thanks for helpful comments and maps (David) -this is my last angle of the Suffolk Road house, just in case the path to the side and house behind help. It does seem from looking at the maps that it was on one of the plots on the North Side. Not knowing HK or being able to visit at the moment I can't glean any more. Trying to add to my family story, I just hoped that the magic of Gwulo might yield a clue as to when the houses were built and by whom -which would help me know if the family moved there while my grandfather was still alive (though it would be a narrow time frame as my mother is one at Braemar terrace and he was killed when she was two). Presumably each house dated separately as they were completed. I also hope that the pics are of interest generally - old Hong Kong places and people. Last thought, with all the redevlopment, these houses may be all long gone, but I did feel studying Google maps that some vestiges of them may be hidden behind the new street views.
LizB has unearthed the following information on another page.
The person listed for 3 Suffolk Rd in 1933 is Albert Leslie Landsbert, an electrical engineer who worked for Reiss, Massey & Co. (he previously lived up the road at at 1 York Road, Kowloon Tong, according to the 1931 and 1932 Jurors Lists).
The surname for the little girl seems a match. Probably Landsbert is the name and your mother and grandmother were residing with the Landsbert family at the time. The Landsberts later went on to reside at 1 Devon Road.
well done once again thank you mysterious Moddsey - I've had to take a break from the research for a week or two and had completely forgotten about the name on the back of this pic - it only appears on this one pic and with my grandma's writing, her 'h' may well be a 'b' - strange that I have nothing else about this family but it does make sense and gives me a whole new avenue of possibility to pursue - and prevented me from going down a completely blind alley ... must be why I couldn't make the draft narrative work ... :) a friend commented that it was amazing I could learn so much while she can't find the surname of a modern day person she's trying to trace - all down to these amazing detailed records. Also so much information about HK of the era.
It seems the Landsbert family moved from 1 York Rd (where they had been living since March 1931, possibly earlier) to 3 Suffolk Rd sometime between March 1932 and March 1933, when the Jurors Lists were published. However, in the March 1934 Jurors List, the address for A.L. Landsbert is given as Harbour View Hotel. I could not find a listing for him in the 1935 Jurors list, but haven't checked later ones.
Glad that you seem to be getting some more leads now, anyway.
...that this photo might have been taken at 4 Suffolk, after Mr Yuen Wei-yang had moved out (sometime after March 1933, as he was living at 22 Somerset Rd by 1934), and next door neighbour Annette Landsbert may have been over for a visit together with the McLean children? I'm afraid it's not nearly as plausible as Moddsey's idea though. Partly because the photos of this particular house seem to span a period of about 2 or 3 years.
From what I can gather after a brief look, Annette may have been born in 1929 and had a brother, Brian (not sure whether older or younger), and her mother was known as Daphne. Her father Albert's gravestone inscription is accessible on the HK Memory website. In the photo above, Annette could be about 4 or 5 years old.
trouble is, my Grandma repeatedly calls this 'our house' and 'our lawn' and I have a duplicate of this particular pic that is captioned by my Gran, 'Maureen & Denny, Sheila and Annette on our lawn'. It seems to be the same house through until my mum is older (in school uniform). She was taken back to England by my grandma aged five or six (as eligible for the Royal Masonic School owing to her father's tragic death) and I have my grandmother on a passenger list returning to HK in October 1935 - so I guess that after that time my grandmother would have returned to nursing quarters, probably at Kowloon Hospital and Suffolk Road would have new occupants again - not far enough into jurors's lists. I have a pic which infuriatingly I've filed somewhere I can't lay hands on it which I think says 'on hols with Belgian family' which may be Landsberts ... whatever the connection with the Landsberts was, it seems to have been lost ... I sort of wonder whether it may have something to do with my grandmother being a woman and not able to be registered as householder?
thanks Liz - our comments have crossed here. My mum was also born in 1929 (October) but I don't think she's four or five in this pic, Annette is the one on her right ... can you tell me where the above info is from?
Sorry I was looking at the wrong girl when I said I thought she was 4 or 5 years old in the photo. Yes, the little ones at the front are clearly much younger than that.
Hi Liz, thanks again! will have a look at all this - I'm going to try to find a credible line through all the info, there must be one, I think it lies somewhere in the overlaps. I've got stuck on the what and wear of the fatal crash in 1931. At some stage I have to move on to the story I originally set out to tell which is of my grandma and great-aunt in Stanley Camp! I find it odd that the link with the Landsberts seemed to get broken whereas other people pop up repeatedly in photgraphs e.g a lady called Pat Cole who I can't pin down. Women are harder to track! thanks for all your help. Cheers, Deb x
Hi Dennis, thanks you for your comment. I'm Deb, daughter of Sheila Staple (holding the doll in the pic). Annette is wearing the bonnet. Hoping very much you may be able to shed more light on the link between our families. I've recently been tussling anew with the mystery of Suffolk Road and wondering if I could contact any member of the family - and out of the blue, you posted!
I have about 20 photographs captioned by my grandmother 'our house/lawn Suffolk Road' spanning about four years from some time in 1931 to 1935. But right in the middle 1933, Albert Landsbert is down as being at 3 Suffolk Road. My grandmother never stated a number but LizB above, in her time in Kowloon Tong pinpointed the house to No 3 or No 4. It was suggested my family may have been staying with the Landsberts which I don't find plausible for several reasons. In any case, Albert is down as at Harbour Hotel the following year. It may sound silly but this mystery in my family story is quite important to me, one I've spent many hours trying to crack. It would be great if you could help. Could we take it further by email? Mine is coxon.deb@btinternet.com.
Comments
where and when - Suffolk Road
thanks for helpful comments and maps (David) -this is my last angle of the Suffolk Road house, just in case the path to the side and house behind help. It does seem from looking at the maps that it was on one of the plots on the North Side. Not knowing HK or being able to visit at the moment I can't glean any more. Trying to add to my family story, I just hoped that the magic of Gwulo might yield a clue as to when the houses were built and by whom -which would help me know if the family moved there while my grandfather was still alive (though it would be a narrow time frame as my mother is one at Braemar terrace and he was killed when she was two). Presumably each house dated separately as they were completed. I also hope that the pics are of interest generally - old Hong Kong places and people. Last thought, with all the redevlopment, these houses may be all long gone, but I did feel studying Google maps that some vestiges of them may be hidden behind the new street views.
Landshert or Landsbert
LizB has unearthed the following information on another page.
The person listed for 3 Suffolk Rd in 1933 is Albert Leslie Landsbert, an electrical engineer who worked for Reiss, Massey & Co. (he previously lived up the road at at 1 York Road, Kowloon Tong, according to the 1931 and 1932 Jurors Lists).
The surname for the little girl seems a match. Probably Landsbert is the name and your mother and grandmother were residing with the Landsbert family at the time. The Landsberts later went on to reside at 1 Devon Road.
amazing records
well done once again thank you mysterious Moddsey - I've had to take a break from the research for a week or two and had completely forgotten about the name on the back of this pic - it only appears on this one pic and with my grandma's writing, her 'h' may well be a 'b' - strange that I have nothing else about this family but it does make sense and gives me a whole new avenue of possibility to pursue - and prevented me from going down a completely blind alley ... must be why I couldn't make the draft narrative work ... :) a friend commented that it was amazing I could learn so much while she can't find the surname of a modern day person she's trying to trace - all down to these amazing detailed records. Also so much information about HK of the era.
A.L. Landsbert
It seems the Landsbert family moved from 1 York Rd (where they had been living since March 1931, possibly earlier) to 3 Suffolk Rd sometime between March 1932 and March 1933, when the Jurors Lists were published. However, in the March 1934 Jurors List, the address for A.L. Landsbert is given as Harbour View Hotel. I could not find a listing for him in the 1935 Jurors list, but haven't checked later ones.
Glad that you seem to be getting some more leads now, anyway.
Slight possibility
...that this photo might have been taken at 4 Suffolk, after Mr Yuen Wei-yang had moved out (sometime after March 1933, as he was living at 22 Somerset Rd by 1934), and next door neighbour Annette Landsbert may have been over for a visit together with the McLean children? I'm afraid it's not nearly as plausible as Moddsey's idea though. Partly because the photos of this particular house seem to span a period of about 2 or 3 years.
Annette Landsbert
From what I can gather after a brief look, Annette may have been born in 1929 and had a brother, Brian (not sure whether older or younger), and her mother was known as Daphne. Her father Albert's gravestone inscription is accessible on the HK Memory website. In the photo above, Annette could be about 4 or 5 years old.
trouble is, my Grandma
trouble is, my Grandma repeatedly calls this 'our house' and 'our lawn' and I have a duplicate of this particular pic that is captioned by my Gran, 'Maureen & Denny, Sheila and Annette on our lawn'. It seems to be the same house through until my mum is older (in school uniform). She was taken back to England by my grandma aged five or six (as eligible for the Royal Masonic School owing to her father's tragic death) and I have my grandmother on a passenger list returning to HK in October 1935 - so I guess that after that time my grandmother would have returned to nursing quarters, probably at Kowloon Hospital and Suffolk Road would have new occupants again - not far enough into jurors's lists. I have a pic which infuriatingly I've filed somewhere I can't lay hands on it which I think says 'on hols with Belgian family' which may be Landsberts ... whatever the connection with the Landsberts was, it seems to have been lost ... I sort of wonder whether it may have something to do with my grandmother being a woman and not able to be registered as householder?
Annette
thanks Liz - our comments have crossed here. My mum was also born in 1929 (October) but I don't think she's four or five in this pic, Annette is the one on her right ... can you tell me where the above info is from?
Annette Landsbert
Hi Deb,
I found the info here: http://www.hkmemory.hk/collections/hong_kong_cemetery/about/index.html (do a search for the name Landsbert, and it will give you inscriptions of two gravestones) and here: http://search.findmypast.com/search/australasia-records/immigration-and… (scroll down to find Annette). Also, a search of the http://www.ancestry.com.au/ website shows that she married a John A. Borthwick in Hong Kong in 1953 (assuming it's the same Annette Landsbert, highly likely).
Sorry I was looking at the wrong girl when I said I thought she was 4 or 5 years old in the photo. Yes, the little ones at the front are clearly much younger than that.
Cheers, Liz
Annette Landsbert
Hi Liz, thanks again! will have a look at all this - I'm going to try to find a credible line through all the info, there must be one, I think it lies somewhere in the overlaps. I've got stuck on the what and wear of the fatal crash in 1931. At some stage I have to move on to the story I originally set out to tell which is of my grandma and great-aunt in Stanley Camp! I find it odd that the link with the Landsberts seemed to get broken whereas other people pop up repeatedly in photgraphs e.g a lady called Pat Cole who I can't pin down. Women are harder to track! thanks for all your help. Cheers, Deb x
Landsbert family
Hi - Brian Landsbert was my dad and Annette my aunt. Daphne, known by the family as Largar, was my grandmother. Happy to provide more details.
Dennis
Landsbert family
Hi Dennis, thanks you for your comment. I'm Deb, daughter of Sheila Staple (holding the doll in the pic). Annette is wearing the bonnet. Hoping very much you may be able to shed more light on the link between our families. I've recently been tussling anew with the mystery of Suffolk Road and wondering if I could contact any member of the family - and out of the blue, you posted!
I have about 20 photographs captioned by my grandmother 'our house/lawn Suffolk Road' spanning about four years from some time in 1931 to 1935. But right in the middle 1933, Albert Landsbert is down as being at 3 Suffolk Road. My grandmother never stated a number but LizB above, in her time in Kowloon Tong pinpointed the house to No 3 or No 4. It was suggested my family may have been staying with the Landsberts which I don't find plausible for several reasons. In any case, Albert is down as at Harbour Hotel the following year. It may sound silly but this mystery in my family story is quite important to me, one I've spent many hours trying to crack. It would be great if you could help. Could we take it further by email? Mine is coxon.deb@btinternet.com.
regards Debbie