Serge Piankoff / Peacock's Naturalisation Application

(This is copied from the original document held in the UK National Archives, their ref: CO 323/1174/4)

To
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG.
THE HUMBLE MEMORIAL of Sergei Patrowich Piankoff of the Peninsula Hotel, Kowloon, in the Colony of Hong Kong, Master-Baker, an alien.

SHOWETH:-

1. That your Memorialist is a former subject of His Russian Imperial Majesty's Empire having been born at Irkutsk in Russia on the 7th October 1905 and that the names and nationalities of his parents are:-

Father - Peter Patrowich Piankoff (Russian).
Mother - Evdokia Filipovna (nee Maslova) (Russian)

2. That your Memorialist is now of the age of 25 years and is working as a Master-Baker at the Peninsula Hotel aforesaid for the Hong Kong & Shanghai Hotels Ltd.

3. That your Memorialist is unmarried.

4. That your Memorialist arrived in Hong Kong on board the Japanese "Kamo Maru" from Shanghai on the 24th February 1925 and was out of employment until the 24th June 1925 since when he has been employed by the Hong Kong & Shanghai Hotels Ltd. and has been in Hong Kong employed by that Company up to the present time, except for a short holiday from the 18th June 1929 to the 12th October 1929 when your Memorialist went to Harbin now in the Republic of China, and stayed with his parents, his father having been a baker there owning his own bakery, since 1907.

5. That your Memorialist with his parents left Irkutsk and proceeded to Harbin in 1907 where he lived until he went with them to Vladivostok in 1914 where your Memorialist attended the 11th Borodin School, leaving that place with his parents in 1915 returning to Harbin. That at Harbin your Memorialist went to the 4th City School Harbin from 1915 till 1919, and in 1920 went to the advanced 4th City School, Harbin until 1923 when he left school and worked in the Rivkin Garage, Harbin, until 1924.
During the above times your memorialist lived with his parents. That in 1924 through your Memorialist's brother Michael Patrowich Piankoff, he obtained a vise or pass from the Colonial Secretary’s office in Hong Kong and proceeded to Hong Kong. Your Memorialist's said brother is now working at Lane Crawford Ltd and has been in this Colony since 1923.

6. That your Memorialist has resided in the Colony of Hong Kong at such times and at such addresses as are set out below.

From 24th February 1925 to 25th June 1925 at No.19 Whitfield Road, Victoria - 4 months.

From 25th June 1925 to 11th December 1928 at Hong Kong Hotel Victoria - 3 years 5 months.

From 11th December 1928 to 18th June 1929 at Peninsula Hotel Kowloon. - 6 months.

From 12th October 1929 to the date hereof at the Peninsula Hotel Kowloon - 1 year 8 months.

the aggregate period of such residence being 5 years and 11 months.

7. That your memorialist has not made any previous application of a similar nature whatsoever.

8. That your Memorialist intends, if this application for a certificate of naturalization is granted, to reside within His Majesty's Dominions.

9. That your Memorialist seeks to obtain for himself the rights and capacities of a natural born British subject from a desire to reside and carry on business permanently in His Majesty's Dominion and to acquire for himself the rights and duties both civil and political of a natural born British subject.

10. That your Memorialist intends to be known on and after his prayer for naturalization as Sergei Patrowich Peacock adopting the surname of Peacock and renouncing and abandoning the use of the surname Piankoff.

YOUR MEMORIALIST THEREFORE HUMBLY PRAYS that a certificate of Naturalization may be granted to him in the name of Sergei Patrovich Peacock in pursuance of the British Nationality and Status of Aliens Acts 1914 to 1922.

Dated the 21st day of July 1931.

(Signed) S. Piankoff

For his character references, he had:

• James Harper Taggart, Managing Director of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels
• Andrew William Juster, Bar-Manager, The Cecil Hotel, Chater Road
• Joseph Mason, working at the Royal Naval Dockyard
• Henry Teale, Wharfinger, Holts' Wharf
• Robert Edward Stott, Land Bailiff