A kind contact has found this 1920s voyage of Cicely Beatrice Warren (here called Beatrice Warren), new wife of my uncle, Leslie Warren. I believe that she went back to her family in England a few months after arriving in Hong Kong in May 1923. Her father-in-law, Charles Warren died a month after her arrival and was discovered to have been nearly bankrupt. His house, The Towers and all its contents were put up for auction on 29-30 May, 1924. In this record, Cicely's age is given as 22. The voyage is therefore between July-October 1923 and her 23rd birthday in February 1924. A bad typhoon had hit the Wong-nei-Chong area in August 1923 to add to her discomfort. Her Eurasian mother-in-law, Hannah Warren, previously unknown to her, arrived in Hong Kong in September 1923. Leslie's Eurasian background may have been previously concealed from her too. The ship is the Patroclus belonging to the China Steamship Company but I can't see the date of arrival or embarkation on this record, nor the port of arrival. It is not known how long Cicely stayed in England. Worryingly, she states her "Country of permanent residence" as England. However, she eventually left Liverpool for Hong Kong on 13th September 1924 on the Mentor recorded as “Miss” Cicely Warren. Leslie Warren’s 14 year-old brother, Reggie, had just left London on 30th August on the Hakone Maru, bound for Yokohama, escorted by Ethel Olson, wife of Reggie’s uncle, Charles Olson. I should be very grateful if anyone comes across this 1923-24 voyage of the Patroclus or a record of Cicely Beatrice Warren travelling to England at this period. I already have the record of her 1928 voyage back to England with her two children.
This photo shows Leslie and Cicely Warren newly arrived in May 1923.
Comments
Mrs. L. B. Warren
The S. S. Patroclus was a Blue Funnel Line vessel. It departed Hong Kong 0n 4 September 1923. Bound for London was Mrs. L. B. Warren.
Source: Hong Kong Daily Press 5 September 1923.
Thank you so much for this find!
That is a fantastic find, moddsey. Thank you so much. That means that Cicely Warren stayed in Hong Kong for a bare four months. I now think that she didn't even cross with her mother-in-law, Hannah Warren, who arrived back in September. The journalist, Jason Wordie, told me that he had interviewed Irene Braudé, daughter of Mrs Deacon at 21 Broadwood Road many years ago. Mrs Braudé told him that Cicely had wept on her mother's shoulder on discovering her husband's Eurasian origins and the implications for her social status in Hong Kong. Charles Warren's death and the revelation of his company's precarious financial status was an additional shock. The August typhoon can't have helped. My guess is that Cicely did not, at that moment, intend to come back to Hong Kong.
The ship Patroclus departed…
The ship Patroclus departed from Taku Bar (modern day Tianjin) and sailed to London arriving on 9th October 1923 - some of the ports passed though included Kobe, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Port Swettenham, Penang.
Route of S.S. Patroclus to London 1923
Thank you so much, David. It's good to have Cicely's port and date of arrival and the ship's whole route. I imagine she took the fare out of her own pocket.
Mrs. H. M. Warren
Mrs. H. M. Warren arrived in Hong Kong on 13 August 1923 on N. Y. K.'s "Mishima Maru" from Europe via Singapore.
Source: Hong Kong Daily Press 14 August 1923.