located at shing mun redoubt chinese. In honour of remembrance day, we hike the shing mun redoubt, a key part of. The remains of an extensive british military defensive line used against the japanese stretch for 18km loosely tracing the border between kowloon and the new territories.
The form below can be used to purchase 5year, worldwide, rightsmanaged licenses for the most popular editorial uses. Protecting the natural environment was high on the agenda for dragages in the construction of the shing mun section of route 5, a project that involved twin tunnels linked half way by viaducts through two separate mountains. They are scattered across the hills, as part of the gin drinkers line, which was the main defence line against the japanese, and with the exception of those of the shing mun redoubt are fairly difficult to access. Construction started on 11 february 1987 and the tunnels opened on 20 april 1990.
Places shing mun redoubt, hks secret wwii tunnels places shing mun redoubt, hks secret wwii tunnels 16 the remains of an extensive british military defensive line used against the japanese stretch for 18km loosely tracing the border between kowloon and the new territories. I know it sounds unhealthy, but i legitimately did not even eat for the 28 hours that i slowly read through it. Up the first flight of stairs on the maclehose trail going towards shing mun redoubt. The shing mun tunnels are a system of tunnels and viaducts in the new territories, hong kong connecting the new towns of tsuen wan to the west and sha tin to the east. Osprey campaign 263 hong kong 194145 first strike in. Hong kong landscapes bernie owen, raynor shaw published by hong kong university press, hku owen, bernie and raynor shaw. As an example, the tunnels and other remnants of the shing mun redoubt are referred to on nearby signs as desolate trenches and its only thanks to the likes of jason wordie in particular, his streets. It is possible to walk round the whole complex, and walk through parts of the tunnels. The japanese then set up artillery on devils peak, pounding hong kong island. Shing mun redoubt hong kongs abandoned wwii tunnels.
When he eventually read lasting honour, a book about the battle of hong kong published by veteran oliver lindsay in 1978, ko set out to see what traces were left of the war in hong kong. The gindrinkers line took 2 years to build and fell after just 2 days during the battle of hong kong in december 1941. Once shing mun redoubt and nearby defences had fallen, devils peak became important for covering the retreat to hong kong island. Tunnels series by roderick gordon goodreads share book. First a small number of troops threw hand grenades into the air ventilation chimneys of the connecting tunnels and engaged in fierce closequarter fighting. York redoubt and tunnels near halifax, ns a snowshoeing and. Tuen munchek lap kok link northern connection subsea tunnel section. Basils, the pushkin museum, and the worlds largest mcdonalds. They are a part of route 9 and the tsuen wan entrance is the reset point of route 9. Yet the tragedy unfolding at her alma mater chills her to the. The command post, partially destroyed by japanese sappers, is clearly visible just by the maclehose trail. Hike through kam shan country park otherwise known as monkey hill, observe troops of rhesus macaques as they go about their daily life. Many trace their roots in hong kong as far back as when most of the indian subcontinent was still under british colonial rule, and as a legacy of the british empire, their nationality issues remain largely unsettled. They are made up of three sections, each with twin twolane tunnels.
Wwii relics, the shing mun redoubt rhesus macaques macaca mulatta, longtailed macaque m. This book series has consumed a large portion of my life. Hkfp is only answerable only to readers, not shareholders. Although i have not seen this book i have corresponded with the. The tunnels in the shing mun redoubt are very accessible, but at the moment. Btw, the whole of the york redoubt site is peppered with old bunkers and buildings that for the most part you can still enter. It comprised an intricate tunnel network linking pillboxes, bunkers, a command post and artillery. The westerly pair passes through ma tsz keng near shing mun reservoir, where it gets its name fr.