Gerard H. L. Fitzwilliams facts for kids

Dr. Gerard Hall Lloyd Fitzwilliams (born 1882 – died April 8, 1968) was a British doctor who worked in Hong Kong. He also secretly worked as a spy in Russia during a major world conflict.

Early Life and Medical Training

Gerard Fitzwilliams was born in 1882 in Llandyfriog, a place in Wales. His parents were Charles Home Lloyd Fitzwilliams and Margaret Alice Crawford. He studied medicine at the Edinburgh University. He earned his first medical degree in 1903 and became a full doctor in 1904. He was also a special member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, which is a big achievement for doctors.

Later, he took another course in London at the London School of Tropical Medicine. This course taught him about health and cleanliness, especially for hot and tropical places. He learned from Professor Simpson, who had visited Hong Kong to study public health rules. From 1905 to 1906, Dr. Fitzwilliams worked as a surgeon at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary hospital.

Working as a Doctor in Hong Kong

Around 1906 or 1907, Dr. Fitzwilliams moved to Hong Kong. He started his own private doctor's office in the Alexandra Building in Central. He officially registered as a doctor in Hong Kong around 1908 or 1909. He even asked his friend from Glasgow, James Cyril Dalmahoy Allan, to join his practice in 1909.

Dr. Fitzwilliams also taught at the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese. He taught about how the body works (Practical Physiology) and diseases (Pathology) from 1908 to 1909. Then, from 1909 to 1912, he taught about the structure of the body (Anatomy).

Public Service and Elections

Dr. Fitzwilliams also got involved in public service. He ran in the 1909 Sanitary Board election. The Sanitary Board was a group that helped keep Hong Kong clean and healthy. He won the election with 343 votes, along with another member named A. Shelton Hooper. He was re-elected to the board in 1912 and again in 1915.

During his time in Hong Kong, Dr. Fitzwilliams lived in a suite at the Peak Hotel. He shared this living space with his colleague, James Allan.

Secret Work During World War I

When the First World War began, Dr. Fitzwilliams returned to Britain. He joined the Royal Army Medical Corps, which is the medical branch of the British Army. He was sent to Petrograd (now called St. Petersburg) in Russia. There, he worked for his brother, Duncan Campbell Lloyd Fitzwilliams, who was in charge of a hospital called Lady Muriel Paget's Anglo-Russian Hospital.

While in Russia, Dr. Fitzwilliams was also secretly recruited by the British Secret Intelligence Service. He worked as a spy for them between 1915 and 1917. In 1917, he went back to Russia, pretending to be part of a group called the Anglo-Russian Trade Mission. His secret job was to gather information about the military and political plans of countries fighting on the Eastern Front. He also tried to convince Ukraine to switch sides and join the Allies. He traveled to Southern Russia and then to Romania for this mission.

By the end of 1918, Dr. Fitzwilliams left the Eastern Front and returned to Hong Kong. He passed away in 1968.