Sydney De Kantzow
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Sydney Hugh ("Syd") de Kantzow (9 November 1914 – 21 November 1957) was the Australian co-founder of Cathay Pacific Airways with American Roy Farrell. De Kantzow, the son of Charles Adolphus de Kantzow, was born to a family of Polish/Swedish origin and grew up in the
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
suburb of
Roseville, New South Wales Roseville is a suburb on the North Shore (Sydney), Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, local government areas of Ku-rin ...
. He served during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
as a pilot for the
Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...
. Both de Kantzow and Farrell were ex-air force pilots who had flown
The Hump The Hump was the name given by Allies of World War II, Allied pilots in the Second World War to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew military transport aircraft from British Raj, India to Republic of China (1912- ...
, a route over the Himalayan Mountains. It was said that Soong Mei-ling always asked for him personally as her pilot. He was awarded the Order of the Cloud and Banner personally by her for his services with CNAC and the
Burma Star The Burma Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by the United Kingdom in May 1945 for award to British and Commonwealth forces who served in the Burma Campaign from 1941 to 1945, during the Second World War. One clasp, Pacific, was i ...
for his services in respect to the relief aid program. Although initially based in
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
, the two men moved to
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
to found Cathay Pacific Airways. They named it "Cathay" because that was the medieval name given to China derived from "Khitan", and "Pacific" because Farrell speculated that they would one day fly across the Pacific. The Chinese name for the company comes from a Chinese idiom meaning "Grand and Peaceful State". As the business developed, Farrell focused more on the shipping aspects of the company and de Kantzow focused more on flying the aircraft. The early Cathay Pacific pilots were referred to as "Syd's Pirates". De Kantzow resigned from Cathay Pacific in 1951 and died in a high-speed car accident in 1957. He and his wife Angela Mary (1924 – 2005) had son
Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...
, a director and co-founder of Waterfront Air of
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:De Kantzow, Sydney 1914 births 1957 deaths 20th-century Australian businesspeople Businesspeople in aviation Cathay Pacific Australian people of Polish descent Australian people of Swedish descent Australian expatriates in Hong Kong Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Australian Air Force officers Australian World War II pilots Road incident deaths in New South Wales Airline founders Australian company founders Recipients of the Order of the Cloud and Banner