Charles Gesner van der Voort (1916-1991) had started his career in Rotterdam, at Holland-China Trading Company (HCHC). In 1938, he went to Shanghai for the firm. The Japanese interned him, and most other Dutch nationals, from 1943-45. In camp, he met his wife Nancy and they married after the war. After a leave in The Netherlands, they returned to the Orient, where Charles continued to work for HCHC in Hong Kong.
This postcard was found in the company archives, held by Stadsarchief Rotterdam. It shows a view from the Peak and has serial number 437. <Read more ...>
Date picture taken (to nearest decade for older photos):
M. Sternberg, No 51, Queen's Road Central, Hongkong,
Dealer in pictorial cards, and all kinds of fancy cards,
also Christmas, New Year, and birthday cards, post card albums, by retail and wholesale,
The largest assortment of Cards in the Colony.
The site Gwulo.com (<a href="https://old.gwulo.com/%3Ca%20href%3D"https://gwulo.com/node/32930">https://gwulo.com/node/32930" rel="noreferrer nofollow">gwulo.com/node/32930</a>) shows an item with the description: M Sternberg, Wholesale and Retail Postcard Dealer [c.1906-c.1914] <Read more ...>
Date picture taken (to nearest decade for older photos):
Portrait of Willem Kien (1877, Arnhem - 1970, The Hague), who was educated in Dresden and lived there with his family.
Ca. 1898 he went to China to work. In 1903 he became representative of Holland-China Trading Company (HCHC) in Shanghai, when the company was founded. Charles would join the company in 1938, first as a trainee in the Rotterdam head office and then in Shanghai, in 1939. <Read more ...>
Date picture taken (to nearest decade for older photos):
Mount Austin (i.e. the massif within the loop of Lugard and Harlech roads) has a number, I would say four, of slightly lower peaks in the immediate vicinity of its summit. None of these subsiduary peaks have distinguishing names as far as I am aware, which can lead to confusion when attempting to identify or describe specific locations ontop of "The Peak".
This "place" marker is for the most south-easterly of these subsiduary peaks. <Read more ...>
