Geoffrey Basil Spicer-Simson
ID # 3244, (1876-1947)
| Birth | Geoffrey Basil Spicer-Simson was born on 15 January 1876 at Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. |
| Marriage | He married Amy Elizabeth Baynes-Reed, daughter of Edmund Baynes-Reed and Margaret Ann Phoebe Lawrason, on 4 January 1902 at Hong Kong. For the following we are indebted to the archives of the Daily Colonist of Victoria, British Columbia.The article appears on page 2 of the Victoria Daily Colonist, Thursday, February 6, 1902, column 1: It reads: Married in Hong Kong Wedding of Lieut. Simson, R.N., and Miss Amy Baynes-Reed The Hong Kong Telegraph of January 4 says: A quiet, but none the less press, naval wedding was celebrated at 12:30 p.m. today (January 4) at St. John's Cathedral. Lieut. G.B.S. Simson, R.N., of H.M.S. Waterwitch, being married to Miss Amy Baynes-Reed, daughter of Edmund Baynes-Reed, Esq., of Victoria, B.C. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. J.H. France, M.A, and the bride was given away by her cousin, Surgeon J.C.J.G. Reed, R.N., of H.M.S. Firebrand, Mr. W.J.P. Pettit, R.N., of H.M.S. Waterwitch acting as best man. The bride was married in a pretty fawn-colored traveling dress, while the bride-groom wore uniform, frock coat, epaulettes and cocked hat, as did the naval guests, the military element being in their full dress of red and gold. Three cheers were given as the party left the cathedral and the bride and bridegroom were taken from Murray pier to the Macao steamer in a boat from the Waterwitch, pulled by a crew of volunteers from the ship's company. The Waterwitch displayed the time-honored garland, hoisted between her main and mizzen-masts, in honor of the wedding. We wish the couple every happiness in their married life. Unquote The same page carries a brief marriage notice placed by Amy's parents and which agrees on the salient points with the above. A Hong Kong website carries old issues of Hong Kong newspapers. The above article was found on page 3, column 2, of The Hong Kong Telegraph, Saturday January 4, 1902, and the article as it appeared in the Victoria newspaper, quoted above, is a replication of the article as it appeared in the Hong Kong newspaper on all points. |
| Death | He died on 29 January 1947 at Comox, British Columbia, at age 71. |
| Burial | He was buried on 7 February 1947 at Anglican Church Cemetery, Sandwick, Courtenay, B.C.. |
| Note | Some small bits and pieces of Spicer-Simson's life can be found, here and there, from the usual sources - Ancestry and Familysearch, etc. A knockout source, however, is to be found on Wikipedia where there is quite a biography of the man and his career, including a photograph. He certainly had his eccentricities, but also his talents. During the First World War, he wrested naval control of Lake Tanganyika from Germany. His marriage to Amy Baynes-Reed gets the briefest mention and dates it to 1902. It's understated, but he seems to have been a competent surveyor. When he married Amy in Hong Kong in 1902, he was stationed on a Royal Navy survey ship, HMS Waterwitch. In 1911, he did a survey of the Gambia River accompanied by Amy. Geoffrey's parents were Frederick Simson and Dora Spicer. They met in France and when they married his father changed the family name to Spicer-Simson. They moved to Tasmania, where Geoffrey was born, and where they farmed for some five years. While still young, Geoffrey moved to France and went to schools in England. At age 14, he joined the British Navy. Another and much briefer source is the Online Newsletter of the Courtenay & District Museum and Palaeontolgy Centre of July 2011. This has a formal portrait of Geoffrey and shorter biography than that which appears on Wikipedia. It is evident in later years, beyond the information in the Wikipedia bio that he and Amy traveled. One disjointed passenger list dated 1933 (presented on Familysearch), apparently from Southampton to San Francisco, has their previous residence as the Principality of Monaco. With reference to their son who died in infancy, the Wikipedia biography leaves us to believe that the child was named after Geoffrey's older brother, Theodore Spicer-Simson, a man who was an artist of some renown. B.C. Death registration nbr. 002036 Place of death Comox, B.C., St. Joseph's Hospital. In municipality, province and country 9-1/2 years. Full name Spicer-Simson, Geoffrey Basil, of Courtenay, B.C. 307 - 3rd St. Canadian, married, born Hobart, Tasmania. Born January 15, 1876. Age 71 years and 14 days. Commander (retired) Royal Navy. Date last worked at this cocupation, 1921. Years spent in this occupation 33. Wife Amy Elizabeth Baynes-Reed Parents Frederick Simson and Dora Spicer, both born England. Informant A. Spicer-Simson, wife, 307-3rd St., Courtenay, B.C., 29th January, 1947. Date of death 29th January, 1947, date of burial February 7th, 1947, at Anglican Church Cemetery, Sandwick, B.C. A final note. Geoffrey Basil Spicer-Simson is as colourful a character as one is likely to meet with in genealogy. The book, Mimi and Toutou Go Forth: The Bizarre Battle for Lake Tanganyika, by Giles Foden, 2004, makes for a memorable study of the man. His wife Amy also gets mentioned. |
Child of Geoffrey Basil Spicer-Simson and Amy Elizabeth Baynes-Reed |
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| Last Edited | 9 Nov 2020 |