WWII history buffs can visit the beautiful campus of St Stephen’s College which sits right next to Stanley Military Cemetery. Founded in 1903, the school was turned into an emergency military hospital on the eve of the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong in 1941 and became an internment camp after the city fell. The 1½-hour guided tour by students takes you to eight sites in the campus.
Poignant reminders of the war include the colonial-style School House, which witnessed what has become known as the St Stephen’s College Massacre when Japanese soldiers stormed into the building and killed 56 British and Canadian soldiers who were still wounded in their beds, on Christmas Eve in 1941. The austere chapel was built in 1950 on the highest point of the campus in memory of the war victims. There’s also a museum showing the school’s interesting history as the Eton of the East. Admission to the trail is by guided tour only – reserve in advance via the website.
