My great-uncle Oscar Leonard Dudley Wilson (born 1877, London) emigrated to Vancouver, Canada, in 1904. In 1911, he sailed to China - some say to Hong Kong and others to Shanghai.
He bought his passage home, but fell and broke his leg. Later, he bought a second passage, sent his luggage onto the ship, but was last seen pausing with his Chinese valet on the quayside, when he suddenly turned and walked away. His wife, in Vancouver, would not move from her home in the belief that he would return to her and their young son one day. She waited until 1964.
One of his sisters said Oscar had become a Buddhist and had entered a monastery.
Another said he was murdered by warlords with whom he had originally become involved in Vancouver. He was certainly a supporter of Sun Yat-Sen.
His cousin said he had stolen money from his grandfather's business in Vancouver and could not face the consequences.
Two of his uncles travelled to China in search of him, to no avail, and the case was said to have remained open with the police for many years, but no sign of Oscar was ever found.
So, how could I follow up this disappearance of Uncle Oscar? Is there any access to colonial records for Shanghai or Hong Kong? As a British citizen, where would the official search for him have been recorded? Or is this now all too far away and long ago to have left a trail? It is an unresolved story that continues to haunt the family.
Many thanks, Josh.
