Additional information: Charles Gesner van der Voort (1916-1991) was part of a group of Dutch bachelors in pre-war Shanghai. Another member of this group was David van Gelderen (1908-1990), originally from Rotterdam. He arrived in Shanghai in 1933, working for Unilever, a merger of the operations of Dutch Margarine Unie and British soap maker Lever Brothers.
The photo albums of his China years contain many photos of the bachelor life in those days: travel, work, parties, trips within China and to Japan. They also include photos of the bombing of the Unilever factory during the 1937 Japanese attack of Shanghai, membership of the French Special Police and other unique photos.
Like Charles, David was interned in Chapei Civil Assembly Centre by the Japanese from 1943 to 1945. Being Jewish, internment in Shanghai probably saved David’s life; since all of his family members in the Netherlands were killed by the Nazis.
David married, had two children and continued to work for Unilever. He became member of Nederlandse Reünisten Vereniging China (NRVC, Dutch Reunists Association China).
Kind regards, Pieter Lommerse author of the book to be published "Charles in Shanghai"
Many thanks Bill, I appreciate it. Before posting this thread, I looked at photos on Google, trying to distinguish between 1934 and 1935, which was rather difficult. A member on Flickr suggested 1935. In your opinion, which features make this a 1934 model? Kind regards, Pieter
Pieter, the 1934 master had a fabric roof; the 1935 master had the new all-steel turrent roof. The 1934 doors were hinged at the front; the 1935 doors were hinged at the rear. The 1934 hood side panels had three horizontal louvers; the 1935 hood side panels had two horizontal louvers. The 1934 had a flat windshield; the 1935 had a low veed windshield. The 1935 had semi-teardrop shaped fenders. The 1935 had a more sharply angled grille.
The '34 Master would be more easily confused with a '35 Standard. After 47 years owning my '35 Standard coupe, I can separate them pretty quickly, if the photo is clear.
Interesting information on distinguishing a '34 and '35, thanks for sharing. I'm a new young member here on the forum and a new first time pre-war chevrolet owner. I was curious, could you please state the book you used pictures from? I would like to look for a copy myself to learn more about 1930;s era Chevrolet.
Thank you!
Jonathan W. Ketron 1937 Master Deluxe Business Coupe
Jonathan, The book Bill posted the pictures from is called "A Pictorial History of Chevrolet 1929-1939" by John D. Robertson. Good book to have for reference. Good luck finding one. There's some on e-bay right now.
Jonathan, the book is A Pictorial History of Chevrolet 1929-1939, by John D. Robertson. He also made 1940-1954,1955-1957 and 1958-1960 editions. They are really nice books with excellent pictures, and you’ll learn a lot from them. There are several on eBay right now. Here is a link to an online site by Keith Hardy for Chevrolet manuals that you may be interested in. After you go to the site, click on Manuals Listed In Order of Year and it'll list several for 1937 Chevrolet. I really enjoyed the videos of the '37 Chevrolet and '36 Ford; keep them coming.
Thank you for the book title as well. I appreciate the link to the manuals, will be purchasing several soon!! Glad you are liking the videos, plenty more to come on both cars!
Jonathan W. Ketron 1937 Master Deluxe Business Coupe
