Exhibition of George Hogg launched in his hometown Harpenden, first time in the UK

A special exhibition was launched this week in Harpenden, a small town located around 35 miles north to London, to mark the death of a man who was born here but passed away thousands of miles away in a small county in China – George Hogg.

George Hogg arrived in China in the year 1938, when the people of the country were faced with the Japanese invasion during World War II. Atrocities, massacres, poverty, sufferings and deaths were threatening every ordinary people. Hogg stayed, stood with the Chinese people in their resistance against the Japanese invaders, and lost his life to tetanus on July 22, 1945, less than a month away from the end of World War II. He was 30 years old.

Hogg was well remembered and respected in China – but in his hometown Harpenden, his story fell gradually into oblivion.

The memorial was the first exhibition marked in the UK, with visitors not only from local community but from China as well. Bi Haibo, minister counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, attended the opening ceremony. Among the guests were also Councillor Teresa Heritage, mayor of St Albans & District, Hogg's nephew Mark Aylwin Thomas, who is also the biographer of George Hogg, and Zoe Reed, chair emerita of Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding (SACU).

During April, SACU has organized a tour themed 'In the Footsteps of George Hogg,' and David Kendall, trustee of the Harpenden History Society, have also collected archives as well as exhibits during the trip.

"We were so impressed by not only the various cities we were going to visit, but also the various activities that were planned including visiting the three schools, visiting an orphanage and meeting with ordinary Chinese people," said Kendall.

By organizing such an event, the History Society hopes that they could bring Hogg's story closer to his hometown.

"George is clearly so iconic in China, but you ask the average person on the street in Harpenden who is George Hogg, they won't know who he is," said Kendall.

"So we decided that we need to educate the people in the UK and also in Harpenden about what George Hogg did and achieved in China through the very difficult years."

Aside from the exhibition, there were also other events held to mark the day of Hogg's death. The visitors, after attending a memorial event, have also visited the old houses of Hogg's family, the Red Gable where he was born and the Hogg family residence. They also visited the Silver Cup, the pub where Hogg had his last drinks before setting out to China.

In the evening, Hogg's nephew Mark Aylwin Thomas gave a lecture in a local church about Hogg's story, to an audience of around 250 people. He also introduced the detailed background of the World War II on the other side of the world – the sufferings of the people in China, their fight and their resilient efforts in rebuilding the country and their own life, as well as Hogg's role in it. Local residents recalled the man remembered by their grandparents or great-grandparents. 

Read more: 'In the Footsteps of George Hogg': Through war-torn China during WWII

At the end of the event, a trailer from CGTN Europe's documentary about Hogg, Witness to War: George Hogg in China was screened. The documentary, which will be released next month, will recreate Hogg's life and work in China.

The exhibition is expected to last until October of 2025, as part of the World War II exhibition about Harpenden. A number of events will be held in the UK surrounding Hogg's life in China, including an event marking the 110th anniversary of his birth and the 60th anniversary of SACU's establishment.