The Ossuary

Ossuary opened in 1983

In 1969 the Director of Urban Service issued details of 460 graves which were to be exhumed from The Colonial Cemetery during 1970.  All remains not claimed and removed before the date of exhumation were to be placed in an ossuary which was to be built within the cemetery - or otherwise disposed of as the Director thought fit.

The original ossuary was constructed in the south-east of the cemetery in Section 40.  Individual graves on this side of the cemetery were sited in tiers rising up the hillside with views to the race track and harbour.  The perfect location - at least it would have been had it not been for the Aberdeen Tunnel Project which loomed large later in the 1970s.

The possibility of a tunnel linking Aberdeen to the south side of the island had been talked about for some years.  In the 1970s it became a reality and that beautiful hillside with its tiers of graves was torn to pieces as tunnelling commenced between Happy Valley and Wong Chuk Hang.

The Aberdeen Tunnel Project resulted in the exhumation of over 3000 graves plus the demolition of the original ossuary in Section 40.  Monuments and graves with headstones in the affected sections were to be re-sited in other parts of the cemetery, whilst graves with no headstones were to be placed in a brand new ossuary.  Building the ossuary was scheduled for the final stages of the project and pending completion the exhumed remains were stored in boxes within a bone store.  The work was finally completed in 1983.

Since the 1980s several wonderful projects have been completed within the cemetery by academics and researchers:

a) Solomon Bard's project undertaken between October 1989 and March 1991 concentrated on military graves.

b) Patricia Lim's project in the 2000s resulted in her book "Forgotten Souls" detailing the social history behind burials within the Colonial Cemetery (now known as The Hong Kong Cemetery).

c) Ken Nicholson's architectural look at "The Happy Valley".

As far as I am aware the one huge gap in all research completed to date relates to the many thousands of souls buried without a headstone.  I am not an academic neither am I an author but having Asperger's Syndrome means that I thrive when indexing information.  I was doing this long before the age of personal computers and my first index for the Colonial Cemetery consisted of flimsy paper slips very carefully filed in alphabetical order within many shoe boxes.  In retirement information from those slips was transferred to computer along with information from a myriad of other sources.

As a researcher specialising in the former Colonial Cemetery I am often contacted by families serarching for the graves of family members who died in Hong Kong.  The most poignant are from the children of military families searching for the grave of a baby brother or sister who died in the 1930s or 1950s and who did not have a headstone.

Over the next few years I shall be posting the results of 30+ years research relating to those whose lives were not recorded for posterity on expensive headstones - the ordinary everyday people, even those who were "down & out".

The ossuary is a good place to start because thanks to the Aberdeen Tunnel Project these souls had plaques provided by the Urban Council.  The 1970s project was a huge undertaking so it is not surprising to find that many errors crept into their recording of names and dates.  By collating information from the ossuary plaque, cemetery records, burial records and a variety of other sources I hope to give these Lost Souls back their full names together with something of their background.  My thanks goes to all USD staff who were involved in that project back in the 1970s and early 80s as I believe they did an excellent job under very difficult circumstances.

For administrative convenience I shall begin with the 280 occupants of Block B and will start posting details after Christmas.  Please keep checking back for updates and if you think I can assist in tracing a "lost" burial please do not hesitate to contact me: 

Christine M. Thomas

The Earnshaw Brothers

Curtiss Oriole Airplane - 1919

Courtesy of Special Collections, University of Houston Digital Library

Claude and Reginald Earnshaw were born in Battersea at the turn of the 20th. century. Their father was a broker at the Stock Exchange and by 1911 they were living in Swanley, Kent.

Reginald was interested in the new phenomenon of aviation and in 1918 he applied to join the Royal Air Force. Unfortunately, during the training period it was found that at a certain height blood rushed to his head and for this reason he was judged as being “unsuitable”. Reginald returned to the Training Reserve Battalion.

After the war the brothers wanted to broaden their horizons and they joined the Hong Kong Police. Recruiting had ceased during the war but a large intake of 34 men arrived during 1919 and a further 21 in 1920. However, after a couple of years the brothers decided that there were better opportunities to be had outside of the Force. Reginald became the Manager of the Kai Tack Motor Bus Company and Claude became the Manager of the Palace Hotel.

Even though Reginald had left the Police Force his training stayed with him. In 1924 he was instrumental in the arrest of a gang of armed bandits in the New Territories. His diligence won him a commendation from the Government plus a small reward.

Reginald was still interested in aviation and when the young American aviator, H.W. Abbott, arrived in the Colony he saw it as a perfect opportunity. The Abbott School of Aviation was formed and Reginald found himself working as mechanic on the Curtiss J N 4 planes. In order to drum up business Abbott organised an air display which was to be held at Chinese New Year 1925. Reginald must have been in his element spending all his spare time with the aircraft but it still was not enough. On a short holiday to Manila he actually made a parachute jump. The only trouble was that when he returned to Hong Kong none of his friends actually believed him.

The day before the display Reginald told his brother that he was to be part of the event and that at 4pm he would be jumping with a parachute from the small Curtiss plane from a height of 2,500 ft. He was intending to land on reclamation land in Kowloon. He assured his brother that it was all perfectly safe. Claude pointed out that the flight would be over the harbour and that there was a danger of landing in water instead of on land. Reginald said that he would organise a boat to be standing by – just in case that should happen. Claude advised that perhaps it might be safer not to wear his heavy riding boots as these could cause problems if he should land in the harbour. Reginald declined this advice saying that if he came down on land he could hit rocks and then he would definitely need his boots. It seemed that he had an answer for everything – as adventurous/foolhardy youngsters always seem to do !!

The display started at 2pm with the christening of “Felix” the new Curtiss plane built by Abbott. After the ceremony Mr. W. George Bunter gave a speech outlining the objects of the new school – which, incidentally, happened to be the very early beginnings of Kai Tak Airport. After this Abbott flew his new plane with a string of fire crackers attached to the tail. Henry Young who was described as being a famous Chinese aviator followed with a series of daring stunts including looping the loop, nose diving and tail spinning. The spectators loved it.

4pm came round all too quickly and poor Reginald wondered what he had let himself in for. Why had he been so rash as to say that he would do this? Oh well, he had said that he would jump – so jump he must. He climbed into the passenger seat in front of Abbott with his parachute rolled and ready. The plane took off and circled three times ascending all the time. The correct height was reached and Reginald summoned all his courage and climbed out onto the wing of the plane. He hesitated for about a minute and then jumped. The parachute opened and he began the descent. As he looked down he could see that he was coming down over the harbour instead of the land so he pulled on the guy ropes. But it was all to no avail and he landed in the harbour. With his heavy boots and thick clothing there was no way that he could stay afloat. By the time the little motor boat arrived on the scene there was no sign of Reginald.

Abbott and Henry Young went up again and circled and circled in the hope of spotting the young man but there was no sign of him. The Water Police searched for his body for days. He was found some 10 days later just a few yards from where he had descended. It appeared that cords had become entangled around his right leg and the weight of the parachute had dragged him under the water.

On 7th. February Reginald’s coffin draped with the Union Jack and borne on a gun carriage drawn by a detachment from the Water Police made its way to the Colonial Cemetery. The body was accorded military honours and a firing party from the East Surrey Regiment was present. At the graveside three volleys were fired and a bugler sounded the Last Post. His former colleagues from the Hong Kong Police paid their last token of respect by filling in the grave themselves.

His brother, Claude, was the chief mourner and to him fell the sad duty of informing his parents and sister back home.

Claude was a keen cyclist, oarsman and cricketer. He was also a billiards player and arranged tournaments at the Palace Hotel. He was described as being courteous and a person who always tried to serve others.

Just 6 years after the tragic death of his brother, Claude also passed away and was buried quietly in the Colonial Cemetery.

Reginald was buried in Section 16E whilst Claude was buried in Section 16C. In 1975 large sections of the cemetery were under threat due to the Aberdeen Tunnel Project. Neither of these sections were in danger as they were high on the hill in the centre of the cemetery. However, room was needed everywhere in order to relocate graves with headstones that were having to be moved. Neither Reginald nor Claude had headstones and their graves were, therefore, exhumed and the remains later placed in the Ossuary.

These simple plaques record the names of the two brothers. Fortunately they can both be found in the same block of the Ossuary.

Together in life – together in death.

If you would like a search of my database of Hong Kong Cemetery burials please e-mail me:

(you will need to type this into the address box of your e-mail as it is not a direct link to avoid spammers !)

A Short Walk

Stepping through the back gate of the Hong Kong Cemetery on Stubbs Road one immediately descends into a serene, peaceful world far away from the frenentic hustle and bustle of the thriving city. Apartment buildings tower into the skyline but once inside the cemetery all that can be seen is thick green foliage and the smell of frangipani wafts through the air.

Just inside the gate on the right hand side is a long narrow section. All that can be seen are a few numbered stones nestling in the grass. This area was reserved for burials made at Government expense—more commonly referred to as Pauper Burials.

The narrow path descends quite steeply as it snakes its way down the hillside. A small triangular area on the left contains the graves of expatriates from Shanghai. They had originally been buried in the Bubbling Well Cemetery in Shanghai but due to the closure of this cemetery in the 1950s some families had the remains of their loved ones moved to Hong Kong.

At the bottom of the next set of steps the path splits into two and bends sharply to the left. The upper path leads around a large section shaped like a boomerang. The majority of graves here date from the mid to late 1930s. This area provides wonderful views over Happy Valley and out to the Harbour.

The path leads on to a section containing graves from the late 1920s and early 1930s. Below this are military graves from the late 1920s through to the 1950s – including those of soldiers who died in the second world war. The graves in these sections are shaded by trees.

The lower path leads down to a large area which has no protection - where the sun blazes down with all its intensity throughout the summer months. I can remember starting this section on a sunny spring day. I had just left one of my dogs at the vets for an operation and I was really worried for her. Recording the memorial inscriptions took my mind off the events of the day but as the morning wore on the heat built up and eventually I had to retreat to the shade. Amongst graves from the 1920s can be found many old headstones from the 1850s. Oh what stories they can reveal.

The former Colonial Cemetery contains the graves of people from all walks of life—from destitute right up to high ranking Government officials. The former colony would not have been what it was without the ordinary people—the tavern keepers, the seamen, and the lowly civil servants. Keep reading my blog and you will be taken on walks through many areas of the cemetery and hear some of the stories behind the stones.

If you think you may have an ancestor buried in this far off land please contact me. I am always happy to search my index of Hong Kong Burials:

Hong Kong Cemetery - Do not despair if your ancestor had no headstone !!

Less than 50% of the persons buried at the Hong Kong Cemetery, Happy Valley, had headstones erected to their memory. Even if they were a prominent and highly respected member of the community it did not mean that they would ever get a headstone. More often than not immediate family members were back in the UK and arranging for a stone was not a viable option in days long ago. Take the case of Mr. G.W. Avenell who died on 12th. February 1927 of Typhoid Fever.

Mr. Avenell had been born in Farnham, England on 9th. March 1880 and as a young man saw service in the South African Wars where he was awarded the DCM. He first arrived in Hong Kong in 1902 with the Sherwood Forresters and then went with his regiment to Singapore. On leaving the military he returned to Hong Kong as Armourer Staff Sergeant to the Police and Hong Kong Volunteers. In 1918 he joined Messrs. Lane Crawford as manager of the Ship Chandlery Department.

He was a member of the Kowloon Cricket Club and also took a keen interest in lawn tennis having at one time been a member of the Wigwam Tennis Club. He was an enthusiastic worker for the YMCA and the Philharmonic Society. Mr. Avenell was also a Freemason being a member of the Zetland Lodge.

He was survived by a widow and child who were At Home in the UK.

Mr. Avenell was accorded a funeral with full military honours – but no headstone was ever erected to his memory.

Those of you who have read my earlier posts on this Blog will know that large exhumation projects were carried out at the Hong Kong Cemetery in 1969 and 1975. As Mr. Avenell had no headstone his grave was first exhumed in 1969 and his remains moved to the Ossuary. In 1975 the Ossuary had to be removed to make way for the approach roads to the Aberdeen Tunnel. A new ossuary was built and eventually all the remains which had been held in the old ossuary were moved into the new. Although Mr. Avenell, like many others, has been moved around the cemetery perhaps it is all for the good because at least now he has a plaque within the cemetery which shows his name.

If you would like a search of my Hong Kong Cemetery Burial Index please contact me. More often than not I am also able to provide a synopsis of the persons life in Hong Kong as illustrated above with the case of Mr. Avenell.

Rest In Peace - or maybe not !!!

The Hong Kong Cemetery in Happy Valley has seen more than its fair share of exhumation projects over the years. Not only has space been at a premium but road widening schemes have also encroached on what should have been a peaceful haven. A few poor souls - having been buried - found that a some years later their remains were dug up and moved to another spot within the cemetery. Then, a few years on, yet another project threatened their resting place and they were dug up and moved for a second time. So much for that “Last Resting Place” !

Alfred Gordon Ursell was 49 years of age, married with two sons and the family lived at 19 Fung Fai Terrace in Village Road, Happy Valley. Alfred worked as a Chargeman in the Fitters Department at the Royal Naval Yard and his sons were apprentices in the Dockyard. Alfred had been in Hong Kong for ten years and was shortly due to transfer back to Portsmouth. On Friday 16th. March 1934 he was working at the west side of the dry dock when suddenly at 3.55pm he tripped. He fell 35ft into the dock before striking his head and then rolled the remaining 10ft. to the bottom dying instantly. His body was taken to the Royal Naval Hospital to await burial the following day.

Fung Fai Terrace was just a short walk from the Colonial Cemetery in Happy Valley where Alfred’s body was laid to rest on Saturday afternoon. His eldest son was the chief mourner but many friends and colleagues were present at the graveside. The Royal Navy Chaplain officiated. Alfred was buried in Grave No. 9426 in Section 7.

A few weeks later Alfred’s widow returned to England with her sons.

Normally this would be the end of the story but not in Alfred’s case. Thirty five years later HK Government Gazette GN 2524 dated 19th. December 1969 notified that 460 graves were to be exhumed from the Colonial Cemetery on 24th. June 1970. Any remains not claimed by relatives before that date would be moved to an Ossuary within the cemetery – “or will be otherwise disposed of as the Director may think fit”. Presumably Alfred’s body was not claimed for his remains were exhumed and placed in the Ossuary on 7th. June 1971.

Just over four years later in November 1975 Government Gazette No 48/1975 announced “Notice of intention to remove and dispose of human remains at the Colonial Cemetery”. Surely Alfred would be safe on this occasion. But no – the 1975 Gazette listed a staggering total of 3467 graves for removal - plus 187 sets of exhumed remains which were deposited in the existing Ossuary (Alfred was one of these). Work was to start within the month and the remains were to be temporarily deposited in a bone store until the new ossuary had been built. It was 1983 before Alfred’s remains came out of the “bone store” and were laid to rest in his niche.

His last resting place? One can only hope.

I use this story as an example to show that even if you know that one of your ancestors was buried in a certain grave in a certain section of the Hong Kong Cemetery in Happy Valley that there is no guarantee that he or she will still be in that location. As far as I am aware my Hong Kong Cemetery Burial Index is the only resource which actually tracks the movement of these graves. If you want to find a Hong Kong grave then please contact me – I may be able to assist.