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| “Up Top” Hong Kong
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Left - Two of the more 'Up Market' and trendy type HK Disco's of the 60's & 70's. During this era discos, black lights and psychodelics etc was all the rage. Wanchai was the 'sailor town' of Hong Kong and in its heyday a popular R&R Destination.. The US R&R Center was actually located in Wanchai at the end of Fenwick Street - On the Fenwick Pier. The walk from Tamar was about 20 Minutes, even less if the (back) Harcourt Road Gate was open. The Royal Navy 'China Fleet Club' was often a great starting point for the 'All Rates Bar', on the corner of Arsenal Street and Cloucester Road, served pints of San Mig cheaper than anywhere else in HK. The China Fleet Club also boasted a small bowling alley underneath, a silver service dining room on the top floor and a duty free shopping complex. It also had a reasonably good money change facility. Many navy functions were held in the fleet club, ship's parties, boxing championships and tombola nights, just to name a few. Cheap sailors accomodation was also avaiable. |
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A fairly popular bar for its day. Many bars were given US names to cater for the large numbers of US R&R Servicemen. US Ships generally had to anchor in the Harbour, the RAN usually berthed alongside at HMS Tamar. HK Bars were for many years populary chosen to host Ship's, Messdeck or Divisional parties and they did a grand job in catering for us until the R&R stopped, the money dwindled and the bars started going topless in an effort to boost revenue. By the mid 70's and thereafter it became cost prohibitive. |
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An
An Bar - One of the post R&R Bars, a little more ritzy. George Wong
was a very well known bar owner and manager in Wanchai and was there
right through the era, along with Linda of the 'Cave Bar' and 'New Ocean
Bar' fame. These people excelled in their jos and were very astute at
business. They could extract all of a sailor's money and make him feel
good about doing it! The Chinese had us weighed off to a tee! |
| Larry
King - little, bald, chuckling, rotund, Larry! Had his fingers in more
pies in Wanchai than you could imagine, Bars, Restaurants, Tailors,
you name it. Another astute businessman who new what the sailors wanted
and how to give it to them. |
My base wage at this time was $22.00 per fortnight, plus $4.00 'Hard Lying Money' (Seagoing Allowance), PLUS $14.00 Strategic Reserve Allowance. A princley sum of $40.00 per fortnight to live on. This is where the Tailors of HK used to help out. On 'off pay' week in HK we would seek out and visit Tailor's Shops. Everybody that visited HK always had a suit made and the Chinese tailors, being good businessmen, would, whilst you flipped through the books full of various sorts of material and ooooed and ahhhed, feed you beer! I never bought a suit!. |
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