Philip Harding Klimanek (1883-1965), who worked for Holland-China Trading Company from ca. 1905 in Hong Kong and Shanghai, visited Japan in ca. 1934 with his wife Zoia, son Reginald and daughter Sylvia.
Wnen signs of war became eminent (for the Chinese, WWII started in 1937 when Japan attacked and occupied Shanghai and surroundings, except for the international concessions), Philip Harding Klimanek remained working in Shanghai and sent his family back home to the United Kingdom. In 1941, he was taken prisoner of war in Hong Kong by the Japanese, working as a volunteer for the food conservation program, preparing for the expected Japanese attack.
His son Reginald Harding Klimanek became a pilot for the RAF. During a mission in Norway, his airplane was shot down and he died, in 1945, at the age of twenty one. A memorial showing his name can be found at Arendal, Norway. <a href="https://old.gwulo.com/%3Ca%20href%3D"https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18966823/reginald-sergius_paul_harding-klimanek">https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18966823/reginald-sergius_paul_hardi..." rel="noreferrer nofollow">www.findagrave.com/memorial/18966823/reginald-sergius_pau...</a>
This photo is a witness of happier times for the Harding Klimanek family, taken during a holiday in Japan.
Courtesy Harding Klimanek family archives
