Albert Edward Peveril GUEST (aka Bert / Bertie) [1901-1996] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Albert Edward Peveril GUEST (aka Bert / Bertie) [1901-1996]

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Submitted by Admin on Tue, 2014-04-15 13:46
Names
Given: 
Albert Edward Peveril
Family: 
Guest
Alias / nickname: 
Bert / Bertie
Sex: 
Male
Status: 
Deceased
Birth
Date: 
1901-11-21
Birthplace (country): 
Singapore
Death
Date: 
1996-06-16
Tags: 
those not interned
WW2: interned at Ma Tau Wai camp
Connections: 
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Submitted by csmith1611 on Tue, 2014-10-14 09:38.

Hi there

Bert Guest was my grandfather. He was born 21 November 1901 and passed away in June 1996. I will confirm date.

My grandfather in his younger years represented HK in boxing, tennis and hockey.

During WW2 he was imprisoned in Kimberley Rd and tortured very badly. He worked for the British Underground receiving and sending messages in Code. Apparently his contact with the undergound was Preston Wong. Bertie's civilian employment was  in Communications with the British Government. 

Bert was eventually returned to his family after his time of torture and was like a walking skeleton, who was unable to get under the bed during bombing. The only job he was capable of doing on his return was to care for the chooks in the camp. Mum tells me that each person in camp was given a number and eggs distributed in "numerical order".

My mum, Rosemary (aka Joyce), who currently lives with me, tells the story of their house in Embankment Rd, Kowloon Tong, being occupied by the Japanese and her brothers George and Eric (who were only boys) having to sneak through the house to dismantle a shortwave radio that my grandfather had set up in the house. In order for the boys to do this a lttle more easily, me grandmother (May) had provided the officer with a "squeaky" camp bed at the bottom of the stairs.

The family eventually were interned at Kai Tak in a civilian prisoner of war camp - apparently near the airport - to try and protect it. The kids used an old church near the camp as their school. From the choir section of the church they could see the airport. They had a Maths teacher, an English teacher and one other who tried to teach them French.

I am able to be contacted at email: csmith1611@gmail.com

Submitted by David on Wed, 2014-10-15 16:15.

Hi Carolyn,

Thanks for your posts and photos. I've updated the DoB. Please can you also let us know where he was born?

We've got some more information about Preston Wong at: http://gwulo.com/node/15358.

The camp near the airport was the Ma Tau Wai camp: http://gwulo.com/node/6013

You can find several other pages that mention your grandfather by clicking the "What links here" button above. (It's not working 100% for all pages yet, as we're just finishing off an upgrade. All links to this page are shown though.)

Please let us know as you find out more. All the information helps complete the puzzle.

Best regards, David

Submitted by csmith1611 on Wed, 2014-10-15 18:23.

Thank you David.

My grandfather worked with Preston Wong in what I assume was some sort of underground activity.

I will have a look at our records to find Bert's place of birth.

Preston's son Ken is still alive and living in Victoria, Australia. Mum receives Christmas greetings from him each year.

I will forward bits'n'pieces as I scan them.

Kind Regards

Carolyn

 

Submitted by David on Thu, 2014-10-16 13:10.

I asked Elizabeth Ride if her BAAG records have any mention of Bert Guest, but unfortunately they don't.

Regards, David

Submitted by Admin on Fri, 2014-10-17 10:17.

An update from Elizabeth Ride:

Although he is not mentioned by name in my papers, Albert Guest seems to have been involved in the purge in June 1944.

((Elizabeth provided a statement from another person involved in that purge, Ram Pal Ghilote, describing their treatment: http://gwulo.com/node/21939))

Other arrests in this same case are described in John Luff's book The Hidden Years pp  207-211, where various the activities of the notorious George Wong are also described.

Finally, I note that in the War Crimes trial interrogation of George Wong (NA WO 325/42) he states "I drove the car when Mr Guest was arrested ..."   Unfortunately I did not take a copy of the rest of the interrogation, but perhaps the family of Mr Guest have the opportunity of looking this up in the National Archives at Kew

 

Submitted by csmith1611 on Fri, 2014-10-17 18:16.

Albert Edward Peveril-Guest was born in Singapore.

Submitted by csmith1611 on Sun, 2014-10-19 17:28.

Albert Edward Peveril-Guest passed away on 16/06/1993.

He married Edith May Fincher, 1 March 1927

Edith May Peveril-Guest (nee Fincher) was born 23 May, 1903 in Hong Kong

They had 5 children

George William Peveril-Guest (! March, 1928)

Eric Graham Peveril-Guest (18 September, 1929)

John Derek Peveril-Guest (1 April, 1931)

Rosemary Joyce Peveril-Guest (20 August, 1932)

Peter Douglas Peveril-Guest (13 August, 1934)