Margaret Wheeldon PUGH (née WHEELDON) [1926-2017] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Margaret Wheeldon PUGH (née WHEELDON) [1926-2017]

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Submitted by Kristin Pugh on Thu, 2017-03-02 20:17
Names
Given: 
Margaret Wheeldon
Family: 
Pugh
Maiden: 
Wheeldon
Sex: 
Female
Status: 
Deceased
Birth
Date: 
c.1926-01-01 (Month, Day are approximate)
Birthplace (country): 
Hong Kong
Death
Date: 
2017-02-03

We found your website when researching 'Soldier of Fortune' information on Hong Kong location filming. My husband's mother Margaret Wheeldon Pugh was Susan Hayward's stand in. She always talked about rickshaw scenes if you could get her to talk about the film time (she considered it a lark). Unfortunately she passed away at 90 years old on Feb 3, 2017.

She was born and raised in Hong Kong and was one of first 6 stewardesses for Cathay Pacific.

Margaret Wheeldon (her maiden name) was born to "Mary" Ho (Hakka family from Pearl River area) and John William Wheeldon (from N. Ireland) in Hong Kong in 1926. There is a strong Eurasian tradition in HK as you must know. She went to Diocesan Girls School (DGS) and when WWII interrupted her high school in 1941 she did what other Eurasians did in those days to avoid being sent to an internment camp - keep low profile or in hiding. Her mom had a flat in Happy Valley.

After WWII she finished final year of schooling and went to work for Mollers as a secretary for their chief engineer in 1946.  Cathay hired her after their plane was hijacked 1948 and crashed going to Macau & they had a job opening for a stewardess. Previously she had interviewed and the chief pilot thought she was too shy - but after the Macau crash Sydney de Kantzow hired her on. She flew all over Asia landing on WWII airstrips in Ambon, Burma, Australia, Philippines etc. On those flights she met Ava Gardner and Marlon Brando and other movie people. It must be because of the airline work she somehow got in touch to do the Susan Hayward stand in work (including the rickshaw scenes). She didnt talk too much about it but it sounded like a fun episode.

Very sincerely,
Kristin Pugh

 

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Comments

Submitted by mike on Thu, 2017-03-02 23:00.

Thanks for posting that....wonderful story of an age long gone.

I wonder where abouts in N.Ireland her Dad came from...both my parents came from the North.

Mike

Submitted by Kristin Pugh on Fri, 2017-03-10 07:23.

Mike:
We are not 100% sure. Right now we are doing a little research on geneaology and have requested documents from the HK government. I'll let you know what we hear back.

Sincerely, The Pugh Family

Submitted by philk on Mon, 2018-03-26 18:21.

I’ve read various sources that state Dale Logue was Hayward’s stand in for Soldier of Fortune. Perhaps she shared stand in duties? Logue was Hayward’s stand in for many of her later films as well.

Submitted by Ngaire Atkinson on Thu, 2018-05-17 18:59.

Do you remember the name of the Chief Engineer at Mollers that Margaret worked for?