Genealogy Chat

I am trying to help someone interested in an Army family living in Hong Kong in 1950s.

It is thought that a family member died there.

She was originally from Scotland, I think.

Where can I search for her full name? Surname is known, first name is unsure.

Gwyn ..............


would someone on the Military Chat thread have an idea of where to look??

GRO does have a section for Overseas Deaths

Usually the army does report bmds through the consulate

There are army indices on FMP

My grandaughter was born In Germany whilst her dad was stationed there in the army and I recently got her a copy of her birth cert for her

When she was born her birth was registered with the British Consulate in Hanover and at the same time her german citizenship was revoked by declaration As technically she had dual nationality.

She was born in the 1980,s

If you don't have FMP then pm me and I will take a look :-)

The situation varies according to local agreements with London.

My son was born in Ghana (1963) and has a Ghanaian birth certificate. He also has a British one, as births could be registered with the High Commissioner in Accra. His birth appears on the GRO register of births abroad.

We came home by sea, and on the ship was a couple who had been in Nigeria, with a 2-year old. They had saved up all their leave and were coming back to the UK in order to adopt their daughter so that she had British citizenship. She was a Nigerian by birth, because at that time there was no arrangement with the Nigerian government for Brits to register births at the High Commission in Lagos.

I think Singapore had the same facility, but I don't know about Hong Kong.

Good luck.

Thank you for your interesting replies.

My son's birth was registered in Cyprus, but the Sovereign bases there almost count as a little part of Britain., so he has a British birth certificate and passport.

I read somewhere that deaths in Hong Kong, if the deceased was not English, would not be on GRO.

Thank you Shirley, I will send a PM of what I know.

If they had property in the U.K., have you looked on the Probate Calendar?
https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/#wills
If there is an entry, it may not be in the year they died.

+++DetEcTive+++

Thank you for that idea.
The site is playing up and won't search for me at the moment.

Shirley kindly checked and there is no death logged on FMP for the correct surname, at that time.

I will have to go back to the elderly person and see if we can come up with any other clues.

If she was of Scottish descent, as you say, her death may perhaps be listed on Scotlands People.


There are 474 female deaths overseas listed there between 1950 and 1960.
The free search doesn't say exactly where these people died - but if her name's there, you could buy a copy of the death cert..

If you let me know the surname, I'll have a quick look.

Thank you ArgyllGran.

I will send a p.m

Thanks, Gwyn.

Unfortunately, she's not on the SP list of overseas deaths.
It was worth a try!

Thank you for looking, anyway.

Gwyn -

from the additional details you sent me, I've found her marriage, some travel records, and DOB's of two sons.

The lady was still alive in 1957.

Neither of the sons married or died in Scotland, up to 2016.
Can't see any sign of either of them anywhere else

Can't see the father's birth or death anywhere - at least, not including his middle initial.

Also no sign of the lady herself after 1957.

Have sent you a series of PMs.

Have just found her death - in York, in 1972!
DOB matches 1957 travel record.

Have PM'd you the details.

Unfortunately, no sign of any probate, so no chance to find out about the sons that way.


EDIT:
Have also sent you current directorship details for someone who might well be the younger son - month and year of birth match, as well as full name.
Company address is given.

Also details of possibly the older son, only up to 2010, but maybe could be followed up via the company name.
If it's him, (year of birth and full name match) he retired from the RAF, having reached a very high rank, in 2004, and was awarded the CBE.
Received an honorary degree in 2015.

Actually, now, after all that, I find the lady in question is on a couple of trees on Ancestry, one titled with the surname you've mentioned.

It doesn't give details of her sons (three of them), but says her husband was born in Wales in 1925, and died in York in 2006.

I've PM'd you about it. If you're not an Ancestry member, I could ask the tree owner to contact you, if you let me have your email address. I don't know his relationship to the family.

The third son may have been born in Yorkshire in 1965.

Many thanks for your hard work and all the findings.

So much of it points to the right family, but doesn't fit with the recollections of the elderly contact.

Perhaps her memory is not as good as she thinks...........

Will PM you.