Message from the Chairman of the Trustees,Captain F.A. Collins, R.N.

It is with great pleasure that I find myselfbeing granted the honour of writing a fewwords of introduction to this book on theoccasion of the China Fleet Club's Golden

The Club has a great history, not so muchin time but in the strength of purpose,endeavour and a strong belief in thenecessity to provide somewhere for thesailors and marines of the Fleet to relaxand enjoy themselves in reasonablesurroundings at reasonable prices. Thisbelief has continued to this day and youwill read in the Club's history the trials,tribulations and setbacks which occurred,all of which had been overcome in oneway or another to enable the Club toimprove its services and facilities to meetthe modern demands of the men of theFleet and their families. The new clubwhen completed in 1985 will undoubtedlybe the best club in the Royal Navy andRoyal Marines.

It would be remiss not to mention thatthis success has been achieved over thelast 50 years by the professional andskilful guidance of the Trustees, theencouragement and assistance of formerCommodores and Captains-in-Charge,Hong Kong, the determination of theclub's committees to succeed and the hardwork of the various managers and theirstaff. But without its members there

would be no club and it is yesterday'ssailors who have made it what it is todayjust as your support ensures that thesailor of tomorrow will have a club he canbe proud of.

The Club's membership and support haswidened considerably since it first startedfor the Fleet alone and is now open to allthree services in Hong Kong and thenavies of other nations including the USSeventh Fleet who are great contributors.Nevertheless, the aim of the Club is toprovide a service for the sailors andmarines of the Fleet which encompassesthe women's services as well, and this hasnot changed. It is the Club's intention toencourage naval visitors to Hong Kongfrom the UK on package tours or reducedrate holidays to maintain this aim, oncethe new club is completed.

Finally, I would like to wish the ChinaFleet Club every success in the future andhope that the next fifty years will see itreach new pinnacles of achievement.

Good Luck.

Captain-in-Charge, Hong Kong.

THE CHINA FLEET CLUBROYAL NAVY,HONG KONG

Produced on the occasionof the Golden Jubilee

of The China Fleet Club,Royal Navy, Hong Kong.

1934-1984

Edited byBrigid Snow

Designed & produced byPPA Design Limited

CreditsStock House

Public Records OfficeThe China Fleet Club

John S.C. LukAlan Gilbert & Associates

Jones. Lang & Wootton Ltd.

The Early Years ... The Royal Naval Canteen

Until the China Fleet Club was opened in1934 the Royal Navy Canteen looked afterthe needs of the Men of the Fleet in HongKong. That predecessor of today's Club, evenbefore the First World War, was situatedclose by the old "Blue Buildings" on thecorner of Arsenal Street and Hennessy Road.

But by 1920 the future of the Canteen was inquestion. The Commander-in-Chief, ChinaStation, reported that the Hong KongGovernment was considering a reclamationscheme to widen and straighten Queen'sRoad which would mean the demolition ofthe Canteen.

Perhaps this was timely. The old Canteen wasin such a bad state of repair generally, nomodern sanitation even, that plans were afootto spend something in the region of $10,000on redecoration and repair.

The premises had been purchased at anoriginal cost of $40,000 and their value in1920 was between $120,000 and $150,000.

There were delays over the next three or fouryears while the possibility of a Union JackClub for both the Army and Navy wasconsidered. But in 1924 the decision wasmade to abandon this idea and to concentrate

on a Club for naval personnel leaving theArmy to go its own way.

A possible site had been selected for a newCanteen on reclaimed land on Arsenal Streetand Queen's Road. It was estimated then that$1,400,000 would be needed for this projectand that could be met as follows:

and the balance of $500,00 made good byan Admiralty grant.

Further delays were caused when theAdmiralty objected to the site - it was toonear the Naval Arsenal! During the next fewyears the Naval Dockyard expanded consider-ably and a good deal of land changed handsbetween the Admiralty and the Hong KongGovernment, the net result being that theNaval Arsenal was transferred to StonecuttersIsland.

From the old Canteen $500,000

Compensation from the HKGovernment for the old site $400,000

Hong Kong andH.M.S. Tamar atthe turn oft he Century.

A New Club

In 1929 notice was formally received from theGovernment that the Royal Naval Canteenwould have to be evacuated, the Governmentoffered compensation for the old site andmade an offer of a site on Gloucester Roadwhere a new Canteen could be built.

One might have said the Club was home anddry at last - not quite! Money, or the lackof it, raised its ugly head. The compensationthe Hong Kong Government had offered wasnowhere near sufficient to meet the cost of anew building, which at that time was in theregion of $735,000. All that could be raisedwas:

A balance of $385,000 had to be found!

Admiralty turned down a request for aninterest-free loan of £20,000 but afterconsiderable discussion with the Treasury a"gift" of £5,000 was eventually approved inJuly, 1931.

After many meetings and discussions to findways and means to raise the necessary capitalfor the new Canteen, the Hong Kong andShanghai Bank came to the rescue. The lateSir Vandeleur M. Grayburn, then ChiefManager of the Bank, agreed to an overdraftto cover the cost of erecting and furnishing anew building to take the place of the oldCanteen. "Blue Buildings", a name givenwhen the old building became the Canteen,because of the colour of the exterior, is stillcommonly used by members of the Club.

With this assurance from the Bank, planswent ahead for the new building. Messrs.Leigh & Orange were appointed Architectsand Mr. A.S. Mackichan started preparingconstructions plans for consideration by thenaval authorities. Plans were submitted for asix-storey building, plus basement. Provisions

were made for Bars, Billiards Rooms,Reading Rooms, Dining Rooms, Cubicles,Dormitories, Offices, Staff Quarters, Kitchen,Laundry, Boiler House, a Mineral WaterFactory and a Theatre.

The plans were provisionally passed andtenders called for. But great consternationwas caused when the receipt of the tendersshowed the costs far exceeded the originalestimates. A signal received from theCommander-in-Chief read "The Trustees ofthe Club are placed in a most difficultposition, from which they must extricatethemselves". The Commander-in-Chief wasunable to sanction such a large outlay overand above the original estimated costs.

After more conferences held by the Navalauthorities, Architects and Contractors, arevised plan was produced. This reduced thesize of the building by one storey and othersavings were made by the use of cement"other than Green Island Cement" and alsoby the use of less expensive materials forinternal construction, and smaller lifts.

The revised plans, with their great reductionin overall costs, were eventually approved andwork finally began. The list of contractorssounds a bit like a slice of Hong Kong'shistory: Messrs. Lam Woo & Company,Dodwell & Company, Jardine Matheson &Co., Messrs. W. Jack & Co, Hong KongElectric and the HK & China Gas Company.

Further appeals were made to the Admiraltyfor financial assistance, and an AdmiraltyFleet Order was issued to all units of theRoyal Navy asking for contributions. Theresponse was generous. In addition to thedonations from the Fleet, the Admiraltydonated £7,000 from a surplus from the oldNaval Savings Bank. And the Hong Kong &Shanghai Bank handed back, as a gift, theInterest which had been charged on the bankoverdraft over approximately three years.

5

From the old Canteen $166,000

From the Weihaiwei Canteen $ 30,000

Government compensation $154,000

The China Fleet Club (1934 - 1939)

It had already been established during allthose meetings in the 1920's regarding thestatus of the Canteen, that it belonged to theMen of the Fleet.

On 21st March, 1934, the China Fleet Clubwas formally opened by Commodore FrankElliot, R.N., Commodore, Hong Kong, andthe following officials were appointed:

On 11th January, 1933, the foundation stoneof the China Fleet Club, as it had beenrenamed, was laid by Admiral Sir HowardKelly, G.B.E., K.C.B., C.M.G., M.V.O.,then Commander-in-Chief, China Station.

The China Fleet Club stands on Governmentland. Then, as today, it embraces an area of1 9,757 square feet. It is leased to the Trusteesof the Club for 999 years; the lease was ante-dated to 25th June, 1863, and executed on20th June, 1934. The Crown Rent for theproperty was, and is, $408 a year.

When the Theatre was completed and openedon 27th December, 1933, it was immediatelybooked by the Hong Kong AmateurDramatic Club for rehearsals and productionof plays. Tombola was a great favourite tooand was played in the Theatre three eveningsa week. The Club took a 10% share of thetakings. Tombola has never lost its popularityand is still played in the Club regularly.

During 1934 The China Fleet Club was legallyestablished as a Corporation, and on the 18thMay, the Governor signed an Ordinanceentitled "An Ordinance for the Incorporationof the Trustees of the China Fleet Club."This Ordinance made the Trustees of theClub, as appointed by the Commodore, orOfficer-in-Charge of R.N. Naval Establish-ments in Hong Kong, a Corporation with thepower to hold and deal with its property. Theadvantages of having the Club incorporated

8

Honorary Treasurer: Accountant OfficerH.M.S. "Tamar"

Manager: Chief Petty Officer(Executive).

Assistant Manager: Sergeant, RoyalMarines

Bed Ticket Office Staff: Four Marines

Secretary (part-time): Chief P.O. Writer,H.M.S., "Tamar"

are that in the event of either of the Trusteesleaving Hong Kong new Trustees can beappointed by the Commodore-in-Charge toensure continued operation of the Club.

The China Fleet Club was completed andfinished at a total cost of $1,250,000.00.

By the end of the first year of operation theClub showed a profit of $35,000. However,prices of Beer, Wines and Spirits were ratherhigh compared to other Clubs in Hong Kongand the Club was not patronized as well as itcould have been. So in 1935, the number ofBoys employed was cut by 25 per cent, andthe cost of meals, wines, beer and spiritsreduced by 10 per cent. The Mens Bar wasenlarged, taking in a Reading Room. Thesemoves were very satisfying, and the Clubbecame very popular throughout the fleet.

From then on the men used the Club a greatdeal more and on return from the North,billiard and snooker competitions wereorganised. Silver cups were presented byMessrs. H. Ruttonjee & Son and members ofthe winning teams were presented withreplicas of the cups, given by a lady interestedin the Club. Medals purchased from Club

funds were presented to the runners-up.These competitions were held annually until1940.

During the 1930's the Theatre was engagedfor long periods by the H.K. AmateurDramatic Club, the Philharmonic Society andthe H.K. Singers. It was also extensively usedfor Ship's Concerts, Military Concerts,dances organised by the Fleet, and also by theCheerio Club of Hong Kong. Boxing contestswere also held in the winter.

Although prices had been reduced and theFleet spent less time in Hong Kong -Singapore being an established naval base -considerable profits continued to be made. By1938 the overdraft at the Bank had beenreduced to approximately $75,000, and alldebts in connection with the construction andfurnishing of the Club had been paid. Theimproved financial situation gave considerablesatisfaction besides dispelling any doubts asto the Club's ability to pay its way in thefuture. Letters of congratulation were receivedfrom the Admiralty and the Commander-in-Chief, China Station.

9

The War Years and Occupation

The Club carried on and although turnoverwas somewhat reduced, it showed a profit for1939, 1940 and 1941.

1940 brought rumours closer to home, thistime of increased Japanese war activity in theFar East, and on July 1st, 1940 Britishwomen and children in Hong Kong wereevacuated.

The following twelve months saw Hong Kongpreparing for war. The China Fleet Club wasselected as the first Headquarters for theRoyal Navy, being required to accommodatethe Officer's and Ship's Company of H.M.S."Tamar" at the first sign of hostilities.

The Chinese compradore was instructed topurchase, and maintain, a three months'supply of foodstuffs, and to keep this stockin reserve against emergencies.

The rumours became reality when Japandeclared war on 8th December and Hong

Kong was brought into the conflict. The Clubmanager was informed at 5.15 that morningthat England was at war with Japan and WarOperations Orders went into immediateeffect.

All Service ratings on shore leave were clearedfrom the Club so that the Officers and Ship'sCompany of H.M.S. Tamar could move in.Orders were also received to prepare accom-modation for R.N.R., R.N.V.R. andH.K.R.N.V.R. Officer s and ratings and anunknown number of Chinese. Further ordersstated that all Officers and Men in uniform,civilians attached to Naval establishments andChinese ratings who reported at the club wereto be accommodated and fed. All meals wereto be supplied by the Club's Compradoreunder the instructions of the Manager.

By 7.30 on the evening of 8th December,1941, the China Fleet Club was on a warfooting, everything had gone according toplan.

It's interesting to know that the China Fleetwas like in those days. The Fleet, at thattime, consisted of the 8th Cruiser Squadron,comprising five or six ships of the "County"or "London" Class cruisers; the 8thDestroyer Flotilla comprising the old "D"Class destroyers; the aircraft carrier, H.M.S.Eagle, H.M.S. Medway, submarine DepotShip and Submarines; a M.T.B. Flotilla, ascore or so of gunboats and a few sloops.The Shore Establishments didn't exist then,and the Ship's Company of TAMAR wasaccommodated in the old "Tamar". Theveteran with her white sides and tall yellowmasts lent a lot of atmosphere to the Dock-yard, but was doomed to be scuttled in theharbour during the war - a sad loss.

addition of a new wing to the Club and foran additional floor on top of the existingbuilding. The Hong Kong Government wasapproached and it was tentatively agreed thatthe plot of land adjacent to the Theatreshould be purchased by the Club and a seven-storey building erected there. The ChiefManager of the Hong Kong Bank wasapproached, and, without hesitation, agreedto guarantee on overdraft of $1,000,000.

The idea was to allocate the new wing of thebuilding for the use of Chief and PettyOfficers, and others of similar rank. Theexisting building was to be for the exclusiveuse of junior ratings, and the existing kitchenwas to be completely modernised.

A small naval air station was already inoperation before the War, at Kai Tak.

Towards the end of the 1930's it becameobvious that the Club was not large enoughto cope with the needs of such a fleet. TheArchitects were asked to prepare plans for the

Then came 1939 and rumours of war. Allplans for the modernisation and extension ofthe Club were suspended on 3rd September,1939, when Europe was plunged into WorldWar II.