Kowloon East Barracks (), formerly Osborn Barracks (), is a
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...
facility, and was a
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
facility, in
Kowloon City District
Kowloon City District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is located in the city of Kowloon. It had a population of 381,352 in 2001, and increased to 418,732 in 2016. The district has the third most educated residents while its res ...
, Hong Kong. Located in the northern part of
Kowloon
Kowloon () is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. With a population of 2,019,533 and a population density of in 2006, it is the most populous area in Hong Kong, compared with Hong Kong Island and t ...
on
Waterloo Road and
Junction Road Junction Road may refer to:
* Junction Road, Hong Kong
Junction Road () is a road in Kowloon, Hong Kong which runs between Kowloon City and Kowloon Tong.
History
The streets in Kowloon City, including Junction Road, were laid out in the late ...
(across the street from
Hong Kong Baptist University
Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) is a publicly funded tertiary liberal arts education, liberal arts institution with a Christian ethics, Christian education heritage. It was established as Hong Kong Baptist College with the support of Ame ...
).
History
![Hong Kong Park statue](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Hong_Kong_Park_statue.jpg)
The military facility was named for Canadian Army
Company Sergeant Major John Robert Osborn
Company Sergeant Major John Robert Osborn, VC (2 January 1899 − 19 December 1941) was a Canadian soldier. Osborn was a recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that ...
of the
Winnipeg Grenadiers
, colors =
, colors_label =
, march = "British Grenadiers"
, mascot =
, equipment =
, equipment_label = Equipment
...
. Osborn was a British-born
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
who died defending Hong Kong in 1941. He was awarded the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
and a barracks in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
was named in his honour in 1945 after the liberation. Osborn is memorialised at
Sai Wan War Cemetery
Sai Wan War Cemetery is a military cemetery located in Chai Wan, Hong Kong which was built in 1946. The cemetery was created to commemorate soldiers of Hong Kong Garrison who perished during the Second World War. The cemetery also contains 12 Wo ...
and also through a statue of an anonymous World War I soldier in
Hong Kong Park
The Hong Kong Park is a public park next to Cotton Tree Drive in Central, Hong Kong. Built at a cost of HK$398 million and opened on 23 May 1991, it covers an area of and is an example of modern design and facilities blending with na ...
on
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong, island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km ...
. The statue of the anonymous World War I soldier was originally part of the
Eu Tong Sen
Eu Tong Sen (; 23 July 1877 – 11 May 1941) was a leading businessman in Malaya, Singapore and Hong Kong during the late 19th and early 20th century. He was vice-president of the Anti-Opium Society and a member of the Kinta Sanitary Boar ...
statuary collection at Eucliff villa. When Eucliff villa was demolished, the Eu family donated the statue in the 1980s to Osborn Barracks in Kowloon where it stayed for 20 years before being relocated to
Hong Kong Park
The Hong Kong Park is a public park next to Cotton Tree Drive in Central, Hong Kong. Built at a cost of HK$398 million and opened on 23 May 1991, it covers an area of and is an example of modern design and facilities blending with na ...
.
Part of the land of the Osborn Barracks (the east of Renfrew Road) was given to Hong Kong Baptist University for new campus development in early 1990s. The last British Army regiment to occupy the Barracks was the
Hong Kong Logistic Support Regiment RLC
The Hong Kong Logistic Support Regiment RLC was a British Army regiment and affiliated to the Royal Logistic Corps. It was raised on 8 April 1994 to provide logistical support in British Hong Kong prior to the handover of Hong Kong to China. The ...
. After the
transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong
Sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China (PRC) at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the former colony. Hong Kong was established as a special admini ...
the Osborn Barracks are used by the
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...
in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
.
A helipad is located along Renfrew Road.
In 2015,
Albert Chan Wai-yip
Albert Chan Wai-yip (born 3 March 1955, Hong Kong) is a former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong representing the New Territories West constituency. He has served as a legislator from 1991 to 2016 except for the periods 1997–2 ...
suggested that the barracks be decommissioned for more residential space.
See also
*
List of army barracks in Hong Kong Barracks existed in Hong Kong before 1997
The following barracks existed in Hong Kong before 1997.
* Argyle Street Camp, built as a refugee camp before World War II
* Bowring Camp
* Chamham Road Camp
* Dodwell's Ridge Camp
* Erskine Camp
* Ly ...
References
References
The Country Boy Who Died for Hong Kong
Kowloon Tsai
Military of Hong Kong under British rule
Barracks in Hong Kong
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