York Lo – Kelly Brothers Manufacturing Factory, Pre-War Garment Pioneer Kelly Brothers 1953 advert Source: IDJ Founded in 1925, Kelly Brothers Manufacturing Factory (嘉綸兄弟織造) was one of the oldest garment manufacturers in Hong Kong, producing sport shirts, T-shirts, singlets, pullovers, vests etc under the “Spot”, “Anchor”, “Athlet” and “Lightning” brands. The brothers in the firm’s name refer to its […]
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Thanks to SCT for proofreading the following: “By the middle of the 1950s a group of Chinese shipowners had been established in Hong Kong, operating small but expanding fleets of second-hand vessels. By dint of their origins in the environs of Shanghai and their common interest in shipping, they knew each other well enough and took to meeting regularly over […]
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PRODUCT OF THE MONTH – August 1955 A waterproof rubber flashlight Illustrated above is an all-purpose, industrial flashlight, the latest product from the factory of V K Song & Co., Ma Hang Chung Road, Kowloon. The flashlight itself is of seamless aluminium, completely sheaved in a strong easy-to-grip, seamless rubber jacket rendering it absolutely watertight (a British patent has been […]
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Jane Taylor: My grandfather, Robert Taylor, appears to have started out in Macau in 1912 and moved to Hong Kong around 18 months later. He served as manager of the Green Island Cement Company, I think from the late 1920s, until his retirement in 1949. Recently discovered family photographs show the manager’s house clearly, and also its pre- and post-war […]
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Charles Gordon Stewart Mackie was a Scottish businessman in Hong Kong and member of the Legislative Council and Executive Council of Hong Kong. He was born on 9th January 1880 and died on 17th March 1966. C. Gordon Mackie [by which name he seems to have been more commonly known] was associated with China and Hong Kong and head of […]
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York Lo: Island Paint, Kin Kwok Lacquer and HK Paint Products – the three Forgotten Players of the HK Paint Industry A few articles in this group have touched on the HK paint industry, especially China Paint, Camel Paint and Swire Duro which are still active. This article will shed more light on three prominent players which has since faded […]
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Elizabeth Ride has sent these BAAG reports about Shipbuilding in 1944 in Hong Kong during the Japanese occupation, World War Two. She has only included information about actual shipbuilding not repairs carried out at the yards. Kweilin Weekly Intelligence Summary #66, 15.9.44. Kowloon Docks, Taikoo Dockyard Kweilin Weekly Intelligence Summary #70, 13.10.44. Kowloon Docks KWIZ #71, 20.10.44. Naval Dockyard, […]
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York Lo: Corney & Co – Glass Merchant and Mirror Manufacturer Established in 1902 (although not formally incorporated til 1921), R. Corney & Co Ltd (明新有限公司) was a leading glass merchant and mirror manufacturer in Hong Kong which produced glassware, mirrors, light fixtures and other glass-related products. Despite its long history, limited information is available about the firm. A R.Corney […]
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“In the course of a recent research through some old records, the name of another of Hongkong’s pioneer firms was noticed, that of Gibb, Livingston and Company, who came here in the first year of the Colony’s foundation. The firm can indeed claim to be one of the oldest in this part of the world, at they commenced business in […]
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Tymon Mellor: Immediately after the end of the Pacific War, the price of graphite, a form of carbon, peaked before declining as the world demand for steel dropped. Following the successful exploitation of graphite on West Brother Island, a number of licences were issued to allow the prospecting for Graphite throughout the New Territories during the 1950’s and 1960’s. Prospecting […]
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