1922 C.E. Warren & Co Ltd Advertisement

This ad obviously announces the move by C.E.Warren from premises in De Veoux Road where the company had first been established. It seems to be part of part of the deal which was struck when Warren and John Olson,who was my great grandfather. broke up. It seems the the Olson/Warren split involved the passing of some long term Olson held  property at 98A and 98B Wanchai Road. My great grandather and great grandmother both died at these addresses as did dome of their children from time to time. The houses were, if memory serves me correctly part of Marine Lot 22 which had been subdivided and seems to have compromprised some living quarters and some godowns.  As Warren decided to buy the Olson family out of the business- which was started when Charles Warren married Hannah Olson the eldest daughter on Johne Olson  who began life as  Jons Jakobsson in Carlshamn, Sweden - and a Chinese woman Kum Yau there was probably significant Olson investment and a large amount of cash had to be found which probably pushed Warren into heavy debt. 

It is interesting that Warrens only became a limited company in around 1920. Again if my memory serves me correctly, according to the HK companay's office C.E.Warren and Co Ltd.,was not disolved until 1956 though I understand that it did not trade in HK after 1941 when the late Leslie Warren left the Colony and shut up shop. He later died tragically of enteric fever after joiining the British army in India.

I repeat this information comes from my memory. All the papers regarding this are in the loft and will stay there!

Sean Olson. Dublin , Ireland