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The History of
KGV
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Below are extracts of work by Gavin Wong
and Beatrix Graham (KGV students)
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| King George V School is one of the oldest schools in Hong
Kong. When the school first opened it was very different to
the school students attend today. The old school of King George
V School was small and dirty. It was built to provide an educational
for European children living in Kowloon. |
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| The first KGV School was built in a small building on
Nathan Road in 1894. It was called Kowloon College. Then
it changed its name to The Kowloon British School and
then again to The Central British School. The first 'proper'
school was opened in 1902. A rich Hong Kong businessman,
called Sir Robert Hotung, paid for the building.
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| By 1930 the school had more than 300 students but the playground
was only seven metres long and lacking in space. To accommodate
more students work a new school was built in the hills of Homantin.
The Headmaster who first suggested a new building was Mr. Nightingale;
the teacher who found the best design for the building was Mr.
Rowell; and the first Headmaster in the new building was the
Reverend Upsdell. Years later KGV decided to name its houses
after these men. There was a grand opening ceremony of the new
school on the 14th September 1936. The school really was in
the middle of the countryside. After lessons and before going
home students would walk through the fields for a swim and a
picnic on Hung Hom beach!
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| In 1939 the Second World War broke out in Europe and
Japan began to threaten Hong Kong. By August 1940 the
situation had become dangerous and so the Government ordered
the evacuation of all European women and children. They
were sent away to the Philippines and then later Australia.
The school had to close because there were no children
to teach. The Japanese attacked Hong Kong in December
1941. Some of the children who left would never see their
fathers, who had stayed in Hong Kong, again. |
| As soon as the school closed in 1940 it was turned into a
hospital for British soldiers stationed in Hong Kong. It was
surrounded by sandbags and barbed wire to protect the buildings
from air raid attacks. In December 1941 the Japanese invaded
Hong Kong. Hong Kong surrendered on Christmas Day and all Europeans
were sent into POW (Prisoner of War camps) - including many
teachers and ex-students of CBS (Central British School). |
| When the surrender was announced the Japanese left the
school in a procession led by Lieutenant-General Saito,
who was holding up his sword! As soon as they had left
a Union Jack was flown on the clock tower. This was probably
the first British flag to be flown in Hong Kong after
the war. |
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| After the war the school buildings were generally in much
better condition than most in Hong Kong. The school was now
taken over by the Royal Air Force as a military hospital. One
of the doctors engraved the words 'Never in the Field of Human
Conflict' above the entrance to the hall. The school re-opened
in the summer of 1946. The Principal was Mr. Ferguson and one
of the teachers was Mr. D Crozier (also later to have a House
named after him). When he held the first assembly of the year
in September 1946 the flag of the Rising Sun could still be
seen painted at the back of the stage in the hall. The field
looked like a vegetable garden and there were only 79 students.
In 1947 children of all nationalities were permitted to attend
the school. The school was no longer just a British school.
On Speech Day 1948 it was announced that the school would be
called King George V School. King George had been king in 1935
when the Foundation Stone of the school was laid. |
| In 1979, after a long tiresome debate, the school joined the
English Schools Foundation (ESF). King George V is still
well known throughout Hong Kong and has become a very
popular school. It still has some features from the war
such as incredibly low handles that were used for people
in wheel chairs when the school was used as a hospital,
but now has modern facilities that are the envy of many
schools in Hong Kong.
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Thanks go to Mr Letters for submitting this work on behalf
of the above students and Mr Bugden for creating the excellent
timeline.
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