Kowloon East Barracks facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kowloon East Barracks |
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| Chinese: 九龍東軍營 | |
| Hong Kong | |
Kowloon East Barracks
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 Kowloon East Barracks
Location within Hong Kong
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| Coordinates | 22°20′13″N 114°10′48″E / 22.337°N 114.180°E |
| Type | Barracks |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1945 |
| Built for | War Office |
| In use | 1945-Present |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | People's Liberation Army |
| Kowloon East Barracks | |||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 九龍東軍營 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 九龙东军营 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Kowloon East Barracks | ||||||||||
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| Osborn Barracks | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 奧士本軍營 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 奥士本军营 | ||||||||||
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The Kowloon East Barracks (Chinese: 九龍東軍營) is a military base in Hong Kong. It used to be called Osborn Barracks (Chinese: 奧士本軍營). This base is in the Kowloon City District.
It is located in the northern part of Kowloon. You can find it near Waterloo Road and Junction Road. It is also across the street from Hong Kong Baptist University. Today, the People's Liberation Army uses this facility. Before 1997, it was a base for the British Army.
Contents
History of the Barracks
How the Barracks Got Its Name
The military base was named after a brave Canadian soldier. His name was John Robert Osborn. He was part of the Winnipeg Grenadiers regiment. Osborn was born in Britain but was Canadian. He sadly died while defending Hong Kong in 1941.
He was given a very special award called the Victoria Cross. This award is for extreme bravery. In 1945, after Hong Kong was freed, a barracks was named in his honor.
Remembering John Robert Osborn
John Robert Osborn is remembered in a few ways. There is a memorial for him at the Sai Wan War Cemetery. You can also see a statue in Hong Kong Park. This statue is of an unknown soldier from World War I.
The statue was once part of a private collection. It belonged to a family at their home, Eucliff villa. When the villa was taken down, the family gave the statue away. In the 1980s, it was moved to Osborn Barracks. It stayed there for 20 years. Later, it was moved to Hong Kong Park where it is today.
Changes to the Land
In the early 1990s, some of the land from Osborn Barracks was given away. The eastern part, near Renfrew Road, was given to Hong Kong Baptist University. This land was used to build new parts of their campus.
The last British Army group to use the barracks was the Hong Kong Logistic Support Regiment RLC. In 1997, Hong Kong became part of China. This was called the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong. After this, the People's Liberation Army started using the Osborn Barracks.
Modern Use and Features
Today, the barracks is still an active military base. There is a helipad at the base. A helipad is a special area where helicopters can land and take off. It is located along Renfrew Road.
In 2015, a politician named Albert Chan Wai-yip made a suggestion. He thought the barracks should be closed down. He believed the land could then be used to build more homes for people.
See also
