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White (William) Collection
OCH.WIW
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Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: William White Collection
Creator:
White, William
Identifier/Call Number: OCH.WIW
Extent:
12.3 Gigabytes
Date (inclusive): 1914-1962
Abstract: The
William White
Collection
is comprised of four photograph albums primarily documenting the British
military experiences of White family members serving in China in the 1920s, and their family
life in China through the late 1940s.
Language of Material: English
Robert John White was born in 1902 in Athlone, Ireland to William Robert White and
Elizabeth Wolstencroft. His father William was in the British Army Royal Horse Artillery and
was stationed in India before serving in World War I. Robert joined the Shanghai Municipal
Police in 1924 and remained with the SMP until 1943 during the occupation of Shanghai by
Japanese troops. He married Bella Gertzman in 1928 in Shanghai, China, and they had two
children together, Ethel Elizabeth and William. They emigrated first to Hong Kong, and then
to the United States in 1950, where Robert worked for the Los Angeles Times until his
retirement in 1967. He passed away in Los Angeles in 1975.
The
William White Collection is comprised of photographs and
ephemera related to the White family's work and lives in China, especially the British
military and Shanghai Municipal Police career of Robert "Bob" John White. The photographs
depict Shanghai, Peking, Soochow, Tsingtao, Penang, Mokanshan, and Hangchow in China. Many
Shanghai locations are depicted, including Jessfield Park, Hongkew Park, French Club Park,
Race Course, Nanking Road, the Bund, Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, Whangpoo River, Sinza
Station, Soowchow Creek, Stone Bridge, general street scenes, and depictions of corporal
punishment for crimes. There are many photographs related to the Anti-Foreign Riots, also
known as the May Thirtieth Movement, which began after the British Shanghai Municipal Police
opened fire on Chinese protestors in the International Settlement on May 30, 1925.
Photographs of locations outside of China visited during White's British military service
include Hong Kong, Suez Canal, Aden, Port Said, and Singapore. A limited number of
photographs document the White family's social activities in China and their lives in the
United States.
This collection is open for research use.
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge.
Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires
the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
William White, 2003
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual,
or see the
Citing Archival
Materials
guide.
Mallory Furnier, 2020
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Photographs
Albums (Books)