Putting the pieces in place

1. Digging up for facts about my father has been quite a rewarding pastime. Gathering valuable information was worth the long hours spent in the library and the archive.

2. Relevant information that we have gathered so far has improved much of what was not precise in my earlier posts about my father. For example, I thought that he passed away in 1957, but it is clear from the story of his passing in the Straits Echo that he died on 24 November 1956 at the age of 74.

3. The precise date of his demise is of great importance in obtaining a copy of his death certificate from the National Registration Department without which our previous applications for the document has always been responded with “record not available.”

4. My guess that he began his career as a teacher in 1904 at the age of 18 was utterly incorrect. Now that his precise date of birth is known – i.e. February 14, 1882 – he was 22 in 1904. Assuming that he spent a period of 10 years in school, he might have already become a teacher for several years by 1904 because it was reported in the paper mentioned above that ‘upon leaving school he joined the tutorial staff of his old School.’ He was 29 when he resigned his post in the Penang Free School and came over to Kedah to become headmaster of the Government English School, Alor Setar, in 1911.

5. I am quite satisfied with what we have achieved thus far. It all started with a keen interest to research a man who would otherwise remain obscure to his own children and grandchildren. Bits and occasionally chunks of information dug up over the past few years has enhanced my knowledge of my father beyond my vague childhood memory of him and my thought about the treasure trove of books each of which still bears his signature and occupation.

6. Now it’s a matter of putting the pieces in place like doing the jigsaw puzzle. But there are still a lot of missing pieces yet to be dug up.