The Sai Wan Battery
Pre World War II History
The British built the Sai Wan Battery early during the colonial times. Originally, they built only the redoubt up on the hilltop in 1895. Three years later, the British military added two 6-inch gun platform as well, and construction completed in 1903. In 1906, however, a British Military Commission visited Hong Kong and determined that the gun platforms of San Wan Shan Battery was a surplus. The guns were removed, and this battery was vacated.
During the 1920s, the British decided to turn the San Wan Battery into an air defence base. Since then, two 3-inch anti-aircraft guns have stationed in this battery. They have played a significant role during the Pacific War.
Early Battles in Hong Kong Island
The Sai Wan Battery and the Lei Yue Mun Battery were the first line of defense in Hong Kong Island that fell into Japanese hands. On December 18, 1941, the Japanese Imperial Army landed the Hong Kong Island, and immediately Sai Wan Shan (Sai Wan Hill) became the first target of the Japanese offensive.
Under the command of Colonel Tanaka Ryosaburo, the 6th Company of the 2nd Battalion of the Japanese forces reached both the Lei Yue Mun Barracks and Sai Wan Battery. They arrived at a mere half-hour after landing Hong Kong Island. At the time, the 5th Battery of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps was guarding San Wan Battery. The soldiers had not known that the Japanese had landed Hong Kong Island already. But they did resist the Japanese attacks to the best they could.
Of this attack, six gunners were killed, 20 taken prisoners and 30 escaped. Those who were taken into captivity were mass-murdered. Although most of them died from the stabbing, two Chinese soldiers survived. They would serve as witness in the war crime trials after the War.
By the time that it fell, the Sai Wan Battery had already served its role in history. For it did shoot down Japanese war planes.
The Visit
I was having lunch with a friend in Sai Wan Ho and I decided to walk to Sai Wan Shan for 45 minutes. The day was bright and hot, indeed, but there is no walk that cannot be done with a good hiking hat. I probably took more than an hour, including the time I spent finding my way from Sai Wan Ho.
I made it up on Chai Wan Road. On my way, I noticed the Salesian Mission. During those early days of the resistance against the Japanese, there was a first-aid post here. The Japanese military murdered the prisoners of war and the paramedics here after they surrendered. Yet, miraculously, four survived in this incident as well. They eventually served as witness in the trial of Colonel Tanaka Ryosaburo, who was given a sentence of 20 years imprisonment for war crimes.
At the very small Chai Wan Children’s Playground, I made a left and came upon the entrance to the trail to the Sai Wan Battery. Go up the stairs right next to the Water Supplies Department Chai Wan North No. 2 Pumping Station. The hike up would take 20-30 minutes, until you reach the Lei Yue Mun Park / Sai Wan Battery (see pictures below).
Views
Along the path up the main barracks, you will come across some bunkers.
Perhaps the most interesting view up on the hill is the panorama of Lei Yue Mun Pass and the Devil’s Peak (where the Gough Battery, Pottinger Battery and the Devil’s Peak Redoubt are located) across the Victoria Harbour. Although the area is very much covered by ample foliage now, the views were wide open during WWII. The hills of eastern Kowloon would have come into plain sight in those times.
Another interesting landmark is the signpost pointing to the directions of many different important cities of the World. The signs also note the distance to these places. The cities featured are Rome, Amsterdam, Taipei, Paris, London, Canberra, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, Singapore and more.
I believe these were barracks.
These are the two original gun platforms.
Two more gun platforms were added after the war began. One no longer remains, as a pavilion stands in its stead now. The other is intact further down the road.
This was the very first redoubt that the British military built during the late 19th century.
How to Get There
By public transport, bus routes 118, 106, 8, 9, 14, 682 and many others will drop you off at the A Kung Ngam Road bus stop on Chai Wan Road. Go uphill on Chai Wan Road from the A Kung Ngam Road bus stop and watch out for the big sign pointing to the Lei Yue Mun Park.
You will see the Water Supplies Department structure across that road. The entrance to the trail is on the left of the Pumping Station.
Sources
Exhibits of the Sai Wan Battery on site.
A Guide to Hong Kong’s War Zones, Ko Tim Keung, at 59-64.
For Further Reading
Japanese Fortifications in Luk Keng
Murmurs of the Hollow at Mount Davis
Hike of the Year: From Nam Fung Sun Tsuen to Jardine’s Lookout and Back
War Relics at the Devil’s Peak
Like Greece – The Chung Hom Kok Battery
The Southern District Coastal Trail (The Waterfall Bay and Sandy Bay Road)