Anthony Clark

This collection comprises one photograph album compiled by an unidentified officer presumed to be part of the 56 Field Company Royal Engineers (British Army) who served in Shanghai in 1927-28 as part of the Shanghai Defence Force. It was donated to the University of Bristol by Anthony Clark.

The album (sold by Cavalas Brothers, Ismailia, Egypt) contains photographs taken in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Guangzhou (Canton) by unidentified photographer/s as well as a set of purchased postcards. The photographs were captioned on the reverse and a different hand added captions to the album pages, sometimes mis-identifying locations.

The album’s sequence begins with the Company's embarkation from Southampton, travelling on HMT Derbyshire via the Suez Canal to Hong Kong and from there to Shanghai. The images selected here include a set of views of Hong Kong taken from the Peak, as well as photographs of the soldiers at leisure, bathing and playing cricket at beaches in Kowloon, and at the Royal Engineers quarters in Sham Shui Po.