Bertram GILES C M G [476]

  General Notes:

BERTRAM GILES
Birth year 1871-75
PlaceHANKOW
CountryCHINA
Volume5
Page273
Record sourceGRO Consular Birth Indices (1849 to 1965)
British nationals born overseas 1818-2005

Bertram had long service with Foreign Office in China. Consul General Nanking, wounded in Nanking uprising 24 Mar 1927.

John Allen Giles Diary and Memoirs.
Page 564
Saturday, August 23, 1879
. . . . . Ellen made the party laugh by telling a reply of little Bertie's. And our friend Mrs Kydd meeting him with his nurse out walking, said "You're a capital old boy!" to which he replied, "And you're at a capital old Kydd!" . . . . .
J.A.G.

Page 574
April 15 Thursday 1880.
I received . . . . . letter from Bertie written in pencil the first epistolary specimen of a five-year-old, reminding me of my first specimen 65 years ago.
My dear ganpa give my love to Auntie Bella and Uncle Will, your loving Bertie.

Page 591
October 26 Wednesday 1881. My 73rd birthday, letter from Bertram, Herbert's boy.
Dear Grandpa
I wish you many happy returns of your birthday. We went up the monument yesterday; when we got to the top we looked down and saw the Thames, for it was very near; after we had stood there for some time we went down again. Before we went we bought some chocolate.
Bertram.

Page 594
Tuesday, January 31, 1882.
Bertie came down from London to pass one more day with his cousin, who has been his play fellow at Sutton Rectory during the last four years, very much to the satisfaction of Gran'pere, Gran'mere and Auntie Ellen. Bertie left us the next morning at 10 o'clock. (The next day he left with his family for China)

Page 597.
Thursday, October 26, 1882. My 74th birthday . . . . . a Latin letter from Bertram which I received in due time.
Pagado, 26 October 1882
Dear Gran'pere,
Ego amo te. Lapidosi surgunt montes. Tuas literas expecto. Terra parit flores. Epistolam tuam non accepi. Lego. Studia delectant me. Si me amas, ad me venito, Labor omnia vincit. Necessitas non habet leges. Omnia tempus edax depascitur. Romulus creavit centum senatores. Virtus est optima nobilitas. Tres Horatiivicerunt tres Curiatores. Te sequor. Pueri inter se pro levibus noxiis iras gerunt. Non terret sapientem mors. Fugaces labuntur anni. Autumnus fruges effundi. Scandit seratas vitiosa naves cura. Natura est dux optima.
Your loving grandson
Bertram Giles.

Bertram in 1889 was a pupil at Stella Matutina in Feldkirch, Austria, a Jesuit school founded in 1651 the conversational language was Latin.
Ref: 11 April 1889 in his brother Lancelot's diary.

Bertram was educated at Leige Belgium, Feldkirch Austria, and Aberdeen University Scotland. He entered H B M's China Consular Service in 1894. Bertram was Consul General in Hankow when in the Nanking incident he was shot in the leg. Returning to England on sick leave he died a year later of a stroke or heart attack.

Bertram Giles aged 44 H M Consul Nanking, Jessie Violet Giles aged 43, and Sidney Graham St Giles aged 9 and Chang Yuan Ting aged 38 a servant travelled first class (Chang deck class) from Shanghai to Plymouth on the P.O ship "Nellore" arriving 22 June 1919.
Ref: Ancestry

Giles, Bertram C.M.G
Born September 24 1874 Passed a competitive examination, November 30 and was appointed a Student Interpreter in China , December 8, 1894 . Promoted to be a 2^nd Class Assistant, May 13, 1899 ; and a 1^st Class Assistant, April 5, 1902 . Was Assistant in the Mixed Court as Shanghai from May 15, 1902 to April 18, 1904 ; Acting Vice-Consul at Canton in 1904 and 1905; Acting Consul at Foochow in 1905, and Acting Consul at Changsha from December 27, 1905 to May 4 1907 . Promoted to be one of H.M. Vice-Consuls in China , September 1, 1908 . Acting Consul at Chananfu ( Tsinan ) in 1908, 1909, and 1910. Promoted to be Consul in Changsha , December 1, 1910 . Officiating Consul at Nanking from November 4, 1914 to December 15, 1915 , and from January 19, 1916 . Appointed Consul there, April 1 1917 . Made a C.M.G., June 3, 1916 Acting Consul at Tsiangu from July 11, 1921 . Promoted to be one of H.M. Consuls General in China , March 1, 1922 . Employed on special service in connection with the rendition of Wei-hai-wei from September 21, 1922 . Officiating Consul General at Canton from December 27, 1923 , to December 1, 1924 . Died at Weybridge, Surrey March 26, 1928 .
Ref: Simon Potter - The National Archive Kew.

FO 371/12475
Telegram from Sir M Lampson ( Peking )
Dispatched 1.40pm 26^th March 1927
Received 10.30 a.m. 26^th March 1927
Consul General, Nanking has been brought aboard "Emerald", he has bullet wound through thigh but fortunately bullet missed bone and wound not serious. Mrs Giles aboard unhurt but they and other foreigners suffered intolerable treatment and indignities. Above received from "Emerald".
Ref: Simon Potter - The National Archive Kew.

TIMES OBITUARY: 27 March 1928 Pg 21 Col B.
MR BERTRAM GILES - The Nanking Outrages
Mr Bertram Giles, C.M.G., till recently , British Consul-General at Nanking, where he and his wife suffered serious maltreatment a year ago, died suddenly yesterday at Weybridge Surrey; at the age of 54.
The story of the outrages at the British Consulate at Nanking on March 24, 1927 where Mr Giles was wounded was told by Mrs Giles in a sworn statement issued by the Foreign Office. Mrs. Giles had gone to the Consulate offices to see her husband. She found there several men and women among them Captain Spear. Shortly afterwards the men went outside to see what was happening. On the lawn which separated the offices from the dwellinghouse Mrs Giles saw a Cantonese soldier, level his rifle at her husband. Captain Spear rushed forward and knocked the rifle up. At the same time another soldier fired and shot Mr. Giles above the left knee, and a shot fired by some other soldier hit Captain Spear.
Dr. Smith, a British subject, who had just come out of the house, was shot in the back and killed instantly. Mr. Giles and Captain Spear then ran to the office, and Captain Spear, was again wounded. Both reached the office, and all the men and women got into the strong-room and barricaded the door. A batch of soldiers then entered the office and proceeded to loot it. After they had left, a second batch arrived and announced that if the party within the strong-room did not come out. they would fire through the door. The party came out, and the soldiers then seized Mrs. Giles, whom they treated brutally; tearing the rings from her fingers, inflicting great pain. They took her shoes off her feet and felt to see if anything was concealed. The other two ladies Mrs. Roberts and Miss Blake were similarly treated. Mr Giles and Captain Spear were robbed of everything they had in their pockets, and Captain Spear had his boots taken away. Mr. Huber the Harbour Master who immediately afterwards arrived at the Consulate was shot through the head by the bandits, who, after firing two more shots into the body of the harbour master, fired a further two shots at the party in the Consulate, which passed close to Mrs. Giles's head. The time was then about 11.30 in the morning.
After the soldiers left the party remained inside the Consulate until 5 o'clock the next afternoon being constantly molested by the soldiers. At one time men came with an executioner's sword and held it within an inch of Mr. Giles's throat. Others tried to pull the clothes off the ladies of the party. When the bombardment by the British and American warships began, the molestation ceased.
Mr Giles was the son of that distinguished sinologue, Dr. H. A. Giles, Professor of Chinese at Cambridge and grandson of J.A. Giles, the classical and antiquarian writer. He was born at Hankau on September 24, 1874, when his father was still in the Consular Service in China, and was educated at Liege in Belgium, Feldkirch in Austria, and at Aberdeen. In 1894 he was appointed, after examination, a student interpreter in China, and was promoted to be a first class assistant in 1902.
After serving as assistant in the Shanghai Mixed Court, he was made Vive Consul at. Canton in 1904, subsequently serving at Hankau, Fuchau, Changsha, and Tsinan and was appointed Consul at Changsha in 1910. In 1914 he was transferred to Nanking, and was made C.M.G. in 1916. In 1922 he was appointed Consul-General a Tsinan and served as senior British delegate the Joint, Commission for the rendition of Wei-hai-wei. From December, 1923 to December 1924, he was officiating Consul General at Canton, and was then transfer to Nanking as Consul General.
Mr Giles married in 1903 Violet Jessie daughter of Mr David Gilmore of Shanghai, and had one son.
The funeral will be at Mickleham Church near Dorking at noon on Friday.

Giles Bertram CMG of Nanking China died 26 March 1928 at the Bushes Oatlands Chase Weybridge Surrey. Probate London 13 June 1928 to Jessie Violet Giles widow.
Effects L1638 16d
National Probate Calendar.

  Research Notes:

Picture "Bertram Giles1" was taken at the Fenn family home Grey Frairs Colchester Essex c1890's

  Other Records

1. Census: England, 3 Apr 1881, The Rectory West St Sutton SRY. Bertram was recorded as a grandson aged 6 born China Hankau

2. Bertram Giles: Confessions, 1891.
"Confessions" was a Victorian fad for answering a list of personal questions. This Album of Confessions belonged to Dorothy Cotes [486] and is in the possession of the Hopkins family 2020.

BERTRAM'S CONFESSIONS 1891
MY FAVOURITE VIRTUE: Truthfulness
MY IDEA OF HAPPINESS: Going in the District Railway
MY IDEA OF MISERY: Getting up at 5 in the morning
MY FAVOURITE OCCUPATION:Eating ices
MY FAVOURITE COLOUR: Purple, Crimson Lake.
MY FAVOURITE FLOWER: Roses Dahlias
MY FAVOURITE POETS: Horace Homer Shakespeare
MY FAVOURITE PROSE AUTHORS: Charles Dickens
MY FAVOURITE PAINTER: William Hogarth
MY FAVOURITE FOOD: Vanilla ice cream
MY FAVOURITE NAMES: Katherine Harry
MY PET AVERSION: Stale bread
MY FAVOURITE MOTTO:There's no place like home
My Signature: B Giles

BERTRAM'S CONFESSIONS 1893
MY FAVOURITE VIRTUE: Unselfishness Truthfulness Honesty Wisdom
MY IDEA OF HAPPINESS: Dancing Travelling Writing Confessions Reading
MY IDEA OF MISERY: Toothache Headache Earache concerts singing
MY FAVOURITE OCCUPATION: Reading Writing Shrimping Dancing Eating
MY FAVOURITE COLOUR: Red blue green yellow white black brown etc
MY FAVOURITE FLOWER: Rose daisy tulip buttercup dahlia etc
MY FAVOURITE POETS: Shakespeare Procter Milton Spenser Hood Gree. . . . .
MY FAVOURITE PROSE AUTHORS: Dickens Thackeray Bronte Eliot Meredith
MY FAVOURITE PAINTER: Leighton Millais, Alma Tadema, Dicksee etc
MY FAVOURITE FOOD: Ices creams jelly Curry Cold potatoes Fruit etc
MY FAVOURITE NAMES: Thomas Henry Edward John George
MY PET AVERSION: Mysticism, Macaroni Cheese, Celery, Cold Pie
MY FAVOURITE MOTTO: "Never put off till tomorow what you can do just as well the day after tomorrow" and others to numerous to mention
My Signature: Bertram Giles

BERTRAM (now aged 20) completed six more increasingly affected Confessions. 1 & 2 below C1895, a nonsense one 3. below, in Pidgin English signed "Chinkee wonkee wee" and one completely in Chinese characters which is translated as 4. below. Confession 5. below appears to be Bertram's translation of Confession 4. Confession 5. also has written across the edge "phrases is to be found in the well known apophthegm" "come early and stay late"
Confession 6. is in chinese and only answers My Favourite Virtue the translation of which is "eating yellow beans and drinking wine"
What was his relationship with the attractive Dolly Cotes, whose "Album of Confessions" book it was, that he should monopolise it so?

MY FAVOURITE VIRTUE: Tiddledywinks, Cornhill, Newmarket
MY IDEA OF HAPPINESS: Roasting chestnuts and not eating them, sleep
MY IDEA OF MISERY: Being successful at exams, falling ill
MY FAVOURITE OCCUPATION: Drinking tea, sleeping writing confessions.
MY FAVOURITE COLOUR: Orange violet mauve pink grey brown
MY FAVOURITE FLOWER: Daisy Buttercup dahlia pink carnation
MY FAVOURITE POETS: Shelly Keats Thompson Rogers Tuppe
MY FAVOURITE PROSE AUTHORS: Gibbon, Hooker, de Quincy
MY FAVOURITE PAINTER: Kneller Hogarth Landseer Frith Rafael
MY FAVOURITE FOOD: Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay, Fish,flesh,fowl
MY FAVOURITE NAMES: Jessie Jenny Lucy Laura Edith
MY PET AVERSION: Dockyards, deer, fogs, Chatham, Sunday
MY FAVOURITE MOTTO: One should not buy a cat in a sack
My Signature: B Giles B Giles B Giles

MY FAVOURITE VIRTUE: Averice Cowardice Selfishness Dishonesty
MY IDEA OF HAPPINESS: Eating cold potatoes & bread & butter
MY IDEA OF MISERY: Writing confessions, living at Chatham, eating
MY FAVOURITE OCCUPATION: Being photographed providing I come out well
MY FAVOURITE COLOUR: White black blue red green yellow
MY FAVOURITE FLOWER: Violet rose polyanthus marjoram tulip
MY FAVOURITE POETS: Gilbert Shakespeare Giles & Chaucer
MY FAVOURITE PROSE AUTHORS: Stevenson, Grant Allen, Handy
MY FAVOURITE PAINTER: Turner Reynolds Constable Gainsborough
MY FAVOURITE FOOD: Cold Potatoes hot potatoes lobster salad
MY FAVOURITE NAMES: Tom Dick Harry Jim Bill Jack
MY PET AVERSION: Pomegranates, A Proctor, Richmond Park
MY FAVOURITE MOTTO: Work wait lose, time brings roses
My Signature: B Giles B Giles B Giles

MY FAVOURITE VIRTUE: I can even crack
MY IDEA OF HAPPINESS: melon-seeds with my teeth
MY IDEA OF MISERY: Who are you?
MY FAVOURITE OCCUPATION: Today it is very cold
MY FAVOURITE COLOUR: The other day when I was out
MY FAVOURITE FLOWER: There was a lot of dust
MY FAVOURITE POETS: A cannon
MY FAVOURITE PROSE AUTHORS: No objection whatever
MY FAVOURITE PAINTER: Can't sell it for less
MY FAVOURITE FOOD: Have some food
MY FAVOURITE MOTTO: You're no good
My Signature: Bertram Giles

MY FAVOURITE VIRTUE: B'long all same too muchee good
MY IDEA OF HAPPINESS: Makee chow plenty lice
MY IDEA OF MISERY: Too muchee workee
MY FAVOURITE OCCUPATION: Makee sleepee, makee smokee
MY FAVOURITE COLOUR: That colour pidgin my no savvy
MY FAVOURITE FLOWER: Any flower my no savvy
MY FAVOURITE POETS: That piecee poet-man my no have makee read
MY FAVOURITE PROSE AUTHORS: B'long writee analects that largee piecee
MY FAVOURITE PAINTER: Chinaside makee painterman my no savvy
MY FAVOURITE FOOD: Smallo piecee dog, too muchee largee slug
MY FAVOURITE NAMES: Ah Wong, Ching-kee, Lofenglo
MY PET AVERSION: Makee looksee what thing how fashion
MY FAVOURITE MOTTO: Ni pu kuo chemo hsiang ah!
My Signature: Chinkee wonkee wee

Translation from Chinese
MY FAVOURITE VIRTUE: Eating water melon seeds
MY IDEA OF HAPPINESS: Eating cold potatoes & bread & butter
MY IDEA OF MISERY: Who are you
MY FAVOURITE OCCUPATION: Enjoying the weather, not too hot not too cold.
MY FAVOURITE COLOUR: One day I walked down the road
MY FAVOURITE FLOWER: There is much clay
MY FAVOURITE POETS: About power?
MY FAVOURITE PROSE AUTHORS: Everything can be OK
MY FAVOURITE PAINTER: Expensive paintings
MY FAVOURITE FOOD: Can we have our meal right now?
MY FAVOURITE NAMES: When you are eating always hold the food bowl near your mouth, show good manners.
MY PET AVERSION: Opening the door
MY FAVOURITE MOTTO: You are a rotten egg . . . . . (not translated too rude)

MY FAVOURITE VIRTUE: Eating yellow beans and drinking wine
MY IDEA OF HAPPINESS: Carving pictures
MY FAVOURITE NAMES: The food is ready
MY PET AVERSION: Open the door.

3. Census: England, 31 Mar 1901, Selwyn Gardens Cambridge. Bertram is recorded as a son single aged 26 Assistant China Consular Service born China British Subject

4. Bertram Giles: Images.

Bertram married Jessie Violet GILMOUR [2046] [MRIN: 666], daughter of David GILMOUR of Shanghai [2047] and Margaret Jane MUIRHEAD [8767], in 1903. (Jessie Violet GILMOUR [2046] was born in Jul 1875 in Hampstead LND MDX and died on 22 May 1936 in Churchill Court Pytches Rd. Woodbridge SFK.)