Sir Roland Evelyn Turnbull KCMG (9 June 1905 – 23 December 1960) was a British colonial official and governor of British North Borneo. His major influence is mentoring Brunei's former ruler, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III. He stated that in 1959 to one of his Colonial Office colleagues that the Sultan came to regard him as ‘his father’.[1]
Sir Roland Turnbull | |
|---|---|
 Turnbull (left) and Pehin Dato Ibrahim in 1959 | |
| 22nd Governor of North Borneo | |
| In office 4 March 1954 – 1959 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | Herbert Ralph Hone |
| Succeeded by | William Goode |
| 12th British Resident to Brunei | |
| In office 1934–1937 | |
| Monarchs | George V Edward VIII George VI |
| Preceded by | Thomas Carey |
| Succeeded by | John Graham Black |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 June 1905 Portsmouth, Hampshire, England |
| Died | 23 December 1960 (aged 55) |
| Spouse |
Sylvia Emily Woodman Burbidge
(m. 1948) |
| Alma mater | King's College London St John's College |
| Occupation | Colonial administrator |
Biography
editTurnbull was the son of George Turnbull. He attended King's College London and St John's College, Oxford.[2]
Career
edit1920s and 1930s
editIn 1929 Turnbull joined the British Colonial Service as a cadet and was first attached to the District Office at Tampin in Malaya.[2] In 1931 he went to Terengganu as Collector of Land Revenue.[2] In 1933 he became assistant secretary to the High Commissioner in Malaya.[2] In 1934 he was appointed British Resident in Brunei where he remained until going on leave in 1936. From 1937 to 1940 he was attached to the Colonial Secretariat.[2]
1940s
editFrom 1940 to 1943 Turnbull was Colonial Secretary in the British Honduras. During the war from 1943 to 1945 he was employed in the Ministry of Defence. Following the war he was Colonial Secretary in Cyprus until 1950. On 9 September 1948, he married Sylvia Emily Woodman Burbidge, a daughter of Sir Richard Woodman Burbidge, 2nd of the Burbidge baronets.
1950s
editFrom 1950 to 1953 Turnbull was based in Cape Town while serving as the Chief Secretary and Deputy High Commissioner for Basutoland, Bechuanaland and Swaziland (BBS).
In his final position he was based in Jesselton as the penultimate Governor of North Borneo from 4 March 1954 until 1959.[3]
It was during this time that he appointed Keith Wookey as Resident in 1956 to Sandakan, North Borneo.
Honours
editTurnbull was invested in 1956 as a Knight Commander in the Order of St Michael and St George.[4]
References
edit- ^ Hussainmiya, B. A., & Mail, A. H. (2014). "No Federation Please-we are Bruneians": Scuttling the Northern Borneo Closer Association Proposals. Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
- ^ a b c d e Anon. "Malayan given high post in Br. Honduras". Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, 5 April 1940, p.5. National Library, Singapore. Retrieved 2011-12-29.
- ^ "Chronology of the Constitutional and Political Heads of Sabah". Salleh Said Keruak. Archived from the original on 2012-01-19. Retrieved 2011-12-29.
- ^ "9 PEMBESAR2 DI BORNEO DIKURNIAKIM GELARAN TAHUN BAHARU" (PDF). Pelita Brunei (in Malay). 1956-02-15. p. 15. Retrieved 2024-08-21.