Gin Drinkers Line

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Map of the Gin Drinkers Line

Gin Drinkers Line (Chinese: 醉酒灣防線) or Gin Drinker's Line was a British military defence line against Japanese invasion in Hong Kong, 1941. Bunkers, concrete fortified machine gun posts, trenches and artillery batteries were built along the line. Its name came from Gin Drinkers Bay, a bay nearby in Kwai Chung, Hong Kong. With construction was started in 1936, it is linked to the several peaks between New Kowloon and New Territories.

The concept came from the Maginot Line in France. The British believed the line could protect the colony from Japanese invasion for at least six months and even called it the "Oriental Maginot Line". The Japanese generals also believed the line would stop their advance until the scouts found out the line was very weak. For example, only 30 soldiers were defending a bunker with a capacity of 120 soldiers. Similar to the Maginot Line, the Gin Drinkers Line was generally considered to be a complete failure. The line and the whole of Kowloon were abandoned by the British troops in just two days.

There are some remains of bunkers near Shing Mun Reservoir, with the defence lines named after London roads, for example, Charing Cross to provide familiarity to the soldiers of the Middlesex regiment. One of the Japanese invasion forces broke the defence line here.