My grandparents came from Taishan/Toishan (台山), a region on the southern coast of Guangdong province of China and about 140 kilometres west of Hong Kong. Both the two words above refer to the same region, and Toishan’s English pronunciation is closer to how the people there call their home. Some of the villages and towns in their time no longer appear in today’s maps after they became a part of a large municipal entity.
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Mother - 陳玉屏 / CHAN Yuk Ping / Lena Yee (1922-2003) "Ma Ma"
Father – 余欽美 / YEE Ham Mee (1915-2008), Ham in Taishanese dialect "Ba Ba"
We learn from our parents at some point in time when and where we were born. In my case, I learned about it in 1950, one year after our family moved from Guangzhou to Hong Kong. There wasn’t much space for this active five-year old boy to play in grandparents flat. But I made the most of it. When father heard me playing, he would say “你 個 馬 壩 仔! (You Maba baby!)” I could see his smiling face and sense of relief. Mom didn’t say anything, perhaps father’s words had already covered it, not until many years later.
After WWII, our evacuation ended and we returned to the Guangzhou house. Father started his civil servant job in the provincial government. His work took him to many places to meet with local authorities. Every time he travelled, he carried a declaration issued by his superior. The declaration stated that he is on government business, and that no inspection of his luggage contents is necessary. Later, I learned the reason why.
The year 1949 was a pivotal point for China and by extension my family. The civil war on the mainland had ended and this time my parents needed to make another decision. Father kept this education and some work papers for memory's sake, and left his civil servant job. Next, the whole family including me and my two sisters took a ferry to Hong Kong. I was four years old at the time. Grandma Yee stayed behind in Guangzhou and would join us in Hong Kong in 1953.
This week's newsletter is a guest post from Peter Yee, an extract from his colourful memories of growing up in Hong Kong in the 1950s.
7.1 My Neighbourhood
Ki Lung Street was quiet with almost no car traffic during my early years in Hong Kong. It was two city blocks from the wider Lai Chi Kok Road which handled the bulk of the vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
Beginning in early 1955, adult conversations in the family were hinting that my parents would soon be emigrating to Canada. It did not mean much at the time. One day, father packed his belongings into a suitcase. He looked at a pocket knife for a few seconds, then gave it to me. I didn't say anything, and bobbed my head slightly as a sign of thanks.
In a previous newsletter, Peter Yee described his childhood in Hong Kong up to the year 1955. That was the year he turned 11, and the year his parents and two younger siblings emigrated to Canada. In this issue he continues the story, taking us up to 1964 when he made his own emigration to rejoin his family in Canada.
9.1 Ki Lung Street, 111, 2nd Floor (Level 3)
This guest post is written by David Twynham. Please click here for the background to this post.
Introduction
On 26 February 1918, just after the running of the Derby at Happy Valley Racecourse, Hong Kong, a long bamboo matshed set up beside the course on a temporary basis for the highly popular annual three day racing programme and holding an estimated 3,000 spectators at the time, collapsed ‘like a pack of cards’ and fire was seen to break out.
10.1 Process and Plan for the Future
When people ask where I am from, I always treat it as a friendly gesture, and that they are interested to know more about me. I respond positively, and gauge how much more they want to hear. I would also ask them the same question with the hope that we share our memories especially someone from Hong Kong. I have had the fortune to live in a place where East Meets West, and learned from both. We are never too old to meet new friends.
I was 15 years old in the year 1893, a Farmer's son looking always away to sea watching the Portmadoc Schooners daily setting sail from Portmadoc. It was much against my father's and mother's will that I should take up the sea as a career, however I was bent on going and had made up my mind. So one fine afternoon Captain John Evans Gegin Abererch came to see me having heard that I wanted to go to sea (a strong boy). He offered me to go away with him in the Fishguard Lass - a small thing of about 60 to 80 tons, however I joined her at Portmadoc.
We arrived in Cardiff in due course Captain's wife was on board - on arrival in Cardiff the crew were paid off and I went home for a short holiday and then went to London to go to School and prepare for my Master's Certificate, I went up after about three weeks at School and passed at first attempt (1902 - July). After spending a few weeks holiday at home I went to Liverpool after having having been offered a mate's job on the "Cambrian Warrior" which I refused to accept, I was offered 10/- more per month but I rejected the offer.
I joined the R.N.R. In 1907 applied to the Company for time off to do my R.N.R. training which was granted me so I joined H.M.S. "Illustrious" (Battleship) at Portsmouth and was given a 1st. certificate in gunnery after 4 weeks training, also promoted to acting Lieutenant from Sub-Lt. R.N.R. I left H.M.S. Illustrious in some place in Ireland and proceeded to Devonport to go through a 3 months gunnery training. I obtained my gunnery Certificate which consisted of big gun training, machine gun training including Squad and Battalion drill, also field gun - ammunition instruction in detail.
After having a couple of weeks leave I reported to the White Star Line that I was ready to take up my duty again. I was ordered to join the "Celtic" then in dry dock as 3rd, Officer. There was then a shipping slump and many out of employment. The Celtic sailed for New York and then on a Mediterranean Cruise calling at the Islands on the way. It was a lovely run in a lovely ship. I think we made another trip to the Mediterranean on our return to New York - our usual calls were Gibraltar, Genoa and Naples I went to see the ruins of Pompeii.
During all this period Europe was rapidly moving towards war.
From home I went to Davenport and went through a course of Gunnery and Torpedo this ended some time in the middle of the summer when that was completed I was appointed to an ex-German ship at Singapore and was given a passage out on a Blue Funnel steamer (Emlyn was born in September 1919 I was on the way out). Master appointment when I arrived out there, I found there were about 34 ships there and more to come over from Java, However it took about 5 months to repair the ships before they were ready for sea.
This week's newsletter is an extract from Captain Thomas Pritchard's memoirs. He wrote them, and drew the sketches, while interned by the Japanese in Stanley Camp. Sadly he died in the Camp in 1944, but a friend kept the document safe, and delivered it to Captain Pritchard's family in North Wales after the war. If you're interested in ships and the sea, I recommend you read the full memoir, which starts with him working on sailing ships in the 1890s.
Things became very difficult on December 8th Monday (1941) war broke out in Hong Kong. My ship s/s Taishan was sunk in Sai-wan Bay. I lost all I possessed including my Certificate. I was interned in this Camp on June 21st 1942 transported in a little steamer named the "Stanley" from our wharf (Macao) lost good full sextant, gold watch and chain, gold ring, two Binoculars, two Telescopes, all my papers including my Master's Certificate No. 033476 and my R.N.R. Commission and other valuable documents.
((These notes were added by Capt. Albert Jones, “Mathan”, Pwlleli, friend and fellow prisoner who delivered Captain Pritchard's memoir to his family after the end of the war.))