Description
About the Editor

Pioneer Merchants of Singapore tells the stories of some of Singapore's earliest merchants, including Alexander Laurie Johnston, Edward Boustead, Alexander Guthrie, and eleven others, including Tan Che Sang, Dr Jose d'Almeida, and D S Napier. Much has been written about Sir Stamford Raffles and Lt. Col. Farquhar, but almost nothing has been published about these merchants of all races operating in Singapore during the first few years following its acquisition by the East India Company in 1819. It includes never-before-published information drawn from letters dating back to 1818. These, including letters from Johnston's first employee and business partner Andrew Hay and a previously unrecorded letter from Raffles himself, shed light on much which otherwise would have been lost to us.

This book aims to fill a gap in our knowledge of the early days of Singapore and the challenges faced by its early residents. It is a must-read for those who are interested in the history of Singapore's early years as a trading colony.
R E Hale was Chairman of the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce from 1993 to 1995, and a member of the National Parks Board for eight years. In 1993, he was made Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II and two years later was awarded the Singapore Public Service Star (BBM).

His career after two years of active national service in the Royal Navy (1956–1958) lasted 37 years with HSBC, including stints in Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, France & Germany. He was stationed in Singapore for 3 years in the seventies and then for 9 years from 1986. While still a banker he was the first recipient of the Singapore Green Leaf Award in 1991. Retiring from commercial banking in 1995 he was elected non-executive director of various public companies including Sembcorp Industries Ltd, CapitaLand Ltd and the private company Wildlife Reserves Singapore Pte Ltd.

He is now fully retired and in addition to other hobbies researches the history of Singapore people and places in the 1800s.

His first book, The Balestiers: The First American Residents of Singapore, was published in 2016. His second, Fraser's Hill and Lewis J Fraser of Singapore, was published in Malaysia in 2018.

Authors

The Pioneer Merchants of Singapore: Johnston, Boustead, Guthrie and Others