The Wilmington morning star., 1945-09-24
NO CULLSS0AR
ON FL0PPY WINGS
OVER HONG KONG
BY HAL BOYLE

BY HAL BOYLE
ABOARD INNS DUKE An
YORK, Hong Kong. -(P,-No s W.
gulls soar on tloppy wings ovs.
Hong Kong. 'es
1t is the first port I ever ,,u
where no glamoring gulls gavs Nv
irving ships a free air escort !.
return for floating refuse.
"You don't fino seagul,s !,
Chinese harbors because fl.
Chinese boat people scavenge sv Az.
erything themselves" a sailor toIs
me. "Gulls would die of starvatioa
here or rather they would proh ,.
ably be caught and eaten" ~
Nothing gives a better ids, =,
the immensely and mystery Of ~.
Orient than the approach 10 Hons
Kong.
1t is one OF the most beautia,,
roads in the world and it has coma
under the sway of British g,,ns
which guarded it for a hupdreS
years before the japanese toos
over late in 194l.
Coming down from Okinawa NJ,
first contact with China was III.
sight of two rusty sailed Chinese
fishing junks adventuring out into
the Pacific.
An hour later l saw the old hills
Of Asia come into view, blue and
far away.
Steaming into Taihong channel.
this big battleship, the flagship Of
Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser's British
Pacific fleet, passed majesticallv
by a series OF lovely green clad
SuoN SuoH Su!leMol Inun pusyI
itself came in view.
On the other side is Stanley bay
where the japanese interned thou.
sands of foreign jewellers in prison
barracks. 1t was in this bay that
British troops came ashore in lS4l
to establish the crown colony that
became in time one Of the Empires
richest trade centers in the Far
East. A small cemetery on hill.
side above the bay still holds the
bones of many of the men from
this original landing force.
| The troops hit the beaches wear.
ing hot red coats which looked
pretty but were hardly suited for
tropical climate. Many soldiers
caught fever and died quickly in
this land so far and so different
from their native England.
Hong Kong is small island you
can ride around easily in couple
of hours, with many hills and peaks
covered with ferns and shrubbery
but with few trees.
Rich Chinese and "tailpans"-
wealthy English businessmen have
built costly villas in these hills
commanding views that an eagle
might envy.
i Ramshackle native fishing vii.
lagos surround each bay but Vic.
toria is the main city. It borders
Victoria harbor and looks across
miles of water toward kowloon
settlement on the mainland, jer'
minus Of British controlled rail.
way leading to the interior and
Canton.
More than million people liv.
ed in Victoria and Kowloon before
the war. Hundreds Of thousands
fled deeper into China when the
Japs came and of those who re-
manned thousands died Of disease
and starvation.
AS we came into the harbor
crowded with British aircraft car
riers and fleet vessels mist hung
over 1.-The peak" which rises steep
lily behind Victoria City where the
British have established restrict
ed area. and where natives aren't
permitted to build homes.
Marines and sailors stood stlllly
at attention on the decks as the
Duke of York swept in to anchor'
its band playing smartly.
Cheers echoed across the waves
from crowds along the Waterfront
land naked Chinese children IN
sampans, tiny boats which are
hearth and home for the Hong
Kong harbor population, shouted
"allo, allo." They sounded Like
bird cries.
As soon as we had anchored nan
a dozen sampans pulled up TO the
side of the battleship and Wai'ea
expectantly. One contained lou,
Chinese women and flew a req
emblem "Je. -nyside party boat
thought at first that this nlsa.
be some kind of weird tloauns
night club or pleasure craft nu'
British sailors laughingly explain
ed Chinese on the side party ooa'
clean and paint the ships slde,'
They can come on board ana cur
lect our garbage. ri.
The garbage is their wages ~
,o o1d uono Kong custom.