CO129-560-9 Mrs H.M. Taylour- widow of former harbour master- application for financial assistance 23-5-1937 - 9-7-1937 — Page 12

P.L.L. Priisions 4508

16pril 1957.

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(evel 6:61) an 1818. 535.28/441/37

Beechangar Alton Hampshire May 23. 1937

To the Crown Agents for the Colonies.

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бар

Sir:

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भोई

I have sent under another cover the signde declaration for which you asked and hope that all is in order.

I am afraid I have been rather stupid in not quite understanding what I was to do hence the delay, for which I apologise.

G

In forwarding this paper may I express to the Crown Agents for the Colonies and to the Government of Hongkong my sincere thanks for the grant of this pension which is welcome beyond words, and my very real gratitude for the kindness they have shown in the matter. I am most sincerely appreciative of this.

At the same time, if it would not be ungrateful to say so, I had very much hoped that a lump sum of something in the neighbourhood of £3000 might be given me in recognition of the more than 40 years service of my husband, the late Captain Basil Taylour R.N., Harbour Master of Hongkong. I plead that this may yet be done in view of the following facts:-

1. I am an old woman and this pension of £200 now gener- ously accorẻed and very gratefully acknowledged by me, will in the nature of things soon be ended, and if nothing else is done the sacrifices made for his country by my husband (and in a lesser degree by myself) will, as far as my five children are concerned, go forever unrecognised, and they will all suffer further financial loss than that which has already handicapped them ever since the war through no fault of their own but really owing to their father's patriotism.

2.

My husband lost approximately this sum through war service. Although the Fongkong Government had expressly and very generously guaranteed that no financial loss should be incurred when they gave Commander Basil Taylour permission to return to the Navy for war service, arranging that he should receive half his pay as Harbour Master, Marine Magistrate ett and half his naval pay as a Commander R.N., through techni- calities of one sort and another he was deprived of practically all his extra pay and allowances in both services; and through damage to his house at the Peak, exchange and other causes owing to absence from the Colony during the four years of the