Hong Kong's Water Police

Tolo Harbour can be found Hong Kong’s New Territories – a quiet and relaxing location after the hustle and bustle of the city.  Small villages dot its coastline and boat people live on their junks.  

With all this water it is not surprising to find that the Hong Kong Police had a water division from the very earliest of days.  For its history I would recommend Iain Ward’s book:  “Sui Geng – The HK Marine Police 1841 – 1950”. 

For the story of one of it’s members - Sergeant George BOOLE, who served from 1900 to 1911 - please click on the link below where you will be taken to my Hong Kong Police Ancestors Blog:  

Sergeant George Arthur Wm. Boole

South East Asia

Early 20th. century expatriates might well have travelled to the Far East for a specific job in a specific territory. However, if you lose track of them in that original location the scope of research will need to be broadened.

The story of Bertie ELLY from Somerset is a tale which takes the reader from the Mediterranean to Hong Kong and then on to Singapore and Malaya before returning to Bath.  A tortured journey for the researcher but one that is not without it's rewards.  There are still gaps waiting to be filled but the main structure of his years away have been established.

The tale of Bertie ELLY from Bath can be found on my Hong Kong Police Ancestors Blog:

Bertie ELLY, Hong Kong Police Constable & very much more

British Consular Staff in China

The British Crown Colony of Hong Kong sat on the edge of the mighty Chinese Empire so it will not be surprising to hear that the colony was used as staging post.  British Consulates were located at strategic points along the China Coast each maintaining their own sets of archives and registers.  Those that have survived can now be found in The National Archives at Kew. 

Many of the early consulate staff had previous service in Hong Kong.  One such man was Henry Fletcher HANCE who joined the Hong Kong Government as a clerk in 1844.  A few years later, in a move aimed at furthering his career, he was successful in obtaining a post in Canton as Fourth Assistant with the Superintendent of Trade for China.  Henry went on to become the Keeper of the Archive whilst his leisure hours were spent in pursuit of his favourite science – Botany.  Henry’s full story can be found on my China Interlude Blog:

Henry Fletcher HANCE

For those interested in exploring the lives of those employed in the British Consular Service in China I can do no better than recommend “The China Consuls:  British Consular Officers in China 1843 – 1943” by P.D. Coates. 

James Edward NEW - Hong Kong Police Constable

The story of PC 99 James Edward NEW 

of the Hong Kong Police

who was recruited from the Royal Marines in 1900

can be found on the Hong Kong Police Ancestors Blog by following this link:

Hong Kong Police Ancestors Blog

Hong Kong Police

From British Bobby to Hong Kong Copper

The podcast of my talk given on 18th. September is now available on The National Archives website:

From British Bobby to Hong Kong Copper

Hong Kong Police History

Vignettes from Hong Kong Police history

"From British Bobby to Hong Kong Copper"

Talk at The National Archives (TNA), Kew

18 September 2014   2pm

British Bobby to Hong Kong Copper

Do you have Hong Kong Police Ancestors?

Trying to trace Hong Kong Police service records?

Interested in Hong Kong Police history?

Then this talk may be of help to you.

The talk is free but please reserve a place via the link provided on TNA's site

Hong Kong Census

Census were undertaken in Hong Kong during the 19^th. and early 20^th. century however these were for statistical purposes only.  The informative returns that we find in the UK do not exist for the former British Crown Colony of Hong Kong.

An extract from a typical annual Hong Kong Census records the number of Baptisms/Marriages/Deaths as follows:

1873	Baptisms	Marriages	Deaths
Europeans etc. Protestant	53	12	73
Chinese Protestant	36	10
Europeans etc. Roman Catholic	100	19	68
Chinese Roman Catholic	37	7	17
TOTAL	226	48	158

Population was also recorded and the City of Victoria was shown with the following number of “White” male and females in 1873:

	Males	Females
Resident	1463	1057
Military	1001	103
Naval	220	1
Police	127	9
Crews of Merchant Shipping in Harbour	704	19
Temporary Residents	159
Prisoners	68

For the researcher things get slightly easier in 1911 as the UK census includes details of military and navy personnel worldwide – including those in Hong Kong.  An added bonus is that these returns include details of wives and children.  So head on over to your favourite subscription site (Find My Past, Ancestry etc.) and see what you can find.

Now a short story relating to one man who appeared on that 1911 census in Hong Kong.

Ernest Drury was born in Hastings in 1890.  In 1909 he enlisted for military service and the following year sailed for Hong Kong with his regiment, the Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.  The 1911 census shows Ernest as a Lance Corporal with the 10^th. Battalion in the Colony. 

In December 1911 the Hong Kong Police Force were experiencing difficulties with numbers and 20 men from KOYLI were transferred to police duties on a temporary basis.  A Police recruitment drive was held in the UK and HK and by the end of the year establishment had been boosted by 72 men (41 from the UK and 31 being recruited locally).  Several of the soldiers from KOYLI who were temporarily on loan obtained their discharge and transferred to the Hong Kong Police. Ernest was one of these men swopping his military service number of 10103 for police collar number 124.

August 1914 saw the outbreak of war in Europe but it was almost a year before members of the Hong Kong Police were allowed to enlist.  Drury was one of the first to leave for active service in July 1915.  On arrival in London he enlisted with the Kings Royal Rifles.  Ernest was promoted to Sergeant the following year and saw action in the Somme earning the Military Medal.

Sergeant R/15465 Ernest Drury died on 17 February 1917 and is remembered with honour on the Thiepval Memorial in France.