Five Months In Sek Kong 1966

Just before Christmas 1965 the pilots and technicians of my Artillery Flight in Borneo exchanged posts with those in the Hong Kong Flight. This was to allow us some R and R from the sweat, mossies and Tiger Beer, and was initially for 4 months but extended for a period due to Hong Kongs Star Ferry Riots in 1966. We arrived via RAF Hastings and British Eagle Britannia and soon exchanged the equatorial heat for a very cold South China December, and the Tiger for San Mig but the mossies seemed to have followed us. The photos show a Hong Kong which is almost unrecognisable today, as it is every time I have been back since then.

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Travel & Events

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• Sek
• Kong
• Army
• Aviation
• Royal
• Artillery

[DickieD]

UKgezr. Just remembered - I was in Hong Kong in 1988 too. We went by train from the UK in August, quite an experience! I went up to Sek Kong for a day and visited the Squadron so I might have seen you in the Bamboo club. After a fortnight we came back by BA which was not an envigorating experience, I preferred the train!

[DickieD]

In '66 we shared that hangar with the LAD but on my next HK posting to 660 ('78 - '80) the new hangar had been built for a while. I wonder what's in them now.

[DickieD]

I was in REME too, we were a nomadic Air Troop, circulating round Malaya, Borneo and Hong Kong as the resident incumbents did their stint in Borneo. I was attached variously to 4, 6, 14, 40 and 49 R.A. Regts.! At first it was quiet in HK then came the Easter 'Star Ferry' riots. I was posted back for 2 years in '78 and lived firstly at Castle Peak then in one of the bungalows. I had a Cortina 1600E then and also enjoyed the Twisk. Work was more intense that time due to the influx of illegals.

[DickieD]

Glad you enjoyed them. I climbed up the perilous and scary iron rung ladder in the tower one bored afternoon. In later years after the AAC and RAF Squadrons returned, an external staircase was built, no doubt to allow the WRAF ladies to ascend with dignity!

[UKGezr]

I was in Sek Kong in 1988 (660 Sqn AAC). I remember working in that hangar shown at 0.38 and sweating my ass off trying to fix the bowsers. Good memories.

[1stREMESquaddie]

Thank you Dickie. I was with REME stationed in Sek Kong attached to the 25th RA.

Work was boring, little to do, but the location was excellent. Loved the rides down the Twisk to our workshop in Kowloon. Great beaches on Hong Kong too.

[telmac24]

In the 90's, whenever ATC had a beercall, we all sat in the control tower stairs. My kids also ab-sailed off the tower, a memory that will always be with them. An interesting video showing how things have changed. Those married quarters shown in the video, at the bottom of ‘Route Twisk’ were still there but not for the British families, the Ghurkha’s lived in there. Whats the music by the way?

[iledeverte]

Loved to see this! In the 70s I spent many Sundays doing the A.T.C for the RHKAAF, from a truck at the side of the runway( two-niner end!).

We also did our annual camp there. One year my section was up the tower - very inconvenient for collecting the tea and cakes with which we were well supplied.

Thanks for posting.