British Military Hospital, Hong Kong

Infobox Hospital
Name = British Military Hospital, Hong Kong
Org/Group =


Caption =

Location = King's Park
Region = Kowloon
State = Hong Kong
Country = China
HealthCare = Military Medicare
Type = Military Hospital
Speciality =
Standards =
Emergency =
Affiliation= Other - British garrison, British Army
Beds =
Founded = 1907
Closed = 1996
Website =
Wiki-Links =

. It was located at Bowen Road for over 60 years, from 1907 to 1967. It was built between 1903 and 1906, and officially opened on July 1, 1907.

Often referred to simply as the Bowen Road Hospital, the first generation hospital was a 150 bed hospital constructed of red brick. It consisted of two blocks, each of 3 storeys, configured with wards and a central administrative block and had commanding views of the harbour [Military Hospital, Bowen Road, Hong Kong Museum of History] .

During the Japanese occupation, a portion of the Hospital was used for the care of prisoners of war. It continued in use until 1967, when it was turned over to the colonial government. The facility was moved to a site in Kowloon.

Post de-commissioning

Between 1967 and 1972, it became the temporary location for the new Island School, which had obtained a 5-year lease from the Government [ [http://www.ishk.org/files/first_20_years/memories.html. Memories of Island School] , Geoffrey Speak, Island School] . The east wing is now home to the (Jewish International) Carmel School [Reuters, [http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=27365&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=19990421&sear_year=1999 Carmel 'playgroup' confounds critics] , "The Standard", April 21, 1999] , and the Canadian International School occupied the west wing of the building from 1994 to 1999, when the Canadian school moved to new premises in Aberdeen.

Former hospital buildings on the adjacent site on Borrett Road, vacated in 1969, were used by the Chinese International School during the 1980s [Simon Macklin, [http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/11_06.02/82950.pdf Demand pressures prestige school to look for fixed site] , "South China Morning Post", September 8, 1987] . 10 Borlett Road became the first home to the West Island School, from 1991 to 1994 [ [http://clc.esf.edu.hk/GroupRenderCustomPage.asp?GroupID=1888&ResourceId=19433 The History of West Island School] , West Island School, Accessed 2007-06-23] , and is being used by the Island School [Teddy Ng, [http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=10374&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=20050629&sear_year=2005 Foreign schools cry for land] , "The Standard", June 29, 2005] .

In the 1986 Mid Levels Plan, the site was zoned to become open space. In May 2001, the Town Planning Board re-zoned it to "government, community and institutional use" on the recommendation of the Planning Department and the Antiquities and Monuments Office, allowing the buildings to be preservedSusan Schwartz, [http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=11029&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=20010505&sear_year=2001 Old soldier saved] , "The Standard", May 5, 2001] .

King's Park

In 1967, a new 15-storey British Military Hospital was opened in the King's Park area, on a site to the east of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, to replace the Bowen Road Hospital. It used to provide medical treatment for servicemen and their dependents, and returning soldiers from Vietnam.

When the British armed forces suffered a 15% reduction between 1975 and 1978 [Kevin Sinclair, [http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/01_03.01/138206.pdf HK GARRISON SLASHED BY 15PC] , "South China Morning Post", March 20, 1975] , the Government proposed to use the hospital as an overspill for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, which was in undercapacity. It would buy bedspace and treatment from the Hospital [ [http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/13_01.01/624.pdf $2 million plan to hire sick beds] , "The Standard", March 7, 1976] , but the high cost was criticised as lacking in transparency, and unreasonably high.

Within the Joint Liaison Group, there was a consensus to demolish it [ [http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/01_03.05/138766.pdf BMH must go, says Government] , "The Standard", April 27, 1988] . It was officially closed on June 30, 1996 [ [http://74.117.135.93:8020/ramc.htm Royal Army Medical Corps] , History of the HK Military Services Corps, Accessed 2007-06-13] as the British Garrison scaled down from more than 10,000 personnel to about 3,000 due to the approach of 1997 [Naomi Lee, [http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=37961&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=19950819&sear_year=1995 Garrison hospital's bones fit to be picked] , "The Standard", August 19, 1995] .

Post de-commissioning

Between 1996 and 1999, the Hospital was turned over to the Philippine Consulate-General as a refuge for dismissed domestic workers, for a token lease of HK$1"AFP", [http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=46134&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=19960920&sear_year=1996 $5.6b military hospital to house unemployed Filipino maids] , "The Standard", September 20, 1996] .

The 7.4 hectare site had an estimated market value of HK$5.6 billion in 1995. The site is now a private housing estate [Eli Lau, [http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=3673&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=20040910&sear_year=2004 Firms buy Parc Palais flats for $66m] , "The Standard", September 10, 2004] .

References