Arthur Cecil WARREN [1906-1930] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Arthur Cecil WARREN [1906-1930]

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Submitted by jill on Mon, 2013-09-02 20:54
Names
Given: 
Arthur Cecil
Family: 
Warren
Sex: 
Male
Status: 
Deceased
Birth
Date: 
1906-08-06
Birthplace (town, state): 
Hong Kong
Birthplace (country): 
Hong Kong
Death
Date: 
1930-04-21
Cause of death: 
Pulmonary tuberculosis

Arthur Cecil Warren was the fourth child of Charles Edward Warren and Hannah Mabel Warren. Like his brothers he was educated in Hong Kong, Canada and England. He joined C.E. Warren & Co., Hong Kong in 1923 the same year that his father died and at the same time as his elder brother, Leslie, took over management of the company. He had to return to England for medical treatment in 1928 or 1929 and died of pulmonary tuberculosis on 21 April 1930 at the Southampton Isolation Hospital aged only 23. His paintings, mainly in the Chinese style, were preserved by his sister-in-law and eventually taken to Canada when she and her family emigrated there.

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Siblings of Arthur Cecil WARREN [1906-1930]

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Submitted by jill on Tue, 2013-09-03 20:52.

I hope I may use the hospitality of Gwulo to publish a letter from my late uncle, Arthur Warren to his old school, Churchers, Petersfield, Hampshire. He is one of three of the 'erased' members of my immediate family, never mentioned by my father. This is the only record of his voice. Unfortunately the exact date of the letter isn't given but it must tie up with newspaper reports of 1927:

Letter from Arthur Warren published in the school magazine Old Churcherian Notes dated November 1927, but probably written in July or August. 

“Hong Kong’s not too bad, but the climate is awful. The temperature is 96 in the shade today and the humidity about 81. This is what we shall get till the end of September, with an occasional typhoon to break the monotony. 

Another ship was pirated the other day and taken to Bias Bay, but it happened to be a Norwegian Vessel this time. You may have read that Bias Bay was raided by the 1st Cruiser Squadron a few months ago and smashed to smithereens, and since then not a single British vessel has been pirated. However, the captain was shot three times, once throught the stomach, and died later, on reaching Hong Kong. 

The Troops are still with us and I don’t think they like the place very much. There is really nothing for them to do here. It isn’t like Shanghai with the Cabarets etc. Hong Kong is really a quiet place for the fat old Typao (Boss) to take it easy, and, of course dough is essential. 

Well, give my kindest regards to those I have known. 

                                    Yours, etc.

Submitted by David on Wed, 2013-09-04 18:10.

Hi Jill, 

I was thinking about something similar over the summer, as we were packing up old family mementoes at mum's house. We've got a few photos that show my father's brother George, and a book that has his signature in, but that's all. He died in WW2, and had never married, so these few items are the only traces left.

So I'm pleased to see this letter as a memory of Arthur, thanks for posting.

Regards, David

Submitted by jill on Thu, 2013-09-05 03:37.

Thank you, David. I’ve found myself with two unexpected weeks of free time and have gingerly opened the Pandora’s boxes of my family records. I will post any photos that might seem useful in due course – beaches and teachers perhaps. 

I wonder if the combined knowledge of Gwulo subscribers could help me with alternative routes that Arthur might have used to sail to England when seeking medical treatment for TB and how to search for them. My various searches through Ancestry.com haven’t thrown up his name, although I have found other Warren relatives recorded as travelling via Montreal or Vancouver to London and also via Kobe and Shanghai to Liverpool. I notice that Arthur’s sister, Evelyn, when transiting Canada on her way back to Hong Kong in 1920 had to sign a passengers' declaration stating that she did not have TB. 

I can’t find several records of voyages that were made by my Warren family members to and from England and to and from Canada – for instance, that of Arthur and my father, Charles Reginald Warren who went to school in Canada in 1917. Did children under a certain age not have to be recorded? They were 11 and 8 respectively and accompanied by a governess.

Any tips gratefully received.

Jill


Submitted by David on Thu, 2013-09-05 18:06.

I hope the family records turn up some interesting stories.

I've made a new page for the question about routes to & from HK, as it's of general interest: http://gwulo.com/node/17157

Regards, David