Andrew Lusk Shields (c. 1882 – 24 July 1944) was a Scottish businessman and politician in Hong Kong. He died as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

following the surrender of Hong Kong in 1941.

Life

Shields was born in about 1882. He joined Shewan, Tomes & Co. and succeeded

Robert Shewan Robert Gordon Shewan (13 November 1859 – 14 February 1934) was a Scottish businessman in Hong Kong. Early life Robert and his twin brother William were born in London on 13 November 1859. They were sons of Andrew Shewan (1820–1873), a master ...

as a partner of the firm. He was also chairman of the Sandakan Light and Power Co. and had been on the board of directors of the

Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (), commonly known as HSBC (), was the parent entity of the multinational HSBC banking group until 1991, and is now its Hong Kong-based Asia-Pacific subsidiary. The largest bank in Hong K ...

. He was elected chairman of the

Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC; ) was founded on 29 May 1861, and is the oldest and one of the largest business organizations in Hong Kong. It has around 4,000 corporate members, who combined employ around one-third of Hong Kon ...

in 1938. He was an unofficial member of the Legislative Council from 1938 to 1941 as representative of the Chamber of Commerce and was appointed to the Executive Council in April 1941. During his time on the Legislative Council, taxation was hotly debated. Shields, representing the Chamber of Commerce's interest, opposed the government's Income Tax Bill for the raising of revenue for war. Shields was a keen sailor. He was the commodore of the

Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club is a Hong Kong watersports club for sailing, rowing and paddling. History In 1849 the ''Victoria Regatta Club'' was formed and later absorbed into the ''Hong Kong Boating Clu''b which, in 1889, was in turn ...

between 1927 and 1928, and was elected again in 1932, serving until 1936. He was also appointed honorary commander of the Hong Kong Naval Volunteer Force in January 1934. He was a member of the Hong Kong Naval Volunteer Advisory Committee. Shields was also president of the

St. Andrew's Society Saint Andrew's Society refers to one of many independent organizations celebrating Scottish heritage which can be found all over the world. Some Saint Andrew's Societies limit membership to people born in Scotland or their descendants. Some sti ...

, a club for Scotsmen in Hong Kong, in 1932 and elected chief-captain in 1933. He held public offices including, among others, member of the Volunteer Advisory Committee and Appeal Tribunal under the Compulsory Service Ordinance, and acted as a member of the Authorized Architects Consulting Committee, the Shipping Control Board, and as the chairman of the Essential Commodities Board during the absence of Stanley Hudson Dodwell. During the

Battle of Hong Kong The Battle of Hong Kong (8–25 December 1941), also known as the Defence of Hong Kong and the Fall of Hong Kong, was one of the first battles of the Pacific War in World War II. On the same morning as the attack on Pearl Harbor, forces of the ...

, he was escorted through the Japanese lines from the

Repulse Bay Hotel The Repulse Bay () is a residential building and commercial arcade, located at 109 Repulse Bay Road in the Repulse Bay area of Hong Kong. It is owned by The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited (HSH)

and gave Major-General

Christopher Maltby Major General Christopher Michael Maltby, (13 January 1891 – 6 September 1980) was a senior officer in the British Indian Army who served as Commander of British Troops in Hong Kong in 1941 before the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong, after whi ...

an account of the Japanese forces and equipment. He tried to persuade Maltby to surrender but Maltby decided to fight on. Hong Kong finally surrendered on 25 December 1941 which is now referred to as "Black Christmas". Shields became a

and died at the

Stanley Internment Camp Stanley Internment Camp () was a civilian internment camp in Hong Kong during the Second World War. Located in Stanley, on the southern end of Hong Kong Island, it was used by the Japanese imperial forces to hold non-Chinese enemy nationals aft ...

on 24 July 1944 at the age of 62. His wife was repatriated with the Canadians.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shields, Andrew Lusk 1880s births 1944 deaths Hong Kong businesspeople Scottish expatriates in Hong Kong Chairmen of HSBC Members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong Members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong Internees at Stanley Internment Camp British people who died in Japanese internment camps