Shenton Thomas
British colonial administrator (1879-1962)
Sir Thomas Shenton Whitelegge Thomas GCMG, OBE, KStJ (10 October 1879, 15 January 1962) was a British colonial administrator, best remembered as the Governor of the Straits Settlements at the time of the Japanese invasion during the Second World War.
Born in England, Thomas spent the majority of his early career in the Colonial Service in Africa, rising to become Governor of Nyasaland and of the Gold Coast. He was appointed to the Straits Settlements in 1934, serving as Governor until 1942, when he became a Japanese prisoner-of-war after the fall of Singapore. He served again as Governor of the Straits Settlements after the war, from 1945 until 1946, when the territory was broken up.
01Early life
Thomas Shenton Whitelegge Thomas was born on 10 October 1879, in Southwark, London to The Rev Thomas William Thomas and his wife Charlotte Susanna (née Whitelegge) Thomas.
He was educated at St. John's School, Leatherhead and Queens' College, Cambridge. Thomas taught at Aysgarth School in Yorkshire prior to entering the Colonial Service.
02Africa
In 1909, Thomas was appointed as Assistant District Commissioner, East Africa Protectorate (Nairobi, Kenya). In 1919, he was appointed Assistant Chief Secretary, Uganda and in 1920 as Chairman of the Uganda Development Commission.
In 1921, he was appointed Principal Assistant Secretary, Nigeria and in 1923, was appointed Deputy Chief Secretary, Nigeria. In 1927, he was appointed Colonial Secretary, Gold Coast Colony (Ghana) before he was appointed Governor of Nyasaland in 1929. In 1932 he was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Gold Coast Colony (Ghana).
03Governorship
In 1934, Thomas was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner of the Federated Malay States.
The previous governor, Cecil Clementi Smith had garnered much unpopularity for his frequent disregard of Malayan public opinion. Therefore, feelings of anxiety were present in the initial reactions to his designation. West African newspapers denounced Shenton Thomas, characterising him as a harsh and uncompromising autocrat. The Provincial Pioneer, in an issue dated 7 April 1934, stated that: "Malaya was out of the frying pan into the fire." The Malayan press ignored these comments and attempted to promote an unbiased approach.
Educational policy
The previous governor, Cecil Clementi Smith's educational policy had been much disliked, most of all in non-malay communities, who believed the policy benefited the malays at their expense. The policy laid out in 1932 stipulated that schools which did not teach English or Malay would not receive government funding (excluding schools which were already receiving funding). The new policy also increased school fees, which drew widespread pushback from the legislative and federal council.
In October 1935, Thomas reinstated grants for all schools regardless of the vernacular they taught. In November 1936, he decentralised the education system of the Straits Settlements by allowing the Federated Malay States (FMS) to develop its own syllabus. A Director of Education was also appointed for the FMS.
04Prisoner of War
Thomas was a prisoner-of-war (POW) during the Japanese occupation of Singapore (15 February 1942, 15 August 1945) having decided to stay in Singapore during the war. He was imprisoned in Cell 24 of Changi Prison along with missionary Ernest Tipson.
After the war, Thomas remained as the 11th British High Commissioner in Malaya (9 November 1934, 1 April 1946), until the Malayan Union was established and succeeded the British administration in the Straits Settlements (except for Singapore, which was created as a distinct crown colony), Federated Malay States and Unfederated Malay States, where the post of Governor-General of the Malayan Union was created. Shenton Way, a road in Singapore, was named after him.
05Personal life
His brother was Hugh Whitelegge Thomas (1887-1960), a colonial commissioner and Cambridge cricketer. He married Lucy Marguerite (Daisy) Montgomery (1884-1978) daughter of James Montgomery on 11 April 1912 at St Jude's Church, Kensington, London.
Thomas died on 15 January 1962, at his home in London. He was 82.
06Legacy
Thomas is widely associated in his role as governor with the loss of Singapore and his civilian administration's apparent failures to properly assess the growing Japanese threat and make appropriate defences. Singapore's capture by the Japanese, in conjunction with other events at the time such as the sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse, severely undermined British prestige and contributed to the eventual end of colonialism in the region.
During the 1950s, Shenton Way, a road in Singapore's central business district, was named after him as recognition of his decision to remain and become a prisoner of war (POW) at Changi Prison when the Japanese occupied Singapore.
07Honours
- Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) (1919)
- Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) (1929)
- Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG), Sir (1930)
- King George V Silver Jubilee Medal (1935)
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG), Sir (1937)
- King George VI Coronation Medal (1937)
- Knight of Grace of the Order of Saint John (KStJ) (1938)
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Shenton Thomas”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Sir Thomas Shenton Whitelegge Thomas.png by Unknown authorUnknown author, No restrictions
- Shenton Thomas.jpg by Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain
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