The involvement of Dr James William Hayes with Hong Kong, and his fascination and writings about many aspects of its history, stretch back for nearly 40 years. He spent from 1949 to 1956 at the University of London where he gained a doctorate degree in History and he came to the territory immediately afterwards as a civil servant, working for the Hong Kong Government as a cadet officer class II (later the administrative officer grade).
He rose through the years to hold senior posts, including that of Deputy Commissioner for Labour, having also been for ten years a captain in the Royal Hong Kong Regiment (Volunteers).
In 1967, Dr Hayes became the advisor on local history to the Hong Kong Museum of History and in 1971 he was a research fellow at the Centre of Asian Studies at the University of Hong Kong. He has also been president of the Hong Kong branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. He is the author of numerous books on history in Hong Kong, including those on the Hong Kong Region from 1850 to 1911, and the Rural Communities of Hong Kong. He was appointed an ISO (Companion of Imperial Service Order) in 1986.
In recognition of his services to culture in Hong Kong, the University has resolved to confer upon him the degree of Doctor of Letters honoris causa.
