By Mukunathan, Michael written on 17-Apr-1999
National Library Board Singapore

Comments on article: InfopediaTalk

Dato Loke Wan Tho (b. 1913, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – d. 20 June 1964, Taichung, Taiwan) was a prominent film entrepreneur who built up Cathay Organisation and established Cathay cinema. He was the first chairman of the National Library Board, and the first Asian chairman of Malaysian Airways. He died in an air crash in June 1964.

Early life
Born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaya, Loke’s early education took place at Victoria Institution. He went on to study at Chillion College in Montreux, Switzerland. He later read English Literature and History at King’s College, Cambridge, and graduated in 1936.

Film entrepreneur
After completing his studies, Loke returned to Singapore in 1940. When Japanese troops invaded Singapore in 1942, he fled to Indonesia on board the Nora Moller.

After the Japanese Occupation, Loke rebuilt the film business that his family had been involved in before the war began. Known as Cathay Organisation, the film business venture had been founded in 1935 by his mother; a relative, Khoo Teik Ee; and an Englishman, Max Baker; with Loke as the fourth partner. Travelling to the United States and England in search of new facilities and equipment for his cinemas, Loke expanded his chain of cinemas in 1948 to places such as Penang, Thailand and Borneo. In the 1950s, he set up studios to produce films for his cinema chain, including Cathay-Keris, which produced Malay films, and Yung Hwa Studio, which produced Chinese films.

Social contributions
Apart from his film business ventures, Loke was also active in other fields. He was chairman of Cathay Organisation and Malayan Banking at the time of his death, as well as the first Asian chairman of Malaysian Airways and director of large companies such as The Straits Times. He also served as chairman of the Malayan Nature Society. He was chairman of the first National Library Board from 1960 to 1963, and had accepted a second term of office for the period 1963 -1965 at the time of his death.

Other interests
Loke was an active sportsman in his younger days. He was the school athletics champion at Chillion College, the Vand County long jump champion in the UK, and the badminton singles champion at the London School of Economics. He was also well known for his keen interest in photography and ornithology, which are captured in two publications, Angkor and the Khmers and A company of birds.

Family
Father: Loke Yew, a renowned tycoon and philanthropist and a prominent member of the Chinese community. He gave generously to institutions such as the construction of Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore and the Hong Kong University.
Brothers: Loke Wan Yat, Alan Loke
Sisters: Loke Yuen Peng (Mrs Choo Kok Leong), Loke Yuen Peng (Lady Percy McNiece).

Death
Loke Wan Tho died just six days after his 49th birthday when he and his third wife of nine months, Mavis, were killed in an air crash in Taiwan.



Author
Michael Mukunthan and Joanna HS Tan



References
Biographies of prominent Chinese in Singapore (p. 11) [Microfilm: NL 10188]. [1950]. Singapore: Nan Kok Pub.

Celebrating 60 years of entertainment history. (1994, July 17). The Sunday Times, Special Supplement, p. 1.

King cables 'sincere condolences'. (1964, June 22). The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved March 7, 2011 from NewspaperSG.

Leaders shocked at death of Loke. (1964, 22 June). The Straits Times, p. 9. Retrieved March 7, 2011 from NewspaperSG.

Lim, K. T. (1991). Cathay: 55 years of cinema. Singapore: Landmark Books.
(Call no.: RSING 791.43095957 LIM)

Singapore chronicles: A special commemorative history of Singapore (pp. 126-131). (1995). Hong Kong: Illustrated Magazine.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 SIN)

Singapore’s first skyscraper. (1939, December 8). The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884-1942), p. 2. Retrieved March 7, 2011 from NewspaperSG.


Further readings
MacDonald, M. (1987). Angkor and the Khmers [with one hundred and twelve photographs by Loke Wan Tho and the author]. Singapore: Oxford University Press.
(Call no.: RSEA 959.6 MAC)

Loke, Wan Tho. (1958). A company of birds. London: M. Joseph.
(Call no.: RCLOS English 598.295 LOK -[GBH])



The information in this article is valid as at 2011 and correct as far as we can ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the library for further reading materials on the topic.