Kowloon, Hong Kong: the bodies of five pirates after beheading, the severed heads on the ground, with eight European men standing by them. Photograph, 1891.

"In this photograph, the soldiers and elders have left the Execution Ground, but the photographer (who must have been standing with his back immediately to the Boundary Fence) stayed behind to take this commemorative photograph with the Hong Kong naval and police officers who had caught the pirate-gang now lying at their feet. The Kowloon City Public Pier can be clearly seen immediately behind them. The flags near the landward end of the pier are those in front of the Fort (which is hidden from view). In the far distance can be seen the houses of Sha Tei Yuen village, which was cleared by the Japanese in 1942 for the extension of the airport. The Execution Ground, and the Public Pier, lie beneath the western end of the Terminal Building" --Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Ltd, op. cit. section, p. 12.41

"This group of pirates (who had murdered many people on the ships they had captured) were caught by a joint Anglo-Chinese Anti-Pirate agreement. It was considered doubtful that the pirates would receive sufficiently condign punishment if they were brought to trial in Hong Kong, and so they were returned to the sub-Magistrate at Kowloon City, to be tried there, since some of their crimes had been committed in Chinese waters. The Magistrate invited the naval and police officers from Hong Kong, who had caught the gang, to witness the execution as his guests: this was seen, on both sides of the then border, to be a clear sign of the good relations between the two authorities at this date"--ibid., p. 12-17, section 12.4.1.2

[Kowloon.] : [publisher not identified], [1891]

1 photograph : photoprint, albumen ; sheet 17.8 x 23 cm

Execution: bodies with severed heads beside them Lettering on label attached to verso of print catalogued

Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Ltd., Kowloon Development Office Comprehensive feasibility study for the revised scheme of south east Kowloon development, 2001, section 12, Heritage impact

Wellcome Collection 663456i