Hongkong - 1841 to 1941

(give or take a few years..)

A unique place at a time now slipped from memory.
 

Stories of the people who lived and worked here - British, Chinese, Irish, Portuguese ....

Bringing to life some of the social history of Hongkong's colonial past through the tales and documents they left behind. 

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Women, Crime and Courts front cover

Women, Crime and 

the Courts:

Hong Kong 1841-1941 

 published by  BlacksmithBooks 18th December 2020. ISBN 978-988-79639-8-1 more information here

Next project - the Hong Kong Police who went to war.
Screen Shot 2021-11-01 at 19.16.59.jpg
That title would imply 1941 and the Battle for Hong Kong to many readers - but I've always been fascinated by the earlier period, 1914-18, when hundreds of the British subjects in Hong Kong sailed to London to enlist in the fight against Germany.

But there's more to the story - the general idea that 'World War One didn't touch Hong Kong' isn't quite right. War came to the whole region, and affected, to some extent, all communities there. One outstanding development was the birth of the Reserve Police Force - entirely voluntary and unpaid, with almost 700 men - Chinese, Portuguese, Indian and British - helping the HKP keep the place safe. And it was in this organisation that the Chinese and Indians took their place in the senior ranks, years before equality came to the regular force.

Where to buy
Both Women, Crime & the Courts and Policing Hong Kong an Irish History are widely available in bookshops in HK, including Bookazine, Kelly & Walsh, Commercial Press.

In UK & ROI your local bookshop can now order both books - the distributor is Gazelle, who have them in stock. Alternatively, it is available online from Hive, Blackwells, Bookshop.org - the first two offer free p&p and a better price than amazon.

In USA & Canada its available to order in your bookshop, or through Bookshop.org and other online retailers.
In other parts of the world it can be ordered direct from Blacksmith Books, who will ship by the fastest method - but bear in mind that there is currently very limited air freight from HK. 
Hive, Blackwells, Bookshop.org are UK based companies, supporting local bookshops and paying UK taxes. Please support them and help publishers, bookshops and authors survive!