Júlia Maria (?)^1,2

Outros detalhes Other details:

• Married Name: Da Cruz.¹
• Married Name: Soares.
• Marriage*: Matias da Luz Soares, son of Francisco Xavier Placé Soares and Ângela Vicência Osório, at Sé, Macau.

Francisco Xavier Soares^1,2

Parents:

Matias António Soares^1,2

Parents:

Outros detalhes Other details:

• Note*: Mentioned in booklet by JP Braga "The Portuguese in Hong Kong and China".

Francisco Paulo de Vasconcelos Soares^1,2,3

Frank Soares at the front steps of his home
Collection J Bosco Correa

Frank Soares plucking fruit from his garden.
Collection Bosco Correa

Parents:

Outros detalhes Other details:

• Nickname: "Frank."⁴
• Marriage*: Emma da Soledade Selavisa Alves, daughter of João Miguel Sebastião Alves and Belarmina Felícia de Lemos, at Cathedral, Hong Kong.⁵
• Residence*: In Francisco Paulo de Vasconcelos Soares lived at; 2 Liberty Avenue in Homantin.
  
• Honours*: CavaleiroKnight Ordem Militar de Cristo de Portugal /Military Order of Christ of Portugal.⁶
• Residence: In circa 1920 Francisco Paulo de Vasconcelos Soares lived at; Frank Soares developed the Kowloon suburb of Homantin in the mid-1920s. He, like his father Matias Soares, was a very keen horticulcurist and had in mind that the homes in Homantin would be self-sustaining from their own fruit trees and vegetable gardens, so he named his Homantin Development "The Garden City".
  
• (Witness) Photo: He was in the Photo of Emma Alves; Emma, Julia and Frank Soares.
  
• Occupation*: Foi chanceler do Consulado de Portugal em Hong Kong, nomeado a 20.2.1937. No período crítico da II Guerra, e especialmente durante a ocupação japonesa de Hong Kong (Decembro de 1941 a Agosto de 1945) e na ausência de cônsul efective, foi encarregado do consulado. Enquanto encarregado do consulado tomou uma decisão, ilegal face à lei portugesa, mas que permitiu garantir a liberdade, e porventura a vida, de muitos descendentes de macaenses que viviam em Hong Kong e que já tinham perdido a nacionalidade portuguesa. Ele próprio a conta numa pequena nota manuscrita que agrafou no “Livro de Matrícula de Cidadãos Portugueses de Hong Kong”: “Em 2 de Janeiro de 1942, isto é, 8 dias depois da rendição da colónia de Hong Kong aos japoneses, começaram a inscrever-se neste livro – páginas 6 a 105 – como cidadãos portugueses, os súbitos britânicos de ascendência portuguesa na sua maioria, passando-se-lhes as respectivas cédulas a-fim-de que não fossem levados como prisioneiros para o campo de concentração e pudessem ser incluidos no número dos portugueses que se refugiaram na nossa colónia de Macau”. São cerca de 600 pessoas a quem este expediente do nosso cônsul, talves tenha salva a vida!He was Chancellor of the Consulate of Portugal in Hong Kong, appointed on 20 Feb 1937. In the critical period of World War II, and especially during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong (December 1941 to August 1945) and in the absence of the actual consul, he was in charge of the consulate. While in charge of the consulate he took a decision, contrary to Portuguese law, but which ensured the freedom, and perhaps saved the lives, of many descendants of Macanese living in Hong Kong who had already lost Portuguese nationality. He himself recorded in a small handwritten note which he stapled to the Registry of Portuguese citizens of Hong Kong, "On January 2, 1942, that is, eight days after the surrender of the colony of Hong Kong to the Japanese, we began to register in this book – pages 6-105 – as Portuguese citizens, British subjects mostly of Portuguese descent by handing them certificates to avoid their being taken as prisoners in the concentration camp and allow them to be included with the Portuguese who took refuge in our colony of Macau. " There are about 600 people whose lives were perhaps saved by the resourcefulness of our consul!^1,7
• Residence*: In in 1941 Francisco Paulo de Vasconcelos Soares lived at; When the Japanese attacked Hong Kong on December 8, 1941 my grandfather who was then 74 years of age was the Acting Consul for Portugal. He decided to move the Consulate from the Bank of East Asia Building in Des Voeux Road, Central to his home in Homantin. When Kowloon was abandoned a few days later by the British forces which fell back to Hong Kong Island looters took over Kowloon and he opened his home and gave refuge to some 400 refugees mainly Portuguese residents from Homantin and Kowloon Tong.
  The logistics to shelter and feed so many people when all utilities such as water, power, gas and telephone were cut off due to the hostilities was immense. Just imagine cooking for so many people and arranging their washing and sanitary needs. Not only was he able to organise all this he also got all the able-bodied Portuguese residents together and set up street guards to fight off marauding looters some of whom had to be shot and killed.
  When the Japanese combat troops arrived my grandfather personally went and met them and obtained their commanding officer's assurance to respect the neutrality of the Portuguese residents and to protect the district from looters. All this whilst the Japanese and the British were exchanging heavy artillery fire against one another!
  
  
  J. Bosco Correa 2008.
  
  
  
• Note*: Mentioned in booklet by JP Braga "The Portuguese in Hong Kong and China".
• Photo*: In 1948 at 2 Liberty Avenue, Homantin, Kowloon, Hong Kong.⁸