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Colonial Cemetery, Happy Valley A tranquil spot in Happy Valley, Hong Kong is the resting place for many who travelled to the Far East from Europe in the 19th. century. The former British Colony was a thriving trading centre and home to merchants, military and members of the colonial service. Members of the Royal Navy and merchant seamen all spent time on what was once termed 'this barren rock'. In the early years the fledgling colony was stricken with outbreaks of typhoid, cholera and bubonic plague and these took their toll on the community. The Old Protestant Burial Ground in Wanchai was soon full and ground for a new cemetery had to be found. Happy Valley was on the outskirts of the growing city and was viewed as an ideal place to lay the departed to rest. The Colonial Cemetery was opened in January 1845 following the closure of the Old Protestant Burial Ground.
Over the years the monuments in the old Protestant Burial ground were vandalised or used in surrounding buildings. A decision was then taken by the Legislature that all surviving monuments would be moved to the Colonial Cemetery. The monuments were placed together in what now forms Section 11. The headstones provide a unique insight into the lives of ordinary people who helped to make Hong Kong the vibrant city it is today. Military & Naval monuments record the names of privates and seamen who died throughout the far east. However, as with all memorial inscriptions they become more difficult to read with each passing year. In 1985 in order to preserve something of this valuable archive I embarked on a ten year project aimed at transcribing & indexing the inscriptions that were still legible. For a search of the cemetery database please contact: |
Home/The Orient/Colonial Cemetery/The Project/Police/Met.Police/Hong Kong Police/UK/Terms Last modified: 23/10/2005 |
