It would be inexcusable to pull it down, says historian
The Wan Chai Market building is one of the few war relics left in the city and it would be inexcusable for the government to allow its demolition, a historian said yesterday.
Not only is the market building a valuable specimen of 1930s architecture, but it also had a key position in the 1941 defence of Hong Kong.
Tony Banham, an amateur historian specialising in Hong Kong's military history, said the market played a crucial role in the defence of Central.
'For about eight to 10 hours before Hong Kong surrendered, the Wan Chai Market was at the front line of fighting, defending Central from falling into Japanese hands,' he said.
'A mixed bag of gunners, Hong Kong Volunteers and the Middlesex regiment held the position in an attempt to prevent the Japanese from reaching Central along Kennedy Road.
'At one point, they had an 18-pounder gun blasting at the Japanese attempting ingress through the air raid shelters under Mount Parish.'