Michael Constantin YATSKIN [1907-1965]

Submitted by Chucha on Wed, 06/27/2018 - 21:54
Names
Given
Michael Constantin
Family
Yatskin
Sex
Male
Status
Deceased
Born
Date
Birthplace (town, state)
Omsk, West Siberia
Birthplace (country)
Russia
Died
Date
(Day & Month are approximate.)

Michael Yatskin

Born in Siberia Russia around 1910 . Escaped due to revolution via Harbin Shanghai then Hong Kong. Prisoner of war at Sham Shui PO prison camp for over 3 years? I have a book of sketches by Lieut  A.V. Skvorzov of life in the prison camp . I believe there is one in the museum in Hong Kong.

He was an engineer in the PWD in Hong Kong when he was head of works at Sham Shui Po in 1955 when the Li Cheng Uk tomb was discovered. His subsequent actions saved the tomb.

We emigrated to Western Australia in1965. He was killed in a terrible car accident in 1965.

Tags

Connections: This person is ...
Spouse of
Evgeniya YATSKIN (née NOZADZE, aka Jenny / Janet Node) [1922-2005]
Member of
Russian community in Hong Kong [????- ]

Photos that show this Person

hongkong PWD ca1955
1950s

Comments

Fortunately, your father's Naturalisation Certificate was in one of the sets I copied at the UK National Archive earlier this year. The certificate is held under their reference HO 334/252/1766.

It is dated 19th October, 1936, and made out to "MIHAIL KONSTANTINOVITCH YATSKIN commonly known as MICHAEL CONSTANTIN YATSKIN".

It adds some other useful information:

  • Address: 53, Cumberland Road, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon
  • Trade or Occupation: Student of engineering, University of Hong Kong
  • Place and date of birth: Omsk, West Siberia, Russia. 5th July, 1907.
  • Nationality: Chinese nationality
  • Single, married, etc.: Single
  • Name and nationality of parents
    • Konstantin Georgievitch Yatskin, father (deceased): Naturalized Chinese
    • Ekaterina Mihailovna Yatskin (nee Shanin), mother (deceased): Naturalized Chinese

Hello,

I think your father is the same person identified on a HKU record of my father, Boris George Milenko, which shows Parent or Guardian as M. C. Yatskin at the address Albert-Villa, Kowloon. My father was born in Russia (Votkinski Zavod), and came to Harbin with his parents in 1920. His father and my grandfather was Yuri Milenko, a lawyer from St Petersburg who continued to practice law in Harbin - Yuri migrated to Australia in about 1952 and lived in Wollongong, NSW. It seems very likely M. C. Yatskin is in fact Michael Constantin Yatskin.

I requested HKU records from their archives section a number of years ago, and in addition to his graduation in 1939 with a B. Sc. (Eng) in 1939, they included a copy of a form he must have completed on enrolling at the university in September 1935, which includes M. C. Yatskin.

On the Gwulo website I've added some old photos from the late 1930's and likely also 1940 - if you recognise any of the people could you let me know who they are?

Also, recently I've liaised with David about the location of Albert-Villa in Kowloon - if you have any details could you share these?

My father was also in the HKVDC, but was not interned. He escaped in 1942 to mainland China, then made a very difficult journey to Chungking, then Iraq during the war, then to Australia in 1944. He continued working as an electrical engineer in NSW up to the early 1980's.

 

He's mentioned in the 1940 Jurors List:

c   Yatskin, Michael Constantin Assistant, Marsman H.K. China, Ld. Marble Hall.

 

And in "02. Prisoners Of War - Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Forces":

Yatskin M C HKVDC Corporal 3359