William George (Ah Poy) Poy M. M. (1907 - 2002)

Born 17 May 1907 in Chiltern, Victoria, Australia

Ancestors

Husband of Ethel May (Lam) Poy — married about 1932 in British Hong Kong

Died 3 Feb 2002 at age 94 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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Biography

William (Ah Poy) Poy M. M. is Notable.

英才 - an Australian-born Canadian civil servant and businessman of Chinese descent. He served with the Royal Hong Kong Regiment (the Volunteers) during World War II as a Lance Corporal messenger and worked for the Canadian Trade Commission in Hong Kong. He was awarded the Military Medal for his service in Hong Kong.^[1]

Born William George Ah Poy on May 17, 1907 in Chiltern, Victoria, Australia.^[2] He was the son of Willie Ah Poy and Louisa Ah Coon.

His father (伍培; ng5 pui4; Wǔ Péi) immigrated in the late 19th century to Chiltern, Victoria, Australia and there he operated a general store called Willie Ah Poy Fruitier and Confectioner. Ah Poy being his name in the vocative, based on the Taishanese pronunciation, and what Australian immigration officials heard him enunciate in response to their request for his name.

In the 1920s, William moved back to Taishan, from where he made his way to British Hong Kong where he met and married Ethel May Lam about 1932. They were the parents of 2 children. The young family came to Canada as war refugees after Hong Kong fell to the Japanese in 1942.

On August 26, 1942, William George (41), exporter, born Australia, Ethel May (35), housewife, born Hong Kong, Neville George (13), student, born Hong Kong and Adrienne Louise (10), student, born Hong Kong, arrived at St Armand, Quebec. William registered in Ottawa, Carleton, Ontario on April 11, 1949.^[3]

After studying part time over several years, he obtained a Master's Degree in Political Science from the University of Ottawa.^[4]

Widowed in 1988, William died on February 3, 2002 in Toronto, Ontario.^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia:William_Poy
2. ↑ Wikipedia:Chiltern,_Victoria
3. ↑ "Canada, Registers of Chinese Immigration to Canada, 1885-1949", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6XXK-Q4DJ : Tue Oct 10 08:50:00 UTC 2023), Entry for Wm George Poy, 1949.
4. ↑ Wikipedia:University_of_Ottawa
5. ↑ https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries/theglobeandmail/name/william-poy-obituary?id=41749538

• "California, San Francisco Passenger Lists, 1893-1953," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KXHC-HNN : 19 February 2021), William George Poy, 1948; citing San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1410 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 2,381,187.

• "Vermont, St. Albans Canadian Border Crossings, 1895-1954," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK3R-PQYG : 23 February 2021), William George Poy, 1924-1952; citing M1463, Soundex Index to Canadian Border Entries through the St. Albans, Vermont, District, 1895-1924, 71, NARA microfilm publications M1461, M1463, M1464, and M1465 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, publication year); FHL microfilm 1,570,784.

SEE ALSO:

• https://www.ccmms.ca/2016/08/
• https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/74195/Poy-William-George.htm
• Wikipedia:Royal_Hong_Kong_Regiment
• Wikipedia:Military_Medal
• Wikipedia:Consulate_General_of_Canada_in_Hong_Kong_and_Macao