Grave of a child at Stanley Military Cemetery

Williamson grave at Stanley Military Cemetery

Stanley Military Cemetery is a

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

located near St. Stephen's Beach in

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

, Hong Kong. Along with the larger Hong Kong (Happy Valley) Cemetery, it is one of two military cemeteries of the early colonial era, used for the burials of the members of the garrison and their families between 1841 and 1866. There were no further burials here until World War II (1939–1945). The cemetery is roughly triangular in shape and stands on ground rising sharply from the road side. It is approached by a flight of steps leading up to the

Cross of Sacrifice The Cross of Sacrifice is a Commonwealth war memorial designed in 1918 by Sir Reginald Blomfield for the Imperial War Graves Commission (now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission). It is present in Commonwealth war cemeteries containing 40 or ...

with steep grassy slopes on either side.

The Cemetery and Hong Kong Defence

On 8December 1941, Japan launched an invasion of Hong Kong, which resulted in the British surrendering on Christmas Day of that year. Stanley Village was one of the last battlefields of the defence. The

Royal Rifles of Canada , colors = , march = Quick march " I'm Ninety Five", double past " Money Musk" , mascot = , battles = South African WarFirst World WarSecond World Wa ...

, many elements of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps, and sections from the Middlesex were stationed there. Fighting occurred in the cemetery itself on the afternoon of Christmas Day, when D Company

Royal Rifles of Canada , colors = , march = Quick march " I'm Ninety Five", double past " Money Musk" , mascot = , battles = South African WarFirst World WarSecond World Wa ...

tried to force the advancing Japanese from Bungalow C. At the British surrender, the majority of the western civilians in Hong Kong were confined at

Stanley Internment Camp Stanley Internment Camp () was a civilian internment camp in Hong Kong during the Second World War. Located in Stanley, on the southern end of Hong Kong Island, it was used by the Japanese imperial forces to hold non-Chinese enemy nationals aft ...

, which included the grounds of St Stephen's College and the warders accommodation of the prison (which is now

Stanley Prison Stanley Prison (c. January 1937, previously known as Hong Kong Prison at Stanley) is one of the six maximum security facilities in Hong Kong. History Built in 1937, Stanley Prison is currently the oldest institution still in service (the old ...

of Hong Kong); while the military personnel were sent to either

North Point Camp North Point Camp was a Japanese World War II Prisoner-of-war camp in North Point, Hong Kong which primarily held Canadian and Royal Naval prisoners. History Built by the Hong Kong government as a refugee camp before the war, it was severely ...

, Sham Shui Po POW camp,

Ma Tau Chung Camp Ma Tau Chung Camp () was an internment camp in Ma Tau Chung, Hong Kong during the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong during World War II.Antiquities Advisory BoardList of Internment Camps in Hong Kong during the Japanese Occupation (1941 – 1945)/ref ...

and

Argyle Street Camp Argyle Street Camp was a Japanese World War II prisoner-of-war camp in Kowloon, Hong Kong, which primarily held officer prisoners. World War II Built by the Hong Kong government as a refugee camp before the war as North Point Camp and Ma Tau Chu ...

. Due to the lack of food and medical drugs in the camp, many people died at Stanley and were buried here at the time. Those "raw graves" are still preserved in their original shape. Following the Japanese surrender, many other wartime fatalities from this part of Hong Kong were also re-interred in the cemetery.

Burials in the 20th century

There are 598 World War II burials (including non-British Allied soldiers and two from the

Hong Kong Police Force The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest Hong Kong Disciplined Services, disciplined service under the Security Bureau (Hong Kong), Security Bureau of Hong Kong. The Royal Hong Kong Po ...

) in the cemetery. Of these burials, 175 of them are unidentified and 96 are civilian internees (including four children). Eric Moreton, a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

missionary who died of wounds sustained while driving an ambulance in Wanchai during the fighting at the Royal Naval Hospital on26 December 1941, is also buried in the cemetery. War dead from the period 19–26December 1941 of the defence were buried at Plots 5–6 in the cemetery. Among them were a few Canadians who were sent to Hong Kong three weeks prior the invasion (the majority of the many Canadians who died at the time are interred at Sai Wan). Another notable group of personnel that were buried or commemorated there are those who served in the

British Army Aid Group The British Army Aid Group (B.A.A.G.) was a para-military organisation for British and Allied forces in southern China during the Second World War. The B.A.A.G. was officially classified in the British Army's order of battle as an MI9 unit ...

, which helped POWs in Hong Kong or other Japanese occupied zones to escape to China, and arranged military needs for resistance in those zones. Among them was Captain M.A. Ansari, who was originally in the 5/7th

Rajput Regiment The Rajput Regiment is one of the oldest infantry regiments of the Indian Army, tracing its origins back to 1778 with the raising of the 24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry. The 1st battalion of the regiment was formed in 1798. After Worl ...

but from Ma Tau Chung POW Camp co-ordinated with the

after the surrender. He was also a posthumous recipient of the

George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, has been ...

. Also Colonel

Lance Newnham Colonel Lanceray Arthur Newnham (3 August 1889 – 18 December 1943), known as Lance or Lan Newnham, was a British Army officer. He was posthumously awarded the George Cross for the gallantry he showed in resisting Japanese torture during the ...

of the

Middlesex Regiment The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1966. The regiment was formed, as the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment), in 1881 as part of the Childers Re ...

John Alexander Fraser Major John Alexander Fraser GC MC and Bar (, 12 February 1896 – 29 October 1943) was a British colonial officer who was posthumously awarded the George Cross, the highest British (and Commonwealth) award for bravery out of combat, for h ...

of the British Army Aid Group, Captain Douglas Ford of the

Royal Scots The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of Scotland. The regimen ...

and Flight Lieutenant

Hector Gray Hector Bertram Gray (6 June 1911 – 18 December 1943) was an officer of the Royal Air Force, and a member of the British Army Aid Group, who was posthumously awarded the George Cross for "most conspicuous gallantry" in resisting torture afte ...

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

were also a posthumous recipient of the George Cross for the same reason too. There are some burials after the war, arranged at Spot 8. On the other hand, there are three commemorations of casualties (one from Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps and two from the

Chinese Labour Corps The Chinese Labour Corps (CLC; french: Corps de Travailleurs Chinois; ) was a force of workers recruited by the British government in the First World War to free troops for front line duty by performing support work and manual labour. The French ...

) of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, buried elsewhere in the territory and whose graves are now lost. The larger group of World War II military burials is 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 ...

Chai Wan Chai Wan (; ), formerly known as Sai Wan (西灣), lies at the east end of the urban area of Hong Kong Island next to Shau Kei Wan. The area is administratively part of the Eastern District, and is a mosaic of industrial and residential area ...

Gallery

Image:Graves of casualties of the First World War (Stanley Military Cemetery, Hong Kong).jpg, The commemoration of casualties of the First World War, buried elsewhere in the territory and whose graves are now lost. File:Bury near site at Stanley Military Cemetery.JPG, These two line of headstones are for those who fell during World War II whose graves are lost, including Captain M.A. Ansari, a recipient of

. File:Royal scot at Stanley Military Cemetery.JPG, Grave of Pvt. P.L. Gullane of the

, died after the British surrender. Image:Graves of Canadian soldiers (Pvt. J. Maltese, Winnipeg Grenadiers and Rifleman A.M. Moir, Royal Rifles of Canada).jpg, Graves of Pvt. J. Maltese of the

Winnipeg Grenadiers , colors = , colors_label = , march = "British Grenadiers" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label = Equipment ...

and Rifleman A.M. Moir of the

Royal Rifles of Canada , colors = , march = Quick march " I'm Ninety Five", double past " Money Musk" , mascot = , battles = South African WarFirst World WarSecond World Wa ...

. Both battalions (commonly known as "

C Force "C" Force was the Canadian military contingent involved in the Battle of Hong Kong, in December 1941. Members of the force were the first Canadian soldiers to see action in World War II. The major Canadian units involved in the defence of Hon ...

") were sent to Hong Kong in November 1941, just three weeks before the invasion. Image:12soldiers.JPG, Headstone for 12 unknown soldiers who fell in the war at Stanley Military Cemetery.

References

External links

*
St. Stephen's College Heritage Trail: Point 8 – Stanley Military Cemetery
* Stanley Military Cemetery

{{Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemeteries in Hong Kong Military of Hong Kong Stanley, Hong Kong Canadian military memorials and cemeteries Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in Hong Kong World War II sites in Hong Kong World War II cemeteries

The Cemetery and Hong Kong Defence

Burials in the 20th century

Gallery

See also

References

External links