Six Royal Navy sailors kneeling with Lee-Metford rifles (with a slightly longer barrel than the Lee-Enfields which replaced them) aimed at targets not in the photograph. Behind them is a sailor in a blue jacket and dark trousers with his hands on his hips overseeing them. An unknown lieutenant stands at the back of this group next to a sailor leaning forward to get a view of what is being fired at.

In the background under the trees lining the horizon are sailors sitting and standing around. Rifles lie abandoned on the ground.

The original negative envelope was labelled: 'Bluejackets-firing, Kowloon, 9.1.01'.