Ossuary Block B - Niches 289 - 315

For the background to this project please refer to:

THE OSSUARY 

The format for entries will be: 

 a) Photograph of ossuary plaque

 b) details given on plaque

 c) details from transcripts of cemetery/burial records

 d) additional information found through research

PLEASE NOTE that some plaques contain errors in spelling of names which is why additional detail from other records proves so important.

The top two rows of plaques in each section are very high and it has not been possible for me to obtain an image of the full inscription.  However, the niche numbers always run in sequence down the row with rows running from left to right, whilst the year of death can normally be surmised from surrounding niches.  

The first 27 niches in Block B refer to graves exhumed from Section 36.  The above photo shows Section 36 as it was in the 1880s and it will be seen that many of the graves were marked with just a numbered stone.  It was the remains from these graves which were exhumed in the 1970s and placed in the ossuary in 1983.

Niche 289

Q. HARRISON buried 1865

O. HARRISON, Carpenter, British Ship Sandringham

 buried in Grave 3056 Section 36 on 5 July 1865

O. HARRISON, Carpenter of Ship Sandringham

 died of cholera on 4 July 1865 age 35

Genealogy records show an Onus HARRISON, born in Birmingham in September 1828. Onus HARRISON born Birmingham is known to have enlisted in the US Army on 24 May 1850 and to have deserted in July 1850. Onus HARRISON born Birmingham is listed in the Register of Merchant Seamen with number 23873 having registered sometime between 1845 and 1854.

Niche 290

R. BURNOP buried 1865

R. BURNOP, Seaman, buried in Grave 3063 Section 36 on 6 July 1865

R. BURNOP unemployed Seaman died in Civil Hospital on 5 July 1865

Genealogy records show a Ralph BURNOP born in Whitby 3 December 1819, son of Richard and Miriam BURNOP. Ralph BURNHOP born Whitby is listed in the Register of Merchant Seaman with number 250118 having registered sometime between 1845 and 1854.

 Niche 291

Frederick KAHLER buried 1865

Frederick KAHLER buried in Grave 3067 Section 36 on 8 July 1865

Frederick KAHLER, seaman died 8 July 1865

 

Niche 292

Claus PETERSON buried 1865

Claus PETERSEN buried in Grave 3069 Section 36 on 9 July 1865 

Claus PETERSEN, Carpenter, died of fever

on board the Hamburg barque Notos

 on 9 July 1865 age 35 - a native of Flensburg

Niche 293

George BINCHELL buried 1865

George BINCHELL, Police, buried in Grave 3070 Section 36 on 10 July 1865

George BINCHELL, Police Constable, died at the Civil Hospital on 10 July 1865

George BURCHELL, Police Constable, died 8 July 1865.  Unclaimed balance of $14.40 from intestate estate paid into Treasury on 9 August 1865.

Niche 294

William DUNCAN buried 1865

William DUNCAN of the British Barque Jane Woodburn

buried in Grave 3071 Section 36 on 10 July 1865 age 23

William DUNCAN, Steward, died on board the barque Jane Woodburn on 10 July 1865 of fever and diarrhoea.  Effects sold in Hong Kong - £12 13sh 11d

Niche 295

John B. ROWLAND buried 1865

John Benson ROWLAND of the British ship Zemindar

buried in Grave 3072 Section 36 on 10 July 1865 age 29

John Benson ROWLAND, Third Officer of Zemindar,

died at the Seaman’s Hospital on 10 July 1865 age 29 years

John Benson ROWLAND was born on 2 April 1835 and baptised in April 1836 at Walton on the Hill, Liverpool - the son of John and Mary.  At the age of 20 he went to sea.  John was awarded his 2nd. Mates Certificate in Liverpool in November 1863 - ticket number 29502.

John died of fever in Hong Kong on 10 July 1865 and his effects were sold for £28 6sh 2d.  Three weeks prior to John’s death Alfred SHORT the two year old son of Captain SHORT of the Zemindar had died in Hong Kong.  At a later date, when the Captain erected a headstone on his son’s grave, he included an inscription to the memory of his Third Officer, John Benson ROWLAND. This headstone can now be found in Section 20.

Niche 296

Bernard JOHNSTON buried 1865

Bernard JOHNSTON Gunner R.A.

buried in Grave 3073 in Section 36 on

10 July 1865 age 29 years 3 months

A monument to the memory of the men of No. 8 Battery 2^nd. Brigade Royal Artillery who died whilst the Battery was stationed in Hong Kong from 1864 to 1872 shows that Gunner B. JOHNSTON died on 9 July 1865

Niche 297

H. MULLER buried 1865

H. MULLER of Hamburg ship Alardus

 buried in Grave 3077 in Section 36 on 12 July 1865

H. MULLER, Seaman of Hamburg ship Alordus

died on 12 July 1865 in the Seaman’s Hospital

Niche 298

Thomas ROCHE buried 1865

Thomas ROCHE of HMS Princess Royal

buried in Grave 3078 in Section 36 on 12 July 1865

Thomas ROCHE died on board HMS Princess Royal

on 12 July 1865 age 27

Thomas was born in Whitegate, Cork on 4 April 1837.  On 5 October 1855 at the age of 18 he volunteered for service with the Royal Navy as a Boy 1^st. Class.  His registered number was 25152 and his first posting was to the naval training ship HMS Conway.

Niche 299

Charles WILSON buried 1865

Charles WILSON of the Hong Kong Police Force

buried in Grave 3080 Section 36 on 13 July 1865

Police Constable Charles WILSON died suddenly on 11 July 1865 at the Civil Hospital

Niche 300

Alfred DAVIS buried 1865

Alfred DAVIS age 24 of the Zemindar

buried in Grave 3081 Section 36 on 13 July 1865

Alfred DAVIS, Carpenter’s Mate

died of fever aboard the Zemindar on 13 July 1865 – effects sold

Niche 301

Loui Vandr HAAS buried 1865

Loui Vander HAAS age 24 of Dutch ship Hollandia

buried in Grave 3082 Section 36 on 13 July 1865

Loui Vander HAAS, Seaman of the Dutch ship Hollandia

found drowned on 13 July 1865 aged 24 years

Niche 302

Daniel MANN buried 1865

Daniel MANN age 40 of the ship Ruby

Buried in Grave 3083 Section 36 on 13 July 1865

Captain MANN of the ship Ruby died of insolatio

in the Seamen’s Hospital on 13 July 1865 aged 35 years

Captain David MANN of Whitehaven, Master of the Barque Ruby out of Liverpool, died at Hong Kong on 13 July 1865 aged 37 years.  Much Respected.

David MANN was born in Whitehaven, Cumberland on 7 October 1827.  At the age of 14 he went to sea as an Apprentice Seaman and was described as being 5ft 1ins in height with a fair complexion, light brown hair and light blue eyes.  Between 1848 and 1857 he travelled the world on the trade routes to China, India, Brazil and Cuba.  He was awarded his First Mates certificate in 1853 and his Masters in January 1857 – registered ticket number 39953.

Lloyds List of 1865 shows Captain D. MANN as Master of the barque Ruby which had been built in Quebec in 1863 and was owned by J.G. Ross.  During 1865 she was listed as being on the Liverpool to India route.

 Niche 303

Charles BEASLOCK buried 1865

Charles BEASTOCK of the Zemindar

buried in Grave 3087 Section 36 on 17 July 1865

Charles BEASLOCK, Seaman of the Zemindar died in the

Seaman’s Hospital on 17 July 1865 aged 32

C. BATCHTOCK age 28 of Zemindar died in Hong Kong on 16 July 1865 of fever - effects sold

Niche 304

Barbara COUTIS buried 1865

Barbara Bain COUTTS buried in Grave 3086 Section 10 in 1865

Barbara COUTTS of Praya East

Buried in Grave 3086 on 17 July 1865 age 29

The remains in this niche have been mis-identified as Barbara COUTTS/COUTIS.  Burial records show that Barbara Bain COUTTS was buried in Grave 3086 on 17 July 1865.  Exhumation records confirm that Mrs. COUTTS was buried in Grave 3086 and show that this grave was moved from Section 10 to Section 5 in the mid 1970s during the Aberdeen Tunnel Project.  Her headstone survives in Section 5.

If the remains in this niche are not Mrs. COUTTS then who is in residence?  Research shows that the most likely candidate is Gustavus VON DER BERG.  Burial records show that Gustavus VON DER BERG of the Hamburg Barque Maria Lucia was buried in Grave 3088 on 17 July 1865.  Exhumation records confirm that the remains from Grave 3088 in Section 36 were scheduled for removal to the Ossuary as a result of the Aberdeen Tunnel Project, however, the name for the grave is incorrectly listed as Barbara COUTTS.  As Mrs COUTTS could not possibly have been buried in Grave 3086 in Section 10 AND in Grave 3088 in Section 36 an unfortunate error has been made. 

Although the Ossuary Plaque for Niche 304 does not bear the name of Gustavus VON DER BERG I hope that this research gives the young boy the entry he deserves.

Gustavus VON DER BERG

Boy of the Hamburg barque Maria Lucia

Died at the Seaman’s Hospital Hong Kong on 17^th. July 1865

Buried in Grave 3088 in Section 36

Remains from this grave scheduled to be moved to the Ossuary

as a result of the Aberdeen Tunnel Project 

Niche 305

John H. SWIFF

John SWIFT of East Point

Buried in Grave 3089 Section 36 on 18 July 1865 age 32

John H. SWIFT boiler maker to Messrs Russell & Co.

Died of cholera at Wanchai on 17 July 1865 aged 32 years

                                                      Niche 306

W.W. DAVIES

William W. DAVIES

died at the Government Civil Hospital aged 60

buried in Grave 3090 Section 36 on 18 July 1865

William W. DAVIES, Compositor in the Daily Press Office, formerly Government Printer at Sydney, died in the Civil Hospital on 18 July 1865 aged 60

Niche 307

Peter CLOSE buried 1865

Peter CLOSE of HM Dockyard

buried in Grave 3093 Section 36 on 22 July 1865

Peter CLOSE, Police Constable late of HM Dockyard

died at the Civil Hospital on 19 July 1865

Niche 308

Joseph PRIME buried 1865

Joseph PRIME died in the Government Hospital

buried in Grave 3097 Section 36 on 24 July 1865 aged 24

Joseph PRIME, Private 2^nd. Battalion 11^th. Regiment

died of apoplexy 24 July 1865 at the General Hospital aged 24

In 1861 J. PRIME service number 1110 was shown as being a Private with the 2^nd. Btn. 11^th. Foot (North Devon) Regiment stationed at Portsmouth.

Niche 309

Charles A. FISHER buried 1865

Charles Alfred FISHER died aboard Ship Hercules

buried Grave 3038 on 20 June 1865 age 7 months

Exhumation records give different details for the burial of Charles - showing Charles A. FISHER had been buried in Grave 3098 in Section 36 in 1865.  However Grave 3098 was the grave of Robert LAING a seaman who was buried on 25 July 1865.  As Baby FISHER could not have been buried in grave 3038 and 3098 it is an apparent that an error has been made.  As this portion of the ossuary contains removals from Section 36 and as many of the burials within Section 36 relate to seamen it is possible that the remains in Niche 309 are those of:

Robert LAING, Stoker ss Wokee

died of insolatia on 24 July 1865 age 33

buried in Grave 3098 on 25 July 1865

Research shows that Charles Alfred FISHER was a child of the 11th. Regiment born in 1864 who died aboard the hospital ship HMS Hercules in June 1865.  The location of his grave is not known, however, other babies and children who died in the summer of 1865 were buried in Section 9 not Section 36.

Niche 310

John DENISON buried 1865

John DENISON buried in Grave 3102 Section 36 on 29 July 1865

John DENISON, unemployed Seaman,

died in the Civil Hospital on 29 July 1865

Niche 311

C. GALVA buried 1865

G. GALVA, Sailmaker, Hamburg barque Ceres

buried in Grave 3197 on 1 October 1865

G. GALVA, Sailmaker

died on board the Hamburg barque Ceres on 1 October 1865

Exhumation records list C. GALA buried in Grave 3197 in Section 25 in 1865 and C. GALVA buried in Grave 3107 in Section 36 in 1865.  Burial records list G. GALVA buried in Grave 3197 on 1 October whilst the occupant of Grave 3107 is shown as T. THOMPSON buried on 5 August 1865.  As this portion of the ossuary contains removals from Section 36 in July/August 1865 it is possible that a simple mis-reading of the grave number occurred during the administrative process and that the remains in this niche are THOMPSON.

Thomas THOMPSON, unemployed Seaman,

died in the Civil Hospital on 4 August 1865

buried in Grave 3107 on 5 August 1865

                                                      Niche 312

James KEMP buried 1865

James KEMP of Aberdeen

buried in Grave 3110 Section 36 on 7 August 1865

James KEMP, Foreman Blacksmith, Aberdeen Docks

died suddenly on board the steamer Kinshan

on 5 August 1865 on the passage from Whampoa

                                                    Niche 313

Francis PAINTER buried 1865

Francis PAINTER, Carpenter, died on HMS Cormorant 

buried in Grave 3111 Section 36 on 7 August 1865 aged 21

Francis PAINTER, Carpenter, died suddenly

on board HMS Cormorant on 7 August 1865 aged 21

Francis PAINTER was born at Tottenham Court Road, London on 8 November 1842 and volunteered for service with the Royal Navy on 22 August 1861 as a Boy 1st. Class.  He was 5ft. 5ins tall with a fair complexion, light brown hair and blue eyes. 

A monument to the memory of the seamen and marines of HMS Cormorant who died during her commission in China 1862 - 1866 can be found in Section 43.

 

                                               Niche 314

William FORD buried 1865

William FORD, Private 2/11th. Regt.

buried in Grave 3113 Section 36 on 7 August 1865 aged 36

William FORD, Pravate 2nd. Battalion 11th. Regiment

died of fever in the General Hospital aged 36

                                                   

                                                  

 Niche 315
Philip DICKERSON buried 1865

 Philip DICKERSON

died in Hong Kong Gaol

buried in Grave 3115 Section 36

on 10 August 1865 aged 40

Philip DICKERSON, violinist formerly with Risley's Circus died on 10 August 1865

If you should be an ancestor or family member of any of the persons listed above and would like full details of sources please do not hesitate to contact me:

Christine M. Thomas

The Ossuary

Ossuary opened in 1983

In 1969 the Director of Urban Service issued details of 460 graves which were to be exhumed from The Colonial Cemetery during 1970.  All remains not claimed and removed before the date of exhumation were to be placed in an ossuary which was to be built within the cemetery - or otherwise disposed of as the Director thought fit.

The original ossuary was constructed in the south-east of the cemetery in Section 40.  Individual graves on this side of the cemetery were sited in tiers rising up the hillside with views to the race track and harbour.  The perfect location - at least it would have been had it not been for the Aberdeen Tunnel Project which loomed large later in the 1970s.

The possibility of a tunnel linking Aberdeen to the south side of the island had been talked about for some years.  In the 1970s it became a reality and that beautiful hillside with its tiers of graves was torn to pieces as tunnelling commenced between Happy Valley and Wong Chuk Hang.

The Aberdeen Tunnel Project resulted in the exhumation of over 3000 graves plus the demolition of the original ossuary in Section 40.  Monuments and graves with headstones in the affected sections were to be re-sited in other parts of the cemetery, whilst graves with no headstones were to be placed in a brand new ossuary.  Building the ossuary was scheduled for the final stages of the project and pending completion the exhumed remains were stored in boxes within a bone store.  The work was finally completed in 1983.

Since the 1980s several wonderful projects have been completed within the cemetery by academics and researchers:

a) Solomon Bard's project undertaken between October 1989 and March 1991 concentrated on military graves.

b) Patricia Lim's project in the 2000s resulted in her book "Forgotten Souls" detailing the social history behind burials within the Colonial Cemetery (now known as The Hong Kong Cemetery).

c) Ken Nicholson's architectural look at "The Happy Valley".

As far as I am aware the one huge gap in all research completed to date relates to the many thousands of souls buried without a headstone.  I am not an academic neither am I an author but having Asperger's Syndrome means that I thrive when indexing information.  I was doing this long before the age of personal computers and my first index for the Colonial Cemetery consisted of flimsy paper slips very carefully filed in alphabetical order within many shoe boxes.  In retirement information from those slips was transferred to computer along with information from a myriad of other sources.

As a researcher specialising in the former Colonial Cemetery I am often contacted by families serarching for the graves of family members who died in Hong Kong.  The most poignant are from the children of military families searching for the grave of a baby brother or sister who died in the 1930s or 1950s and who did not have a headstone.

Over the next few years I shall be posting the results of 30+ years research relating to those whose lives were not recorded for posterity on expensive headstones - the ordinary everyday people, even those who were "down & out".

The ossuary is a good place to start because thanks to the Aberdeen Tunnel Project these souls had plaques provided by the Urban Council.  The 1970s project was a huge undertaking so it is not surprising to find that many errors crept into their recording of names and dates.  By collating information from the ossuary plaque, cemetery records, burial records and a variety of other sources I hope to give these Lost Souls back their full names together with something of their background.  My thanks goes to all USD staff who were involved in that project back in the 1970s and early 80s as I believe they did an excellent job under very difficult circumstances.

For administrative convenience I shall begin with the 280 occupants of Block B and will start posting details after Christmas.  Please keep checking back for updates and if you think I can assist in tracing a "lost" burial please do not hesitate to contact me: 

Christine M. Thomas

Captain Thomas Guy POCOCK 1845 - 1890

The name of Captain POCOCK will be known to many as one of the officers killed in 1890 when the ship Namoa was attacked by pirates 45 miles from Hong Kong.  A quick search of the internet will bring up several blogs on the incident - not to mention many gruesome pictures of the pirates being executed.  But who was Captain POCOCK?  What was his family background?  Where did he call home? What became of his family after his murder?  The following aims to provide a pen picture of the POCOCK family.

We start back in 1812 when Thomas POCOCK, a cutler and ironmonger from Wincanton, Somerset married Sarah RICKWORD by Licence in Longbridge Deverill, Wiltshire.   Sarah was the daughter of Richard RICKWORD the Lord of the Manor at Pertwood, Wiltshire.  The following year Thomas and Sarah's first son, Richard Rickwood POCOCK was baptised in St. Peters, Pertwood - the tiny parish church which had just been restored by Sarah's father.

Thomas ran his ironmongers business from a shop in the Market Square, Wincanton - a prime location.  On the evening of Saturday 7 January 1815 Thomas was riding back from Castle Cary when he was thrown from his horse a quarter of a mile from home.  His injuries were severe but townsfolk managed to get him home where he remained unconscious throughout the night and the next morning.  He died at noon on 8 January and was buried a couple of days later.  He was just 28 years of age and left Sarah with one child and another on the way.

In the following months the ironmongery was sold and Sarah returned home to Wiltshire.  Her second son was baptised at St. Peters, Pertwood in October 1815 - he was named Thomas Guy POCOCK.

Mr. Thomas Guy POCOCK

Sarah remarried in 1921 but whether the two boys went with their mother or remained with their grandparents is not known.  When Richard RICKWORD died in 1839 he left £1,000 to his grandson, Thomas Guy POCOCK, with the bulk of his estate going to Thomas' elder brother, Richard Rickwood POCOCK.

Later records show that in 1841 Thomas Guy was a farmer in Wiltshire renting land at £300 per annum.  On 18 May 1841 he married Sarah Cottel Cozens ENGLAND, daughter of Robert ENGLAND, in Kingsbury Episcopi, Somerset giving his residence as Grittleton, a parish in Wiltshire.  At the time of the marriage his father-in-law advanced him the sum of £500.  In June 1842 Thomas was elected a member of the Royal Agricultural Society of England again giving his address as Grittleton, Chippenham, Wiltshire.

In 1842 Gawbridge Flour Mills on the outskirts of Kingsbury Episcopi was advertised for rent.  The mill came with a house, orchards, out-houses, gardens and two parcels of land - all in all 14 acres. In the summer of 1843 Thomas and Sarah took occupation but ran into trouble almost straight away.  The outgoing tenants considered the crop of apples in the orchard to be theirs but the POCOCK's disputed this.  Before they knew it a group of 120 men ascended and cleared the orchard in four hours.  This was cider making country and the apples were a valuable crop.  The out-going tenants had the support of the local community in Martock and were not prepared to argue the matter.

By the mid 1840s Thomas and Sarah needed somebody to stand security for them with the bankers.  Sarah's father was approached but refused unless Thomas gave him security for the money which he had advanced on the marriage.  Robert assured the court that the money had been a loan rather than a marriage gratuity.  The court were suspicious that some sort of collusion was taking place between the two of them but this could not be proved.  Thomas then executed a warrant of attorney for the debt which satisfied his father-in-law as he believed Thomas to be solvent at the time.  However, in 1848 Thomas found himself in serious financial difficulty which ended with him filing for bankruptcy.  In 1851, he and his family were shown as being "visitors" at his father-in-law's house and by 1861 was shown as being a Farm Bailiff. 

In the 1870s Thomas secured employment as steward for the Catt family on their Sunte estates in Sussex.

Sarah died in Sussex 1876 - she was buried at West Firle.  Thomas was well respected by the family and in the community.  On retirement Thomas moved back to the West Country where he died in 1911 at the age of 97.  Probate papers show his address to be The Court, Chew Magna.  I wonder whether he might be the elderly gentleman with walking cane in the postcard shown below.

Thomas Guy and Sarah POCOCK had five children:  Sarah Rickword 1843; Thomas Guy 1845; Richard Rickwood 1846; Sarah Anne 1849 and Henry England 1854. The first daughter, Sarah Rickword, died in 1846.

Captain Thomas Guy POCOCK

As a young man Thomas Guy decided that his career would be on the high seas.  From 1861 to 1865 he was apprenticed on square rigged sailing ships including the Australian migrant ship Prince of the Seas.  On 29 April 1867 he qualified as Second Mate and on 18 October 1871 was awarded his First Mate's certificate.  During the 1870s he served with the Douglas Steamship company in the Far East and was awarded his Master's certificate in September 1879.  The company provided passenger services calling at ports along the China Coast - Hong Kong, Swatow, Amoy, and Foochow.

On 27 November 1882 Thomas Guy POCOCK married his cousin, Susan ENGLAND in Hong Kong.  Susan was the third daughter of his mother's brother, Henry White ENGLAND, who farmed at Manor Farm, Kingsbury Episcopi.

Thomas and Susan went on to have four children in the colony:  Rachel Traves born c. 1885; Marjorie England born 11 August 1886 at Fairlea, Bonham Rd; Thomas Guy c. 1888; and Phyllis Mary born 23 November 1889 at 5 West Terrace, Caine Road.  Fairlea was a large colonial style building in the mid-levels with fine views over the city of Victoria and down to the harbour.

In November 1884 Captain POCOCK had a very narrow escape whilst crossing a river in Swatow.  He and another captain were in a sampan (a flat bottomed wooden boat) when they were struck by the steamer Swatow which cut the sampan in half.  Captain POCOCK was unable to swim and was in danger of drowning but fortunately the floundering men were spotted by the crews of HM Gunboats Esk and Merlin who quickly set about the rescue.

At 8am on 10 December 1890 Captain POCOCK took the Namoa out of Hong Kong on her normal run up to Amoy.  Aboard were 250 Chinese passengers and 5 Europeans.  Many of the Chinese were returning to their homeland from California - no doubt with large amounts of savings.  The weather was fine and the waters calm - it was going to be a good run.  Eight bells sounded at noon and soon afterwards the steward's gong summoned the passengers to tiffin.  Captain POCOCK left the bridge in charge of the second officer and joined the passengers in the saloon.  One passenger, Carl PETERSON, a lighthouse keeper, was feeling rather under the weather and stayed on deck reclining in a cane chair.

Several Chinese passengers appeared on deck sauntering about in a relaxed manner.  After a few moments they were joined by others until there were forty or fifty - some forward, some near the bridge, others at the main hatchway aft.  At a given signal they threw off their loose coats revealing themselves to be armed with revolvers and cutlasses.  Mr. PETERSON became their first victim - he was shot dead with four or five bullets to the head.

The leader of the gang spoke "pidgin" English and called out saying they wanted everything of value from the passengers.  The captain was ordered up to the deck to make arrangements promising that he would not be harmed.  However, as he climbed the stairs shots rang out and he collapsed - a bullet had pierced his chest.  Even though he was wounded he managed to stagger into his cabin where he was joined a few minutes later by some of the other passengers.  As he lay dying on his bed he was heard to say "My poor wife, my poor wife".  Captain Thomas Guy POCOCK died at 2.20pm - he was 45 years of age.  That evening the pirates transferred their booty to five junks anchored off Mendoza Island and made good their escape.

The Namoa returned to Hong Kong the following morning and was seen coming into harbour flying the signal "In urgent want of medical assistance".   Commodore E.J. CHURCH aboard HMS Victor Emmanuel took command of the situation and sent HMS Linnet off in search of the pirates. Also aboard were Captain STEWART of the Revenue Cruiser Kaipan and two detectives from the Hong Kong Police, Sergeants Alexander McIVER and CHING On.

Over the following weeks, and with the assistance of the local Mandarins, the majority of the culprits were rounded up and brought to justice - Chinese style.  Two large scale executions took place on the beach on the outskirts of Kowloon City on 17 April and 11 May 1891.  The prisoners were brought by gunboat from Canton and staggered ashore with their hands bound behind their backs and their ankles in chains.  Drums beat in the background as the condemned men were made to kneel in a row.  Two trumpeters sounded a fanfare and the monotonous drumming ceased - the butchery was about to begin.  The group of onlookers included half a dozen Europeans who had managed to bag the best vantage points. 

Lai A-tsat had been identified as the man leading the attack on passengers in the saloon and his execution took place on 11 May.  He was the first of fifteen to face decapitation that morning and kept up his bravado to the end by making ribald jokes with the executioners.  The next in line, FUNG Sun-yow proved himself less of a man and flinched at the crucial second - a second blow was required before his head was severed.  The executioner was assisted by his son who was allowed to wield the sword for the last three men.  

The prisoners each had a small bamboo block attached to their queues on which was written their name.  After the event onlookers walked along the line reading the names of those executed.  The Europeans, reveling in the scene, then had their photos taken with the corpses.  The bodies and heads would be left on the beach where they fell to be buried the next day by the authorities or  to be taken away by relatives.  Those interested in seeing surviving photographs need only do an internet search for "Namoa pirates execution" to bring up the gruesome images.

Captain POCOCK's obituary records him as being "a splendid type of British seaman, being a kind but strict disciplinarian and a bold but generous officer".  At 9.30 am on 12 December 1890 his funeral cortege left Messrs. Douglas Lapraik's office on The Praya and made its way to the Colonial Cemetery in Happy Valley.  The ceremony was attended by many local dignitaries including the Chief Justice Sir James RUSSELL and the Hon. J.J. KESWICK, taipan of Jardine Matheson.  Captain POCOCK was buried in grave no. 5304 in Section 23 - known as the "Old Residents" section of the cemetery.

On the same day Carl Magnus PETERSON, the lighthouse keeper who had been the first to be killed on that tragic day, was buried in grave no. 5305.

Thomas' widow, Susan, was the executrix of his will which was proved in Hong Kong on 21 January 1891 to the value of $16,300 - a very healthy amount.

LIFE AFTER HONG KONG

By 1901 the family were back in England.  Susan POCOCK along with her three youngest children first stayed with her widowed sister who ran a boarding house in Sydenham Hill, London.  Once the children had secured their own futures Susan returned to Kingsbury Episcopi and took over the management of Manor Farm.  On her death in 1930 her address was given as The Manor House, Kingsbury Episcopi.  In her will she bequeathed all her furniture at The Manor House to her eldest daughter, Rachel, plus the sum of £500.  The residue was to be split equally between all three daughters:  Rachel, Marjorie and Phyllis.  Her UK estate was valued at a little over £9,000 and her Hong Kong estate $30,000.

Rachel Traves POCOCK

On return from Hong Kong in the 1890s Rachel, the eldest child, went to live with her aunt, Sarah Ann HARWARD (nee POCOCK).  Sarah was the younger sister of Rachel's father and had married Edward Netherton HARWARD in 1893.  Edward was the great nephew of Gainsborough and had inherited many of the artist's masterpieces.  After Edward's death Sarah inherited the pictures and subsequently put them up for auction at Christie's.  Ten paintings sold for over 24,000 guineas.  By 1911 the HARWARD's family home was Chew Court at Chew Magna, Somerset.  It will be remembered that this was the address shown for Mr. Thomas Guy POCOCK (Senior) when he died in 1911.  Thomas had named his sister Sarah as executor - his estate was valued at £384 16s 10d.

Rachel spent many years living with her aunt and never married.  She died in Clevedon on the north Somerset coast in 1938.  She was described as being "eldest daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. T.G. POCOCK of Hong Kong and the Manor House, Kingsbury Episcopi, Somerset".  Her estate was valued at £7,033 6s 1d.

Marjorie England POCOCK

Marjorie, the second child, married Algernon H. MASTERMAN in Kensington in 1912.  Algernon served with The Prince of Wales Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment) and the couple went on to have one daughter.  In 1939 Marjorie was living on her own at 9 Court Road, Bournemouth whilst her husband was in London staying with the family of Marjorie's younger sister, Phyllis.  Algernon died in 1958 and Marjorie in 1959.

2nd. Lieut. Thomas Guy POCOCK

Thomas was the only son and during WW1 served as 2nd. Lieutenant with the Kings (Liverpool Regiment).  Thomas died on 3 April 1915 at the age of 26 and is buried in St. Sever Cemetery, Rouen.  A stained glass window to his memory can be found in St. Martin, Kingsbury Episcopi.  Money owing to Thomas from the military was divided between his mother and three sisters:  Mrs. Susan POCOCK receiving £11 18s 2d; Rachel POCOCK £11 18s; Mrs. Marjorie MASTERMAN £11. 18s; and Phyllis POCOCK £11 18s.

Phyllis Mary POCOCK

Phyllis, the youngest child, became a civil servant and lived with her aunt, Mary M. HOARE (nee ENGLAND) in London.  In 1928 she married another civil servant, Colin Livesey WICKS, in Kensington and they went on to have one daughter.  The couple died in the 1950s

Research Notes:  
The name Rickword appears in different forms in different records i.e. Rickword/Rickwood/Rickward.  The name Pocock sometimes appears as Pococke.
The name Peterson is also shown as Petersen - I have used the spelling used on the headstone

If any reader should be a descendant of Captain Thomas Guy POCOCK

I would love to hear from you

email link below

Christine M. Thomas

© Christine M. Thomas 2018