Frederick Cyril GABY (aka Cyril) [1906-2002]

Cyril Gaby represents a long-standing tranche of the Hong Kong community - that is of seamen who would acquire a Chinese mistress in the city and set her up in an apartment. It was a convenient arrangement for men who came and went. In his autobiography, Gaby has described how he acquired his mistress through the time honoured "viewing" procedure at a tea shop in Ladder Street and recorded the price negotiated with the madam, which in his case in the early 1930s was a down payment of $500 and the purchase of a $2000 apartment in Wanchai. At the time, he was Chief Officer of a boat called the "Kaitona" that carried salt, maize, rice and other cargo, not always legal, to the Chinese mainland. Gaby writes that he spent a year living with his mistress, Anna in Wanchai. When he joined the Chinese Customs Service he claims he left Anna with the apartment and  deposited a sum of money in the bank for her. It is thought that Elsie Gaby, whose grave is in the Colonial Cemetery was probably their daughter. The commemoration of this forgotten girl, who died in 1941, is the real purpose of this post.

R&R trips brought Gaby back to Hong Kong in 1934 while on customs duty off the Colony. There he met and married Iris Warnes and agreed to take the baby daughter of Iris's sister, Marjorie, whose marriage had broken down, back to Shanghai with them. Marjorie's daughter, Daphne was brought up with their own daughter, Sally.

Iris and Cyril Gaby.jpg, by jill

In 1938 Gaby had a year's long leave and, although the family spent time in New Zealand and Sydney they rented a flat in Kowloon for a part of that period. When war broke out they had been transferred to Amoy. They were then interned at the American Club in Shanghai. Gaby managed to arrange that the family were included in a swap with Japanese POWs in Australia via Lorenco Marques. They spent the rest of their lives in Australia, but Gaby divorced Iris and remarried. The above is a very brief summary of information from his autobiography and from conversations with his surviving family and former neighbours.