Whoa !!! Memory Lane 😮
When I was ten – in 1957 – my old man was posted to Hong Kong (he was in the Army).
I went to Gun Club School until early ’58 – then to St George’s.
For our weekly swimming lessons, we were taken in an old Bedford bus to RAF Kai Tak – to use the pool.
I can still remember seeing the 28 Sqn Venoms lined up as we drove past.
It started my abiding interest in aviation…
At weekends, I used to mooch around Kai Tak – I can remember helping to push an Auster out of a hangar at the Hong Kong Flying Club, ducking behind the wall as the DC-7’s and Connies came in over the road.
They flew right over our flat in Lomond Road……….
I went aboard an RAF Sunderland that came up from Singapore and pestered the US Navy crew of a C-47 (probably an R4D ?) until they showed me around…
Martin Marlins landing in the bay, the new runway being built out to sea – playing amongst the rubble and bulldozers.
You wouldn’t get away with it today – I was out ‘playing’ all day!!!!!
We were in Hong Kong from late 1957 until early 1960 – near Kai Tak, in the New Territories at Sek Kong and finally on the island at Fort Stanley.
IIRC, in 1960 the new runway was opened by John Cunningham in a Comet – and I remember seeing my first Boeing 707 flying over.
I don’t have any photos – just memories…………
Ken
Didn’t know you were THAT old! 😮
I was in HK with the RAF during 1979-81 and not a lot had changed around the airport! There were still ‘moochers’ there! However there was no longer any RAF presence at Kai tak, only the RHKAAF(including the Spitfire 24 now at Duxford). 28 Squadron was at Sek Kong with Wessex HC.2s and the Army with Scouts – happy days!
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