"BCMS missionaries with Bishop Ronald Hall"

Sat, 01/21/2023 - 01:05

[Updated 03/Mar/2026]

I suspect the location is the BCMS Mission and Foundling Home at 24 Broadwood Road, Happy Valley. It is described as a 'palatial' house in western style.

The BCMS Mission Home was a base for missionaries going up-country as well as being a children's home. They would stay here for two years of language learning. This is possibly why Margery Bennett and Nora Bromley were at the Home having arrived in February 1933. Nora Bromley was going on to Haiphong in French Indo-China.

Superintendent of the BCMS Mission and Foundling Home and Senior Missionary, Miss Elizabeth Lucas (2nd row centre) is sitting next to Bishop Ronald Hall on her left.

Also in the picture are (Back row - L to R) unknown woman, Mildred Dibden (31-34), unknown man, unknown woman, Barbara Lomas (31-36), Nora Bromley* (33-35, later Braga).

2nd row - L to R : Noel Braga (visitor), Elizabeth Lucas (24-33), Ronald Hall.

Front row - L to R: Unknown woman, Margery Bennett (33-40, later Hook). Her BCMS training overlapped with Mildred Dibden's time there.

Lilian Barrett (29- )and Lucy Baird (25- ) are possibly present as well. Edith Loudwell (26-39) was on furlough. She returned with Grace James (33-39) in November 1933.

The dates of the different periods of service are useful confirmation of the date of this picture (1933) eg Nora Bromley started in 1933 whereas Elizabeth Lucas ended her service in 1933. The white suits would suggest the pic was taken in the summer months.

After this...

Mildred Dibden left the BCMS in 1936.

Barbara Lomas went to Ham-Chow (Qinzhou, Guangxi) in 1934 to help the Hooks in the dispensary there.

Nora Bromley married Hugh Braga in 1934 and left the BCMS in 1935.

Elizabeth Lucas retired from the BCMS in this year (1933) but continued with missionary work in India.

Ronald Hall (Bishop of Victoria) became Bishop of Hong Kong and Macau in 1951.

Margery Bennett married Rev Gilbert Hook in January 1934, and they served in Ham Chow.

Thanks to Stuart Braga for help with dating and putting names to faces.

*For more on Nora Bromley see here.

Date picture taken

1933

Comments

Uncropped

I realised that when I posted this pic originally, I had straightened and cropped it and it had cut off a possibly crucial bit of background in the distance , which could give Team Gwulo some very useful info. So I have posted the original pic instead. Am I right in thinking we're looking south towards the Wong Nei Chung Gap or is it all just a bit too hazy?

Re: Date of Photo

An observation. If Miss Grace James had left London on the Ranchi in October 1933, she would have arrived in Hong Kong on 17 November. This would indicate the photo was not taken during the summer of 1933 but some time later.