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Five WWII relics in the city of Hong Kong 五個在香港鬧市中的二次大戰遺蹟

15 August 2015, is the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender.  Hong Kong was invaded by Japan in 1941.  You can still see Hong Kong's WWII history through five relics in the city of Hong Kong.

(1) Peninsula Hotel
The Christmas decoration of Peninusla Hotel is nice.  But on the Christmas day of 1941, when Japan fully occupied Hong Kong, the grand hotel had no lighting at all because the power station was damaged.  Hong Kong Governor, Mark Young, was forced to sign the armistice in the room 336 of the hotel under dim candle light.

(2) Defense position at Stanley Market

There is still a concrete defense position at the Stanley Market next to a big banyan tree.  Long before WWII, British leaders once guessed that Hong Kong's enemy would come from the sea.  So lots of defense facilities were built on the southern part of the Hong Kong Island.  In 1941, however, Japanese Army came from the north......

(3) Osborn statue at the Hong Kong Park

During the fierce 18-day battle of Hong Kong, defenders fought bravely.  On 19 December, Canadian defender, Company Sergeant Major Osborn and his company were besieged by the Japanese at Mount Butler.  For covering his comrades, Osborn just picked up the Japs' grenades and threw them back to the enemy.  At last, Osborn even threw himself on a grenade to save his comrades.  The hero was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross and a statue was made to remember him.

(4) Private Maxwell's grave near the St John's Cathedral

Private Maxwell was killed in Wan Chai on 23 December 1941, just two days before  the fall of Hong Kong. As that was impossible to ship the Catholic Maxwell's body to the cemetery, his comrades decided to bury him near the Protestant St John's Cathedral.  Later, people led Maxwell rests in peace permanently in Central after the war.

(5) Queen Victoria Statue at Victoria Park

Queen Victoria Statue was once the icon of the Statue Square in Central. For securing more metals to make more weapons before its defeat, Japanese Army decided to 'invite' the queen to go to Japan, i.e. STOLE the bronze statue and tried to MELT it.  After Japanese surrender, the Allied Army found this VIP in a warehouse and sent her back to Hong Kong. In 1957, Hong Kong Government placed the statue at the entrance of a new Victoria Park in Causeway Bay.

 

二零一五年八月十五日是日本戰敗投降七十年紀念日。日本曾經於二戰時入侵並佔領香港。你可從香港市面的五個遺蹟,就可認識香港的戰爭史。

(1)半島酒店
半島酒店的聖誕燈飾十分華麗,不過在1941年的聖誕夜,那兒卻漆黑一片,因為發電廠已經被戰火打壞了。被日軍打敗的英軍代表港督楊慕琦,只能在336號房內,微弱的燭光下簽署降書。

(2)赤柱市集一碉堡
在繁盛的赤柱市集,仍然有一個英軍碉堡默默守護著一株老榕樹。英軍最初認為香港的敵人會從南中國海入侵,故大力在香港島南方佈防等待敵人。不過,在1941年12月,日軍卻由北方中國大陸攻入香港……

(3)香港公園奧斯本准尉銅像

在18日的香港保衛戰中,加拿大軍准尉奧斯本是其中一位英雄。12月19日,奧斯本和下屬在港島畢拉山被日軍包圍,奧斯本不斷拾起日軍手榴彈,把它們擲向日軍,以掩護戰友撤退。最終在形勢危急下,奧斯本飛身撲向炮彈,犧牲自己救回下屬性命。香港公園內的銅像就是要紀念戰爭英雄奧斯本的。

(4)聖約翰座堂旁戰士麥士維之墓

麥士維在12月23日,即香港淪陷兩天前,在灣仔戰死沙場。戰友無法把他運到墳場,只好把本是天主教徒的麥士維安葬在屬基督教聖公會的聖約翰座堂旁。最終,各方亦沒有再打擾麥士維,讓年輕的英雄永遠安息於中環市區。

(5)維多利亞女皇銅像

維多利亞女皇銅像原本是中環皇后像廣場的亮點。在瀕臨戰敗時,日軍為了得到更多可以製造軍火的金屬,就特地把女皇「請」到日本去,即是把銅像偷了,並準備把它溶掉。日本投降後,盟軍把銅像運回香港。政府最終把銅像安放在1957年興建的維多利亞公園門口。