Chapter 8
15 Independent Observation Battery Royal Artillery, Quarry Camp, Ping Shan, New Territories, 23 May through 17 July 1950.
Move to Ping Shan
After our eventful weeks at Lo Wu and the trials and tribulations of serving there the Battery moved to a new camp site.
While at Lo Wu we collected and unpacked all of the various items large and small that made up the equipment of the Battery as a functioning unit, performed duties in our capacity as a survey unit and begun to make ourselves comfortable in the paddy fields. We had begun to get ‘our knees brown’ as the saying goes. So, of course, a move was ordered.
And in the customary army style of ‘hurry, hurry’ packed up and transported in short order all the gear that we had not long before transported and unpacked to Ping Shan. This was about 15 miles back and to the west near to the small and very Chinese town of Yuen Long.
Quarry Camp, Ping Shan
Although our location was known as Quarry Camp, I do not know why for it was situated in the grounds of a children’s home, and I never saw sight of a quarry. A disadvantage was the Divisional Artillery HQ sited opposite. Every soldier preferred to have these red banded staff officers far away for they could make our lives miserable by questioning the standard of our turn out, and our activities. However, I don’t recall any problems while we were there.
Ping Shan was another tented camp, but not as primitive as Lo Wu. With the tents set among trees, and not on old paddy fields, it presented quite a sylvan scene. Corrugated iron Nissen huts were being erected to replace the tents but they were not finished and ready for occupation. A number of permanent buildings that presumably had been requisitioned formed part of the camp, and one I recall redecorating with white wash. I had become aware of these earlier when the Troop Captain sent me to measure them up and prepare plans. This excursion made a welcome change from strict military duties.
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