George Walter REEVE [1887-1968]

Submitted by Jonas on Sat, 01/09/2021 - 18:20
Names
Given
George Walter
Family
Reeve
Sex
Male
Status
Deceased
Born
Date
(Day & Month are approximate.)
Birthplace (town, state)
swindon
Birthplace (country)
England
Died
Date
(Day & Month are approximate.)

My granfather worked in Hong Kong, I believe at the Youmati School from 1922 to the invasion of HK in WW2. I have records of travel out but no records of travel back to the UK though from family photos he clearly did return and travel out again. As the Youmati school is a government school would British government recruit? Would he have needed any experience qualifications. He had served in WW1 and was a lieutentant (I think via the tempoary gentleman route as his family worked on the railways). Would that give him some opportunity to work in HK. On one of his trips to HK with some of the family they are all described as crown agents. I'm not sure how this works.

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Baptism 8 May 1887 St John the Evangelist Swindon Wiltshire s/o Albert and Maria Reeve

Marriage 1918 George Walter Reeve to to Audrey E L Hayes Marylebone London

Passenger List Liverpool to Hong Kong departing 25 March 1922  George W Reeve Junior Schoolmaster

Passenger List departing 24 September 1937 from London to Hong Kong

George W Reeve, Mrs Reeve, Miss S Reeve, Miss P Reeve [no ages shown]

Passenger List  Sydney Australia to Liverpool June  1947 George W  Reeve age 60 Last permanent residence Hong Kong

Electoral Register UK 4a Devon Road Bedford Bedfordshire

George W Reeve

Audrey E L Reeve

George A Reeve

UK Death Index George W Reeve  age 81 died 1968 Bedford

Children of George Walter Reeve and Audrey Edith L Reeve nee Hayes

Sheila Audrey Virginia Reeve 1919 - 1987, Patricia Rosemary Reeve 1920 - 1991, Peter E Reeve 1922 - 1997, George Anthony Reeve 1924 - 2011 (Public Ancestry Tree)

 

As the Youmati school is a government school would British government recruit? 

Yes, I think the British teachers were recruited from the UK.

Would he have needed any experience qualifications. He had served in WW1 and was a lieutentant (I think via the tempoary gentleman route as his family worked on the railways). Would that give him some opportunity to work in HK.

I think it's more likely he had some qualification or experience. If born in 1887 he was already 27 when WW1 started, so have you been able to find out what he'd done before then? When he's listed in the Blue Book he's shown with the qualification "B.A.", so he'd been to university at some point.

He didn't leave much of a trace during his time in Hong Kong. One other mention I found of him is on page 15 of The Hong Kong Telegraph, 1940-08-03, where the article about his daughter's wedding describes the bride as "[...] Miss Patricia Rosemary Reeve, younger daughter of Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Reeve, of Bedford, and of 461 The Peak, Hong Kong, [...]". The number in the address isn't 100% clear, so it may not be 461 as that was the address of Victoria Hospital.

On 24 September 1914 George Walter Reeve born 1 March 1887 in Swyndon (sic) in Wiltshire joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force. His trade or calling was university  student. Next of kin Father A Reeve of Glendale, Hatfield Road, Gloucester.

1901 UK Census shows him living with parents and siblings at Hatfield Road Gloucester. George Walter Reeve age 14 railway messenger born Swindon.

There are further details of his service in Canadian military records. For example he was 5 feet 8 inches tall with a fair complexion hazel eyes and auburn hair.

As Civil Servant working in a government school would his childrn's school fees in England be paid. My mother, aunt and uncles all went to boarding schools although my grandmother lived in England whilst they were of school age?

The University of Hong Kong has a record of "G. W. Reeve B.A." as a part-time staff, lecturer in logic, at least from 1926-1937. Could he be your grandfather? Did he have a BA degree?

I thimk it is! he is resgistered as havig a B.A.in the Blue Book though I haven't managed to establish where he gained this qualification. On the passenger list going out to Hong Kong he is described as a Junior Master Education. He may have gained a degree in Canada where he lived prior to WW1 or benifitted from the ex servicemens' scheme in the UK or perhaps a combination of the two.

Thank you so much for this information. I have very little dtail from my family but have gradually built up a richer picture thanks very often for information from people like yourself

Hi Jonas, 

I found a passing reference to your grandfather G.W. Reeve as the Headmaster of the Yaumati School during their 23rd annual athletic sports day at the Central British School ground (now the King Goerge V School) in Kowloon.

Source: Hong Kong Daily Press, page 2, 1st April 1941

The school was called 'Yaumati Government School' on the same sports day reporting in the The Hong Kong Telegraph, page 5, 1st April 1941 (digital image page '1')