Hong Kong Area Guides: Stanley Military Cemetery 赤柱軍人墳場
Stanley Military Cemetery, a short walk south of Stanley in the south of Hong Kong Island, is one of two large military cemeteries in Hong Kong dating from the colonial period.
The other, larger (by area) cemetery is Hong Kong (Happy Valley) Cemetery.
Sai Wan War Cemetery dates from 1946 and was built after the end of hostilities.
History
The cemetery was used for burials from the beginning of the British colonial period. Soldiers of the Hong Kong garrison and their family members were buried here from 1841 until 1866. After that there were no further burials at Stanley until World War II (1939-1945).
The cemetery itself was the scene of fighting in December 1941 when a last stand was made by British and Allied forces against the invading forces. Hong Kong finally surrendered on Christmas Day, 1941.
Many service personnel killed in this battle are buried at Stanley including soldiers from the Royal Rifles of Canada, the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps, and the Middlesex regiment.
Graves
Altogether Stanley Military Cemetery holds 595 graves. These include 176 unidentified bodies and 96 civilian internees who died during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong. Altogether there are 427 identified casualties.
Nationalities buried in the cemetery include British, Canadian, Chinese and Indian including Captain Mateen Ahmed Ansari who was beheaded in 1943 by the Japanese occupation forces. He had refused to cooperate with the Japanese to persuade his fellow Indian soldiers to desert and change sides.
St. Stephen's College Massacre
Nearby St. Stephen's College was a field hospital during the defence of Hong Kong. On December 25, 1941 a massacre occurred here perpetrated by members of the Japanese Imperial Army.
Enraged by the stiff resistance they had encountered and their own heavy losses, the Japanese took revenge by bayoneting wounded soldiers (British, Indian and Canadian) in St. Stephen's College.
Doctors and other medical staff were also murdered and several Chinese nurses gang-raped, mutilated and then killed in gruesome fashion.
The bodies of those killed at St. Stephen's College along with soldiers killed in the general battle were later burnt by the Japanese.
A gravestone marks the spot were the fragmentary remains of these charred bodies were later interred in Stanley Military Cemetery.
Stanley Access - Getting to Stanley
Stanley is easily reached by bus from Central. Take a #65 from North Point Bus Terminus or #66 from Exchange Square Bus Terminus.
Bus #14 or #314 will take you to Stanley-Shek O junction to catch another bus to Shek O. Bus #973 goes to Tsim Sha Tsui. Stanley is east of east of Repulse Bay. Bus #6 or green minibus #40 connects the two places.
The Military Cemetery is 1 kilometer south of Stanley Market along Wong Ma Kok Road and Stanley Village Road. It is also a short walk from the tranquility of St. Stephen's Beach.
The Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum located close to Stanley Prison is also nearby and can easily be visited along with the cemetery.
The cemetery is open from 8 am to 5 pm.
Further information at Commonwealth War Graves.
Hotels in Stanley
If you are staying in Stanley the 4-star Stanley Oriental Hotel is the main option.
Stanley Map
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