From Hong Kong to Swansea: The Life of Charles John Dormer Andrews
From Hong Kong to Swansea: The Life of Charles John Dormer Andrews Early Life and Family Background The blogs will be highlighting individuals who settled or stayed in Swansea during one or more census years, particularly those whose origins lay far beyond Britain. One such figure is Charles John Dormer Andrews , born in Hong Kong in 1865 , the son of Charles Hammond Andrews and Susannah Curry Brimsden . His birth in the Far East reflects the global reach of the British Empire during the mid‑nineteenth century and, more specifically, the expanding responsibilities of the Royal Navy’s China Station , headquartered in Hong Kong. Charles’s father, Charles Hammond Andrews , served as a Clerk, High Division, Admiralty , a senior administrative post within the machinery that managed the Royal Navy’s overseas operations. A man of his grade in Hong Kong during the 1860s would likely have been engaged in essential administrative duties supporting the naval presence in the region. This co...