1940 HK Police and reservists

Mon, 09/22/2014 - 23:38

The photo is courtesy of Michael Martin. He says it is a "1940 group photo (HK Police and reservists) taken in the Central Police Station".

Michael's grandfather, AJ Savitsky, joined the Hong Kong Police Reserve in 1936.

I've labelled the men in the photo. If you recognise anyone, please could you let us know their name in the comments below?

Thanks & regards, David

Date picture taken
1940s

Comments

Thanks to Cyril Martin, A J Savitsky's son, for the following additional information:

EMERGENCY UNIT RESERVES -  HONG KONG POLICE (1940)

CENTRAL POLICE STATION  HONG KONG

Sitting (front row):

  • 1A - L.S. (R) Butcher
  • 1B - L.S. (R) Budagian
  • 1C - L.S. (R) Affanasieff
  • 1D - P.S. (R) Power
  • 1E - O.C. INSP. (R) J. A. Bendall
  • 1F - D.C.P. (R) O. Eager
  • 1G - C.P. C. G. Perdue
  • 1H - A.S.P. Tso
  • 1I - S.I. (R) M. de Sousa
  • 1J - L.S. (R) Sousa
  • 1K - L.S. (R) Van Der Lelly
  • 1L - L.S. (R) Dorabtee ((probably Dorabjee, see comments below))
  • 1M - L.S. (R)  Sadick  

Standing (second row):

  • CROPPED FROM PHOTO - P.C. (R) Pomeroy
  • CROPPED FROM PHOTO - P.C. (R) Castilho
  • 2A - P.C. (R) Delgado
  • 2B - P.C. (R) Fario ((probably de Faria, see comments below))
  • 2C - P.C. (R) Jorge
  • 2D - P.C. (R) Medina
  • 2E - P.C. (R) Ford
  • 2F - P.C. (R) Delgado
  • 2G - P.C. (R) F. Sousa
  • 2H - P.C. (R) Silva (s)
  • 2I - P.C. (R) Fisher
  • 2J - P.C. (R) Marques
  • 2K - P.C. (R) Sequeira
  • 2L - P.C. (R) Savitsky
  • 2M - P.C. (R) Remedios
  • 2N - P.C. (R) Carvalho
  • 2O - P.C. (R) Baptista
  • 2P - P.C. (R) Sullivan
  • CROPPED FROM PHOTO - P.C. (R) Agafuroff
  • CROPPED FROM PHOTO - P.C. (R) Rocha

Standing (third row):

  • 3A - P.C. (R) Mugford
  • 3B - P.C. (R) Sousa
  • 3C - P.C. (R) Young
  • 3D - P.C. (R) Lee
  • 3E - P.C. (R) Fox
  • 3F - P.C. (R) Silva
  • 3G - P.C. (R) Tavastjerna
  • 3H - P.C. (R)Gutierez
  • 3I - P.C. (R) Pereira
  • 3J - P.C. (R) Rodionoff
  • 3K - P.C. (R) Silva
  • 3L - P.C. (R) Harris
  • 3M - P.C. (R) Mattos
  • 3N - P.C. (R) Silva
  • 3O - P.C. (R) Santos
  • 3P - P.C. (R) Strademoore

Back row: Names not known to A. J. Savitsky

Note:

Names printed freehand on the photo mount by A.J. Savitsky. There are discrepencies in the second row naming as A.J. Savitsky is the 12th person in the second row (left to right) in the photograph, not 14th as named. (Sixteen reservists in the second row). It appears that two officers from the left and right hand side of the photo were cut out (reason unknown, perhaps to fit an album). 

The photo was taken by “King’s Studio” 16 Queens Rd. Hong Kong.

 

Bob Tatz writes:

I had a look at the list of policemen in the photo and did recognize one chap - Affanasieff. I somehow doubt that he was in Stanley, but I might be wrong. A policeman that was in Stanley was Veriga. I knew both of them before 1941.

If I was older I might have morre information to share, but on the other hand age has a habit of affecting memory! Cheers.

I don't see Affanasieff on the list of internees shown on the Stanley Camp list, so it looks like you're right. There are a few brief notes about Vic Veriga at http://gwulo.com/node/12936.

Henry Ching writes:

I wonder if "3P - P.C. (R) Strademoore" is Stradmoor (looks like him) who later joined the Kowloon Wharf Police, and whose daughter in more recent years joined the RHKPolice and rose to gazetted rank.

I'm not sure, but it sounds likely. To add to the confusion over his name, The Hong Kong War Diary website lists a "Stradmore Mr. Room 521 MCH" on the page of non-uniformed civilians.

Thanks for the extra input,

Regards, David

If it IS the same man, Stradmoor ended up commanding the KWP as a superintendent. They were a well trained and led independent force. A group of them, responding to an earlier robbery victim's tip-off, arrested double police muderer, murderer of a young female office worker and prolific street robber LAM Ho-yin in 1984. Hopefully he is still rotting in gaol. 

I remember Norman Stradmoor who was C/Insp KWP and who I took over as C/Insp from in 1975 on his retirement..  The Supt was Mike Brunning.  Norman's daughter Millie was a senior officer in RHKP.

Interestingly,though slightly off-topic, in 1960 the Supt of KWP was ' Dusty ' Rhodes,one of the few ex Shanghai Municipal Policemen ,(originally numbering about 40,who had been recruited to Hong Kong in the immediate post-war period,)to remain in HK, most left on completion of their 2 year contract.I have their details.

An obituary has surfaced in respect of Captain Affanasieff, in another group about White Russians in China. Does not have a date, but obviously post WWII, so late 1940s/1950s. Seems to explain where he got that row of medals, but I'm surprised he was allowed to wear Imperial Russian medals, if that's what they are. I have seen another newspaper article about a funeral he attended where he is referred to as "Captain Affansieff". The jurors list indicates that he was, for a while at least, a construction manager at the lead mines at Lin Ma Hang at the border. The article he was naturalised, but he does not appear to have been interned in Stanley, so maybe working out of Hong Kong on a vessel at that time? I will post the Obituary separately: http://gwulo.com/atom/25208

 

I note the trophy on the ground. If the year 1940 is correct, the photo may have been taken on 12 April 1940 when three contingents of the Emergency Police Reserve comprising the Emergency Unit, Chinese and Indian Companies competed for the Squad Drill Competition Cup. The Cup was won by the Emergency Unit. The trophy was presented by Mr. O. Eager, Deputy Superintendent of the Police Reserve. Mr. M. A. de Sousa was the instructor. China Mail 13 April 1940 refers. Photos of the Police Reserve on parade appear in the HK Sunday Herald dated 21 April 1940.

Just looking at some of the names of the officers and comparing them with Police Reserve Orders in the newspapers, I think 1L is Dorabjee and 2b is de Faria

 

 

Hello,

I appreciate that it is over 5 years since you posted this but I would be very keen to learn more about Norman Stradmoor.  I am a genealogist based in the UK and am working on an assigment for his grand-daughter.

Best wishes,

Oliver

2N is my father, Marcus de Carvalho. He was a volunteer policeman. In civilian life he was a stockbroker. 

We were fortunate that my father stayed with us as refugees in Macau during the Second World War.

We lived at the Bela Vista which was converted into a refugee center.

 

I currently live in New York and am a follower of your wartime newsletters.

Thanks for all the good work/

Hello there,

I am responding to the post above about Kowloon Wharf Police and Dusty Rhodes. I believe he was my great uncle George Frederick Rhodes who I am researching as part of my family history. If anyone has any further information about him, I would be grateful. I know he was in Shanghai in the 1930’s in the police, and then in Hong Kong. Thank you!

 I have the following  -  Born 6.11.1906 Staffordshire, U.K., Served British Army, enlisted in SMP 1930,promoted Sergeant 1932, Interned in Yu Yuen Road Camp, Shanghai in Feb 1943,later transferred to Yang Tsz Poo, left SMP in late 1945. Was married to Nina Kvachadze  Russian citizen. On 22.12.1945 appointed Sub Inspector in HKP ,In 1947 joined KWP.