This is a family portrait of my paternal grandmother's family; taken when she was 14. I think the year is 1921.She's the one seated on the far right side. I never knew her, Lily Chiam. But I wish I had. Everyone loved her and she treated everyone with a great deal of kindness and respect. She used to chaffeur the Girls Brigade around in her limo. lol. Occasionally I'd meet some old person at church and they'd be exclaiming - "YOUR Grandmother was my BEST friend!!!!" And then, they'd forget and tell it to me the next time we meet.
Dad and my Uncle See Tong were very close to their mother. But they seldom talked about her; and if they did - with only with the utmost respect and love. She adored her sons.
She came from a very rich family. The head - Lim Liang Quee, my great grand father, had an import business to England (which had an Empire then). He was such an anglophille that he gave only English names to his children. His son, Arthur Lim, used to host glamorous parties where the Governor of Singapore would show up - champagne flowed like water.
What a life. Look at them - look at Great-Grandma - the central person in the photo. Such an haughty august imperial look.
The business fell apart when the Japanese Army invaded Singapore in 1942 and confiscated virtually everything. Arthur was held by the Japanese and tortured for his association with the British.
They have all passed away now. My grandmother passed away in the 1950s from a stroke. The baby, that's Grand Aunty Jenny; she passed away in St. John's Nursing Home this year.
1 comment:
Sounds like they were living up the high life... well good for them. At least you didn't inherrit the name Charles Chiam.. or maybe something even worse Hector Chiam.
Another good plus to see you're making use out of your scanner.
Post a Comment