Seeking British policeman in Hong Kong, late 1800s early 1900s | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Seeking British policeman in Hong Kong, late 1800s early 1900s

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Submitted by RobinM on Wed, 2022-01-05 14:35

Hello

According to a family story, a great-grand uncle who was a policeman in Britain went to Hong Kong. His name was John Diamond, born Cornwall, 1860. I *think* he was still in the UK in 1893 but am not 100% sure.

The story is that he is buried in the Happy Valley Cemetery.

I've searched the "List of People" on this site, and there are no Diamonds there (or Dymond/Dimond) under police or otherwise.

I have been through all the pages of "Register of Interments (Foreigners), 1884-1973 - from Colonial Cemetery (Happy Valley) 跑馬地殖民地墳場 on Family search.

and

Graves for Royal Hong Kong Police Force (Foreigners), 1886-1977

and

Register of Interments (Ossuarium, Foreigners), 1865-1941

and others, with no luck. It is possible he married a local as the family legend says "his grandson married a Chinese woman and their daughter married a big man named Boult".

It isn't much to go on. But does anyone have any ideas on where I should be searching next?

thanks :)
ROBIN

(New Zealand)

 

 

 

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Submitted by eurasian_david on Wed, 2022-01-05 16:20.

There was an Alfred George Dymond employed in the HK police on 15th December 1893, pensioned 6th June 1904 aged 47 years of age, listed as a pensioner in 1917

Are you sure his first name is John? Or is the above any relation to your John?

 

 

Submitted by RobinM on Wed, 2022-01-05 17:04.

Thanks - his birth records and census records say John, and there are no Georges (although an Alfred in later generations) in the family. No relation as far as I know.

Interesting on my searches I did not find Alfred George in the cemeteries I looked in.

 

 

Submitted by 1314 on Wed, 2022-01-05 18:44.

Alfred George DYMOND     Inspector at Aberdeen in 1907     at Central in 1913     to pension on 6.6.1914       alive in 1930

Submitted by jill on Wed, 2022-01-05 23:44.

I think Christine Thomas is the person who can help you. She used to work for the Hong Kong Police and helps people with their ancestry queries professionally. The email address that she gives on the familyhistoryfederation.com site is twiglet.thomas@myself.com

if anyone can help you Christine can.

Submitted by RobinM on Thu, 2022-01-06 02:55.

Thank you, Jill :)

Submitted by jill on Thu, 2022-01-06 04:17.

Two more thoughts:

- If you search the Carl Smith records https://search.grs.gov.hk/en/searchcarladv.xhtml?rpp=10 for the name "Boult", there is an Archive record for R.S. Boult - "Removal to the United Kingdom under the Colonial Prisoner Removal Act." That's HKRS146-1-27 and the date range is 17.2.1949-15.2.1951. Could John Diamond's great-granddaughter's husband have got the wrong side of the law? 

- There was a Diamond family already in Hong Kong in 1854. Charles and Maria Diamond's daughter, Elizabeth was baptised at the Roman Catholic Cathedral then. Her sponsor was Thomas Diamond. Did your grave searches cover St Michael's Catholic Cemetery - also in Happy Valley?

Submitted by RobinM on Thu, 2022-01-06 04:39.

Thanks - I looked under Jewish but not Catholic - will try again.

Thomas Diamond is a family name ... John's brother, and grandfather and great-grandfather had the same name. No Charles that I am aware of, but I will dig further back.

thanks

Submitted by jill on Thu, 2022-01-06 07:42.

Looking back to a previous Gwulo thread for St Michael's Catholic Cemetery, their contact details given by Herostratus are:

St. Michael's Catholic Cemetery

Happy Valley, Hong Kong. Tel: 852-2572-6078
E-mail: ccemstmichael@catholic.org.hk

Their data base isn't searchable online, but they respond to telephone enquiries, I know. Probably email too.

Herostratus also gives details for several other Catholic cemeteries in the same thread under St Michael's. Good luck!

Submitted by RobinM on Thu, 2022-02-17 15:06.

Hello all!

There was some truth to the old family story referred to above whereby a g-g uncle (John Diamond) was a policeman who moved to Hong Kong and is buried there.

My research has revealed that it was a sister of my great-great-grandfather (Thomas Diamond) who went to Hong Kong. Elizabeth was married to a policeman named Hubert John Gidley (known as John), and they went to HK about 1881. They took five children with them, and four more were born in HK. Three of them died young.

I am still digging about for more information but it has been a great breakthrough - so grateful for this site!

thanks all!

ROBIN

 

Submitted by eurasian_david on Fri, 2022-02-18 09:06.

Mrs Gidley and her 5 children arrived in Hong Kong on 27th May 1883 having sailed from London from 14th April 1883 on board the British streamer Radnorshire. Please see both shipping arrivals and passenger arrivals on the first column of the first page of the Hong Kong Daily Press 28th May 1883 (NB. misspelled 'Gedley' in the local papers)

Source: Hong Kong Daily Press, page 1, 28th May 1883

Submitted by RobinM on Fri, 2022-02-18 11:02.

Thanks, David :)

Submitted by 1314 on Sat, 2022-02-19 00:09.

Presumably you are familiar with http://thegidleyblog.blogspot.com which conatins a mass of information on the family including the policeman's involvement and in the 1894 Plague and relevant medal award.

Submitted by RobinM on Sat, 2022-02-19 11:33.

I was not aware of that ... thank you!

Submitted by 1314 on Mon, 2022-02-21 04:12.

The Gidley name has been around Asia( India,Malaya,Singapore,China and Hong Kong ) since at least the middle of the 19th Century.A trawl of this Site and of the Internet generally will no doubt reveal more information.They have made a considerable contribution to the communities they served, in both commercial and governmental spheres. Thomas Henry Gidley commenced in Hong Kong as a Warder in the Prison,then a part of the Police; he progressed and achieved Inspectrate rank,being awarded the 1894 Hong Kong Plague Medal for his work during that period.Herbert John (sometime Hubert) had a short but eventfull career in Government as a Sanitary Inspector,from which post he was dismissed in 1906 for leaving Hong Kong without permission.And in 1997 on handover Senior Inspector A.G.Gidley was serving the Royal Hong Kong Police.

Submitted by RobinM on Mon, 2022-02-21 12:26.

By my research so far, it was his son, Sydney Maurice Gidley, who went AWOL. I've just been trawling through some old papers and there was a trial in 1906 with charges against him of bribery. But I have not found the result - it can't have been digitised yet.

Hubert John (the dad) appears to be in the UK in 1901, and I haven't learned what precipitated this. And why he left his wife and family in HK.

Submitted by moddsey on Mon, 2022-02-21 08:38.

The Gidley list in the local newspapers can be read here It may not be entirely exhasutive but it is a start. The outcome of the bribery case can be read here in the Hong Kong Telegraph dated 29 October 1906. The Crown abandoned the case and Gidley was discharged.

Submitted by RobinM on Mon, 2022-02-21 10:49.

Thank you, that article had not come up under a search using "Gidley".

Submitted by 1314 on Mon, 2022-02-21 17:34.

From the 1906 Hong Kong Blue Book -

                        GIDLEY, Sidney Maurice

                         Born - 15.8.1881     15.4.1902 Apptd Temp Sanitary Inspector

                                      10.3.1903  Apptd 1st Class Sanitary Inspector