Hong Kong 1920s-60s: Geoff Wellstead's photos

Kung hei fat choy!

The first post for the Year of the Sheep is an interesting set of photos from Geoff's family albums. Several are group photos, so please leave a comment if you can put a name to any of the faces.

First some background from Geoff:

A son of Russian Black Sea mill-owners, Captain Alexander Laihovetsky and his family happened to be living in Nagasaki at the time of the 1917 Russian revolution. They moved to HK after World War I, then went to Vancouver chicken farming (unsuccessfully) in the early 1920s, but by the mid 20s were back in Kowloon Tong. Captain Laihovetsky commanded various ships trading between Singapore-Indochina-HK-Chinese ports-Japan.
 
He helped launch the HK Agricultural Show and the Empire Products Fair, and was frequently called on for advice on raising chickens by the wives of Governors and the Colonial Secretary.  His 3 daughters attended KBS/CBS (later KGV), were active in Kowloon Girl Guides, and learned piano from long time resident Maestro Elizio Gualdi.
 
Wife Vera and the daughters were evacuated to Australia in 1940, but Vera returned to HK in 1941 and spent the occupation years in St Pauls French Convent Hospital at Causeway Bay with an injury from shelling. Alexander Laihovetsky died 4 April 1942.
 
Second daughter Alvena met ship's engineer Fred Wellstead in Sydney and sent him on a pre-marriage visit to HK. He left HK for Sydney with marriage approval and a job offer from Taikoo Dockyard on 29 November 1941, just 10 days before the Japanese invasion.
 
In 1945 Fred returned to HK to take up the job at Taikoo he had been offered in 1941, and helped in the postwar reconstruction of the bombed-out dockyard. Wife Alvena and 4 year old Geoff joined him in 1946; and Vera briefly 1947-8. 
 
The Wellsteads lived at Stanley Terrace. Geoff attended Quarry Bay Junior School and then KGV. Fred was the dockyard's Harbour Engineer with a launch 'Taikoo Shing', based at Butterfield and Swire's CBD office, and later was Head of the Heavy Machine shop where the Taikoo Doxford engines were built. Alvena taught for a while at Royden House, Repulse Bay.The family finally left HK for Australia in 1959, and only Geoff ever visited HK again.

(You can click any of the photos below to see other readers' comments, and / or leave your own.)

1st Kowloon Brownies 1927

'Sonny' Martin

Crew of SS Hung On 1929

Alice Dyer to Alexander Laihovetsky, letter 1, 1931

Alice Dyer to Alexander Laihovetsky, letter 2, 1932

Bella Southorn to Alexander Laihovetsky, letter 1, 1932

Alice Dyer to Alexander Laihovetsky, letter 3, 1932

CBS Prefects 1933 Mr Nightingale

CBS PREFECTS 1934 Rev Upsdell, Mr Rowell

Electric Star

HK Brownie pack about 1936

Hockey Club dance Peninsula 1939

Taikoo 1946 Hogmanay New Year Lunch Menu.jpg

Taikoo 1946 Hogmanay New Year Lunch cover.jpg

WW II survivor.jpg

Robert Main Docs-1.jpg

Taikoo Club and Stanley Terrace, Quarry Bay kids parties 1

Robert Main Docs-2.jpg

Robert Main Docs-3.jpg

Quarry Bay School concerts 1

Woodside House

Taikoo Club and Stanley Terrace, Quarry Bay kids parties 2

Quarry Bay School concerts 3

Early 50s - Nathan Rd.jpg

Early 50s - HK by night.jpg

Early 50s - Kai Tak.jpg

Taikoo Dockyard 1950s.jpg

1950s SS Taiping, MV Eastern, MV Nellore at Taikoo

4th HK Cubs 1951

Quarry Bay School concerts 2

Taikoo Club and Stanley Terrace, Quarry Bay kids parties 4

1953 Coronation decorations HK 3.jpg

1953 Coronation decorations HK

1953 Coronation decorations HK

St Johns Cathedral Choir 1956

Robert Main Doc 2-1.jpg

Spitfire at Cenotaph Nov 1957

Taikoo ship newbuilds 1958 - MV Kweichow under construction

Kings Rd at Quarry Bay 1958

Quarry Bay village West Street

Quarry Bay village East Street

Taikoo Doxford engines 1958

Taikoo ship newbuild - MV Kwangtung ready for launching.

1958 celebrations - Bank of China 1 Oct

1958 celebrations 2 - Bank of China 1 Oct

1958 celebrations - Double Tenth 10 Oct

Quarry Bay 1962

Taikoo reservoir

Taikoo reservoir

Dam east of Stanley Terrace

Looking north from Stanley Terrace

Taikoo Club and Stanley Terrace, Quarry Bay kids parties 3

HK banknotes pre-1959

Thanks to Geoff for lettng us see these. If you have any old photos of Hong Kong you can share, we'll enjoy seeing them. Here's how to upload a photo to the Gwulo website: http://gwulo.com/node/2076