St John's Cathedral

This guide to St John's Cathedral in Hong Kong opens on Christmas morning 1941, with shells still falling as Reverend Alaric Rose delivers what became the last service for almost four years. It follows the Japanese occupation that turned the oldest Western church east of Jerusalem into an officers' social club, tore out its English stained glass, and defaced the war memorial cross in its grounds. You'll hear about the regimental flags clergy hid beneath St Michael's Chapel before the occupation tightened its grip. Look for the replacement Celtic cross in the grounds before you go inside.