Shenton Thomas
Sir Shenton Whitelegge Thomas , GCMG (born October 10, 1879 , † January 15, 1962 in London ), was a British colonial administrator .
In 1929 Shenton Thomas became governor of Nyasaland , today's Malawi , of the Gold Coast from 1932 to 1934, and from 1934 to 1942 and then again in 1945/46 the last governor of the Straits Settlements on the Malay Peninsula . Together with Air Marshal Robert Brooke-Popham and Lieutenant General Arthur Percival , he was responsible for the defense of the peninsula and in particular for Singapore . At the time of the first Japanese attacks in early December 1941, he was staying with his wife in the Fullerton Hotel in Singapore.
During the Japanese occupation from February 15, 1942 to August 15, 1945, he was their prisoner of war in camps on Formosa and then in Manchukuo .
In his memory, a street in Singapore has been named after him, the Shenton Way .
In 1931 he was raised to the personal nobility as Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George . In 1937 he was named Knight Grand Cross of the same order.
Web links
- Knights and Dames: SW – WAL at Leigh Rayment's Peerage
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Wilfred Bennett Davidson-Houston |
Governor of Nyasaland 1929–32 |
Hubert Winthrop Young |
| Alexander Ransford Slater |
Governor of the Gold Coast 1932–34 |
Arnold Wienholt Hodgson |
| Cecil Clementi |
Governor of the Straits Settlements 1934–42, 1945–46 |
- |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Thomas, Shenton |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Thomas, Sir Shenton Whitelegge (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British colonial administrator |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 10, 1879 |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 15, 1962 |
| Place of death | London |