A Tragic Legacy – The Racecourse Fire of 1918

This is a story about my grandfather, Paulo de Gama Maria Xavier (1899 – 1988), who lived an interesting and, as we shall see, eventful life in the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong. Paulo was the youngest son of Lisbello de Jesus Xavier (1862 – 1909), the founder of the Hongkong Printing Press. The press was one of many created by Portuguese from Macau that thrived from 1830 through the late 1950s. During this period, Hong Kong and other “Treaty Ports” along the coast of China were created as international trading centers by Britain, Germany, France, and other European powers following the end of the Opium Wars (1839 – 1860). The printing of newspapers, government gazettes, tourist guides, and advertising were key areas of commerce that helped to connect the “China Trade” in Asia to Europe and the Americas.

When Paulo was still a teenager, he completed his education in accounting and began working as a clerk in one of the trading companies in Hong Kong. One of Paulo’s leisure activities in 1918 was helping with the accounts for horse racing wagers taken in the family’s “matshed” during the annual “Derby” at the Happy Valley Racecourse. As was the tradition, each year since the 1880s many ethnic families and co-workers set up temporary stands constructed of wood, palm fronds, and mahogany pilings located along the oval track next to the brick façade of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Fully sanctioned by the government through an auction, the building of the matsheds and the anticipation of large scale betting among different classes in the colony was considered a highlight of the social season.  

Significantly, the proceeds from betting and food sales to hundreds of people who visited each matshed are often overlooked. Revenue from the Xavier-owned matshed during the weeklong racing derby, for example, was estimated to have been about $150,000 (USD). Divided among the twenty members of the family who attended in 1918, each individual share was several times more than the annual salary of most “Portuguese” clerks.

The 1918 Derby was also a tragic memory for Paulo Xavier and his family. During the premier race on the afternoon of February 26, the matsheds collapsed and caught fire, leading to the death of almost 700 people, many of whom were Chinese men, women and children who were viewing from the sheds. In the turmoil, Paulo’s sixteen year old sister Daria was trapped on the bottom floor of one of the matsheds and perished. Paulo was severely burned on his arms attempting to save her. He rarely spoke of the incident, only relating scattered details to relatives in his final years.

Many questions about the fire remained with me for several years, and led to a short video and a longer article that looked at the causes of the fire and its aftermath in Hong Kong. The video was produced early in my research of the Macanese community, but I think it provides a glimpse into my motivation for writing the article.

The research article was originally published in 2014 in a journal by the University of Hong Kong, and was later included in my book published in 2020 and retitled: “Death at the Races: The Happy Valley Racecourse Fire of 1918”.