Arthur Grimble: Difference between revisions
mNo edit summary |
improve paragraph |
||
Line 32: | Line 32: | ||
==Biography== |
==Biography== |
||
Grimble was educated at [[Chigwell School]] and [[Magdalene College, Cambridge]]. He then went to [[France]] and [[Germany]] for postgraduate studies. After joining the [[Colonial Office]] in 1914 he became the very first cadet administrative officer in the [[Gilbert and Ellice Islands]] |
Grimble was educated at [[Chigwell School]] and [[Magdalene College, Cambridge]]. He then went to [[France]] and [[Germany]] for postgraduate studies. After joining the [[Colonial Office]] in 1914 he became the very first cadet administrative officer in the [[Gilbert and Ellice Islands]]. From April 1919, he acted as the [[Governor of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands|Resident Commissioner]] until [[Herbert Reginald McClure]] took up his appointment as Resident Commissioner. In 1925, Grimble suceeded McClure as the Resident Commissioner. |
||
He is the best known of all the Resident Commmissioners and the progenitor of many's impressions of those islands, through his 1950s radio broadcast on BBC and his bestseller book, ''[[A Pattern of Islands]]''. He was [[Knighthood|knighted]] as a Knight Commander of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]] (KCMG) on 1 January 1930.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Edinburgh/issue/14615/page/16/data.pdf |title=Edinburgh Gazette |page=16 |date= 7 January 1930|website=www.thegazette.co.uk|access-date=2020-03-05}}</ref> He learned the [[Gilbertese]] language and became a specialist in the myths and oral traditions of the [[Kiribati]] people. He remained in the islands until 1933, after which he served as Governor of the [[Seychelles]] (1936–1942) and then of the [[Windward Islands]] (1942–1948). |
|||
==Literary career== |
==Literary career== |
Revision as of 11:03, 18 September 2021
Arthur Grimble | |
---|---|
Resident Commissioner of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands | |
In office Acting as Resident Commissioner from April 1919, then replaced by Herbert Reginald McClure from February 1922 to 1 January 1925, then appointed as Resident Commissioner – until December 1933 | |
Preceded by | Herbert Reginald McClure |
Succeeded by | Jack Barley |
Personal details | |
Born | 11 June 1888 Hong Kong, British Colony |
Died | 13 December 1956 London |
Nationality | British |
Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
Occupation | Colonial Service |
Sir Arthur Francis Grimble, KCMG (Hong Kong, 11 June 1888 – London, 13 December 1956) was a British Colonial Service administrator and writer.
Biography
Grimble was educated at Chigwell School and Magdalene College, Cambridge. He then went to France and Germany for postgraduate studies. After joining the Colonial Office in 1914 he became the very first cadet administrative officer in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. From April 1919, he acted as the Resident Commissioner until Herbert Reginald McClure took up his appointment as Resident Commissioner. In 1925, Grimble suceeded McClure as the Resident Commissioner.
He is the best known of all the Resident Commmissioners and the progenitor of many's impressions of those islands, through his 1950s radio broadcast on BBC and his bestseller book, A Pattern of Islands. He was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) on 1 January 1930.[1] He learned the Gilbertese language and became a specialist in the myths and oral traditions of the Kiribati people. He remained in the islands until 1933, after which he served as Governor of the Seychelles (1936–1942) and then of the Windward Islands (1942–1948).
Literary career
After retiring and moving to Britain in 1948 Grimble became a writer and broadcaster. He wrote A Pattern of Islands (London, John Murray 1952, published in the United States as We Chose the Islands) and Return to the Islands (1957), both of which were bestsellers. Pacific Destiny, a film based on his experiences, was released in 1956.[2] Grimble's scholarly work on Gilbertese culture is covered in Henry Evans Maude's book Tungaru Traditions: Writings on the Atoll Culture of the Gilbert Islands (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1989, ISBN 0-8248-1217-4).
He is credited with designing in 1932 the coat of arms for the Gilbert and Ellice Islands British colony, which was adapted in 1979 to become the current flag of Kiribati.
References
- ^ "Edinburgh Gazette" (PDF). www.thegazette.co.uk. 7 January 1930. p. 16. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- ^ "Adrian Seligman". The Telegraph. 21 August 2003. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- 1888 births
- 1956 deaths
- British memoirists
- British non-fiction writers
- People educated at Chigwell School
- Governors of British Seychelles
- Governors of the Windward Islands
- British male writers
- Colonial Administrative Service officers
- Governors of British Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Governors of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands
- Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
- 20th-century memoirists
- Male non-fiction writers