Page 120 - GFA – A Different Drumbeat
P. 120
GFA – A Different Drumbeat 120
BUTTERFIELD & SWIRE
At the end of his trip with the Scotts to Kansu In September 1933, after 25 years as a
member of the China Inland Mission, GFA resigned from the Mission. Fanny, by this time
was not able to face the rigours of life in inland China, and she had also become a strong
advocate of British Israelism.23 GFA’s
priorities had changed too, and his close
friends were now largely outside the CIM
circles.
However, on 9th January 1934 GFA’s
nephew, Percy Moore was getting
married to Amy Weir at the CIM
headquarters in Sinza Road, Shanghai.
Amy, who came from Western Australia
and had no family in China, asked GFA
to stand in for her father as the “father-
of-the-bride”. This he did and is pictured standing just behind Percy in the wedding photo.
On 19 January 1934 GFA joined Butterfield & Swire, Mr. Scott’s firm, which had extensive
import, export and shipping interests. He became Political Liaison Office keeping in touch
with the Government in Nanking, and Chief of the Department of Chinese Affairs, dealing
with the stevedores and labour unions. His office overlooked the waterfront in Shanghai,
where he lived. Leslie returned to Shanghai and lived with his parents in the International
Settlement. Aileen and Mervyn were still in Toronto, but in 1936 Aileen too joined them in
Shanghai.
He was horrified, when he joined the firm, at the way in which Chinese clients were treated
by the European officials in the firm. Knowing and understanding so well all the rules of
courtesy and politeness in the Chinese culture, he promptly set to work to remedy matters.
He bought Chinese table and chairs for the reception room so that his Chinese guests
could be properly seated. He arranged for tea to be brought to them so that they could
settle down to the lengthy business of polite small talk before the main business for which
the client was really there was ever broached at all. All this made a tremendous difference
to Butterfield & Swire’s position in the Chinese business world, and they were not slow to
recognise the benefits they were deriving from having GFA on their pay roll.
23 British Israelism (also known as 'Anglo-Israelism') is the theory that people of Western European descent,
especially Britain and the United States, are descended from the lost tribes of Israel. Adherents argue that the
deported Israelites became Scythians / Cimmerians who are ancestors of the Celts / Anglo-Saxons of
Western Europe. It is inconsistent with the findings of modern genetics, which shows no Middle Eastern
connection to traditional cultures in England.
BUTTERFIELD & SWIRE
At the end of his trip with the Scotts to Kansu In September 1933, after 25 years as a
member of the China Inland Mission, GFA resigned from the Mission. Fanny, by this time
was not able to face the rigours of life in inland China, and she had also become a strong
advocate of British Israelism.23 GFA’s
priorities had changed too, and his close
friends were now largely outside the CIM
circles.
However, on 9th January 1934 GFA’s
nephew, Percy Moore was getting
married to Amy Weir at the CIM
headquarters in Sinza Road, Shanghai.
Amy, who came from Western Australia
and had no family in China, asked GFA
to stand in for her father as the “father-
of-the-bride”. This he did and is pictured standing just behind Percy in the wedding photo.
On 19 January 1934 GFA joined Butterfield & Swire, Mr. Scott’s firm, which had extensive
import, export and shipping interests. He became Political Liaison Office keeping in touch
with the Government in Nanking, and Chief of the Department of Chinese Affairs, dealing
with the stevedores and labour unions. His office overlooked the waterfront in Shanghai,
where he lived. Leslie returned to Shanghai and lived with his parents in the International
Settlement. Aileen and Mervyn were still in Toronto, but in 1936 Aileen too joined them in
Shanghai.
He was horrified, when he joined the firm, at the way in which Chinese clients were treated
by the European officials in the firm. Knowing and understanding so well all the rules of
courtesy and politeness in the Chinese culture, he promptly set to work to remedy matters.
He bought Chinese table and chairs for the reception room so that his Chinese guests
could be properly seated. He arranged for tea to be brought to them so that they could
settle down to the lengthy business of polite small talk before the main business for which
the client was really there was ever broached at all. All this made a tremendous difference
to Butterfield & Swire’s position in the Chinese business world, and they were not slow to
recognise the benefits they were deriving from having GFA on their pay roll.
23 British Israelism (also known as 'Anglo-Israelism') is the theory that people of Western European descent,
especially Britain and the United States, are descended from the lost tribes of Israel. Adherents argue that the
deported Israelites became Scythians / Cimmerians who are ancestors of the Celts / Anglo-Saxons of
Western Europe. It is inconsistent with the findings of modern genetics, which shows no Middle Eastern
connection to traditional cultures in England.
