W R Loxley & Co (China) Ltd – Hong Kong Merchants from 1872 – initial notes

According to Claire Grey’s excellent family history website, linked below, W R Loxley and Company (China) Ltd was established in Hong Kong in 1872 and…

‘…J. M. Beattie bought it possibly in 1900. Later two brothers: A. Beattie and M. P. Beattie joined the firm. The business was sold to J. A. Russell and D. O. Russell in 1919 and under the agreement A. Beattie became manager of the London branch.

In 1919 when Archie set up China Minerals Ltd. to search for coal in China, W.R. Loxley and Co. acted as agents for the Company. The Annual Report for Malayan Collieries in June 1920 reported that it’s London Agents were now W. R. Loxley and Co, 34, Lime Street, E.C.3.

On 25 March Archie gave power of attorney to Adriaan van der Harst to act on behalf of W. R. Loxley & Company. The Straits Times of 21 April 1920, reported that “ A.A. van der Harst, who spent many years of his business life in Singapore before leaving, about 10 months ago to take an appointment in Hong Kong, has returned and is about to open a local branch of the firm W. R. Loxley and Co., the well known Hongkong merchants”…(1)

Claire has kindly given permission for this extract to be included here.

W R Loxley & Co China Ltd Postal Stamp Perfin Rodsell. Com

W R Loxley perfin Courtesy (2)

 

W R Loxley & Co China Ltd Agent Gillette Advert HK Sunday Herald 29.10.1950

HK Sunday Herald 29.10.1950

W R Loxley & Co China Ltd Agent Advert 1953

Advert 1953

This article was first posted on 20th June 2017.

Sources:

  1. Dearie:Russell Family History – WR Loxley & Company The aim of this site is to record all the information we have already discovered about Richard Dearie, his son John Russell and their descendants.
  2. Rod Sell’s website – HK Postal Stamp perfins – featuring a considerable number of HK company examples

6 Comments

  • Philip Cracknell

    Donald Oscar Russell born 7th Aug 1887 was still living in HK in December 1941 aged 54. He gives his occupation as being a Merchant Wr Loxley & Co.. He was interned at Stanley Camp in St Stephens College Block. (Block 9). Others in Stanley Camp who gave Loxley as their employers included James Alexander Watson and Chester Bennett.

    • Martin Leggett

      Pamela Russell nee Dines was my Great Aunt. The sister of my Father’s mother. She lived with Donald Russell from the early 30’3 and eventually married him in 1953. She escaped to the UK after the Japanese invaded taking much of her Chinese possessions with her.

    • Martin Leggett

      Pamela Russell nee Dines was my Great Aunt. The sister of my Father’s mother. She lived with Donald Russell from the early 30’s and eventually married him in 1953. She escaped to the UK after the Japanese invaded taking much of her Chinese possessions with her.

  • Till Freyer

    My name is Horst F.W. Freyer, commonly called Till Freyer, I joined W.R.Loxley & Co. Ltd. in Hong Kong in 1959. The company was managed at the time by Fritz Meyer. My assignment was the building up of an Export Department for goods “Made in Hongkong”. I spend a very successful and highly enjoyable five years in the company before setting up one of the first “Buying Offices” in Hong Kong, a joint venture between Germany’s largest importer of textiles and garments at the time, MILES (50%), Loxley and myself (each 25%). I started my own Buying Agency in Kowloon in 1972, sold the company to my biggest German customer in 1999 and now live in Indonesia in retirement since then.
    I have written a book “THE KING OF SHIRTS” about my working life in Asia from 1959 to 1999 which describes my highly enjoyable association with LOXLEY / BLYTH GREEN JOURDAIN and my 40 years in the garment trade in Asia.
    Does W.R.Loxley & Co. Ltd., Hong Kong, still exist, possibly under a different name? Would you like to have a copy of my book? I would be pleased to hear from you.
    Greetings from Indonesia;
    Till Freyer

    • Dear Till

      Thank you very much for leaving your commentabout your connection to W.R.Loxley & Company. I am currently on holiday in the USA and not able to easily go online and administer the Industrial History of Hong Kong Group website.

      I am very interested in what you said in your comment and will get in touch with your directly when I get home in about 2 weeks.

      To answer your question about whether Loxley still exist in Hong Kong, I don’t think so, but need this confirmed esopecially if it now operates under a different name.

      Best wishes
      Hugh Farmer

  • Ken Leung

    I am looking for Mr. Freyer, I have a unopened port wine which imported by W.R.loxley&co.ltd., very old port wine 60yrs +. I would to ask him to know more about this wine,
    My email: kenleung67@gmail.com
    Thank you so much

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