It looks like a simple request. I was asked by an old lady to identify a tomb whereby two women were buried together.
As the old lady could not read Chinese, she wanted to know the identity of one of the two woman buried, so that when the government decided to take action, she would do a last favor for the deceased,
ie exhumed them and put them in a temple.
It was when I heard the names that I got a shock.
The woman that she knew that was buried was Mrs See Ewe Boon (of the Ewe Boon Road). There is also a See Tiong Wah tomb nearby, he is Ewe Boon’s son. She said.
It struck me like a thunderbolt. The See Tiong Wah who was a Justice of Peace and the Municipal Commissioner who together with Kheam Hock was in charge of Bukit Brown?
“Gosh, I got to find this grave”
Due to some wrong directions provided, I could not find the two graves at first. I have to go down to National Archives to get the tomb no as the old lady has provided me the death date of Mrs See Ewe Boon, a Mdm Yeo. Once I got the tomb no, it was not so difficult to locate them as it was in Blk 2 which was a much smaller hill, laid down in 1924.
Yes, I have found See Tiong Wah’s tomb!
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The Straits Times, 9 May 1940
Mr See Teong Wah
Tribute to a Well Known Local Chinese
To the editor of the Straits Times
Sir,- By the death of Mr See Teong Wah, JP, another link with the past of Singapore is shattered. A son of the late Mr See Ewe Boon, Mr Teong Wah was educated in St. Joseph's Institution, and at the early age of 18, he assisted his father in the Compradore's department of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, Singapore. There he served for nearly 30 years.
He was a born leader and closely identified himself with the welfare of the public, holding office as honorary treasurer and committee member of the S.C.B.A, president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, president of the Hokkien Hoay Kuan, auditor of the Royal Asiatic Society, a member of the Chinese Advisory Board, a Justice of the Peace, and a Municipal Commissioner, among many other appointments.
At the Centenary of Singapore celebrations, Mr See Teong Wah represented the Chinese community in the presentation of an address of congratulations to H.E the Governor, Sir Arthur Young, and in 1922, he was the chief Chinese delegate at the Malaya Borneo Exhibition During the war of 1914 - 18, he was the most energetic in subscribing and raising funds for patriotic causes.
His ancestors migrated to Malacca from China 300 years ago and founded the house of Gim Hin. His daughter Lucy married the eldest son of H.E. Chen Tiao Yuan, at one time Provincial Governor of Shantung, and his son, Bong Him is the son-in-law of the late Mr Lim Nee Soon, J.P.
As Mr Teong Wah retired from public life more than 10 years ago, some of the present generation may have forgotten him, but it seems only appropriate for one who is grateful to his memory to place on record a tribute to the good he did in his lifetime to Malaya and the Empire at large -
Yours Etc,
O.T.G
Penang, May 7
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I later found out that See Tiong Wah has married the daughter of Khoo Cheng Tiong, the father of Khoo Seok Wan. Recently I have found Mrs Khoo Cheng Tiong’s grave (Mdm Yeo) as well.
I next worked on my task of identifying the lady buried together with Mrs See Ewe Boon.
As usual, the names was posthumous names, but one of the sons’ name caught my attention. Yes, the name is Tiow Hyong.
He had taken over the duties of managing Lat Pau when his father Ewe Lay died in 1906.
So, the mysterious lady is none other than Mrs See Ewe Lay, a daughter of Chia Ann Siang.
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From: 20th century impressions of British Malaya (written sometime in 1909)
Mr See Ewe Boon
In financial circles in Singapore and indeed throughout the Straits Settlement, Mr See Ewe Boon and his son, Mr See Tiong Wah, are well respected alike for their ability and integrity.
Mr See Ewe Boon, who since 1890 has been the compradore of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank at Singapore, is the second son of the late See Eng Watt, a well known Chinaman, who was born in Malacca and was the first Chinese British subject merchant in Amoy for a great no of years. The gentleman whose name is at the head of this sketch went to Pinang at an early age and received an English education at St Xavier's institution. Subsequently for a short time, he traded at Amoy before entering the employment of the banking corporation which he has so long and so faithfully served. He is now in his 50 year. His son Mr See Tiong Wah, entered the Hongkong bank in 1901 upon leaving school, and has made steady progress until now he is the assistant compradore, and as such, is his father's right hand man.
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Eastern Daily Mail and Straits Morning Advertiser 30 Aug 1906
"Lat Pau" Editor dead
It is with regret that we learn of the death of Mr Seet Ewe Lay, which occured at 93, Chin Swee Road, yesterday morning from cardiac failure. The deceased had been ailing for a few weeks only and the news of his death surprised him numerous Chinese and other friends this morning. He was the editor and the proprietor of the Chinese evening newspapers, the Lat Pau and was well known and much liked among the Straits born Chinese community He was born in Singapore and leaves a wife and large family. The deceased married the daughter of the late Mr Chia Ann Siang. He was 55 years of age
The new generation of Singapore would not heard of Lat Pau.
Lat is the short form of Silat, which means Straits. In the old days, it is not unusual to call Singapore as Si Lat Pore.
Yes, Lat Pau has its hey day. It was not only the first Chinese Newspapers in Singapore started by See Ewe Lay, but also in an
ST article published in 1967 Oct 2 on the history of Chinese Newspapers,
quote:
it was not only Singapore first newspapers published in 1881, but “the first "South of Heaven" to use the proud Chinese Phrase of those days
The Chinese invented printing, and the Peking Gazette has some claim to being the world's first newspapers,but in the modern sense, the Chinese press was very late on the scene.
It was not until 1860 that Hong Kong had its first Chinese newspapers, and even Shanghai was only 9 years ahead of Singapore.
unquote
The man Ewe Lay hired : Yeh Chi Yun was regarded as the Chinese newspaper pioneer in Singapore
