The Postcard
A postcard bearing no publisher's name, although the card has been hand-stamped with a circular logo containing the following:
"12. Sep. 06.
In Commemoration of
the Reception to the
British China Squadron,
H.I.J.M's Residency
General, Seoul".
The card was posted in Chatham on Thursday the 10th. September 1908 to:
Mrs. Harmer,
64, Providence Street,
South Ashford,
Kent.
The message on the divided back was as follows:
"Dear Sis,
Received letter safe this
morning, it didn't matter
about sending it only I
thought it would be as
well to let me know you
got it alright.
Hope all are well.
Love from Fan".
Korea and Japan
Korea's annexation into the Empire of Japan took place in 1910, although Korea had already come into the Japanese sphere of influence with the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876; this was a coalition which began a process of integrating Korea's politics and economy with Japan.
The Korean Empire became a protectorate of Japan with the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905; thereafter Japan ruled the country indirectly through the Japanese Resident-General of Korea. The initials on the hand-stamp stand for 'His Imperial Japanese Majesty'.
Japan formally annexed Korea with the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910, without the consent of the former Korean Emperor Gojong.
Upon its annexation, Japan declared that Korea would henceforth be officially named Chōsen. This name was recognized internationally until the end of Japanese occupation in 1945.
Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur Moore
Sir Arthur Moore was born on the 30th. July 1847 in Frittenden, Kent.
Sir Arthur William Moore, GCB, GCVO, CMG was a Royal Navy officer who became both Commander-in-Chief, China, and Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth.
Arthur Moore - The Early Years
Moore was the son of the Rev. Edward Moore, rector of the parish, by his marriage to Lady Harriet Montagu-Scott (1814–1870), a daughter of the fourth Duke of Buccleuch.
His father was an Honorary Canon of Canterbury, and his great grandfather was John Moore, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Sir Arthur Moore's Military Career
Moore joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1860, at the age of thirteen.
In 1881 he was given command of the battleship HMS Invincible in the Mediterranean Fleet, and in 1882 he commanded the corvette HMS Orion in the Anglo-Egyptian War. He was present at the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir.
In 1884 he was appointed Flag Captain to the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies.
He later took command of the battleship HMS Dreadnought in the Mediterranean Fleet before becoming Commandant of HMS Britannia at Dartmouth.
In 1889 Moore was sent as a British representative to the Anti-Slavery Congress held in Brussels. In 1890-1891 he was a member of the Australian Defence Committee.
He was made Junior Naval Lord at the Admiralty in 1898, and Commander-in-Chief, Cape of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa Station in early 1901, leaving the UK for the Cape in March 1901 on board his flagship HMS Gibraltar.
In this capacity he took part in the closing phases of the Second Boer War. Following the end of the war in June 1902, he toured the East Coast of Africa, visiting Zanzibar with seven Royal Navy ships for a show of force following the death of the sultan and the accession of his son in July 1902.
In 1905 he became Second in Command of the Channel Fleet, and in 1906 he was made Commander-in-Chief, China. His last appointment was as Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth from 1911; he retired in 1912.
The Death of Sir Arthur Moore
Sir Arthur died on the 3rd. April 1934 at the age of 86.
He was laid to rest with other members of his family at St. Mary's Church, Frittenden, near the west end of the church.
Marquis Ito
Marquis Hirobumi Ito was born on the 2nd. September 1841 in the village of Toka, Suo Province, Japan.
Ito was a Japanese statesman and diplomat.
Ito directed the drafting of the reactionary Japanese constitution of 1889 (operative until 1946).
He was Prime Minister four times, 1885–88, 1892–96, 1898, and 1900–01. He greatly influenced the policies of the Japanese monarchy during the last third of the 19th. century and the first decade of the 20th.
In 1900, Ito organized the bourgeois-landowner party Seiyukai.
From 1906 to 1909 he was a general resident in Korea. During his residence there, he prepared for its annexation in 1910.
The Assassination of Marquis Ito
Ito died on the 26th. October 1909 when he was assassinated in Harbin by a Korean patriot.
SS Laurentic
So what else happened on the day that Fan posted the card?
Well, the 10th. September 1908 marked the launch of the SS Laurentic. She had a capacity of 230 in 1st. class, 430 in 2nd. class, and 1,000 in 3rd. class.
SS Laurentic was a British transatlantic ocean liner that was built in Ireland. She was an early and influential example of a ship whose propulsion combined reciprocating steam engines with a low-pressure steam turbine.
Laurentic was one of a pair of sister ships that were ordered in 1907 by Dominion Line, but completed for White Star Line. Her regular route was between Liverpool and Quebec City.
In 1914 Laurentic was briefly a troop ship, and then served for more than two years as an armed merchant cruiser (AMC). As such she saw service off West Africa, Singapore, the Bay of Bengal and the Far East.
The Sinking of The Laurentic
On the 25th. January 1917, two German mines sank Laurentic off the northern coast of Ireland. Her crew successfully abandoned ship, but 354 of them died of hypothermia in her lifeboats.
Laurentic was carrying about 43 tons of gold bars when she sank. Most were salvaged by 1924, three more were found in the 1930's, but 22 remain unaccounted for.
Laurentic's wreck is in the territorial waters of the Republic of Ireland, and protected by Irish law. No diving is allowed on the wreck without a licence from the relevant department of the Irish government.
