Franklin Charles Gimson

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Franklin Charles Gimson bigraphy, stories - British colonial administrator

Franklin Charles Gimson : biography

10 September 1890 – 13 February 1975

Sir Franklin Charles Gimson, KCMG, KStJ, (Chinese: 詹遜, 10 September 1890 – 13 February 1975) was a British colonial administrator, who served in Ceylon from 1914 to 1941, and later, the Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong and the Governor of Singapore.

Gimson assumed the post of the Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong in December 1941. However, his appointment was interrupted by the Battle of Hong Kong. He became a prisoner of war when then Governor Sir Mark Young surrendered to the Imperial Japanese Army on the Christmas Day of 1941. After spending more than three years in Stanley Internment Camp as an internee, Gimson was freed in August 1945, upon the Liberation of Hong Kong. He formed a short-lived provisional government and briefly declared himself "Acting Governor", but this administration was soon replaced when Rear Admiral Cecil Harcourt established the military government following in September.

Gimson was the first Governor of Singapore from 1946 to 1952 who reinstalled the civil administration in Singapore. During his governorship, he witnessed the establishment of both the Legislative Council and Executive Council in 1947. His governorship was also marked by the increasingly unstable political situation which was provoked by the Malayan Emergency, and the controversial legislation of the Internal Security Act.

Family

Gimson was married to Margaret Dorothy Ward, MBE in 1922. The couple had two daughters. Margaret was the daughter of Canon Ward.

Footnotes

Honours

  • C.M.G. (1945)
  • K.C.M.G. (1946)
  • K.St.J

Others

  • Honorary Doctor of Law (presented by the University of Malaya in 1952)
  • Member of the Royal Commonwealth Society
  • Freeman of the City of Singapore

Biography

Early life

Gimson was born on 10 September 1890 in Barrow-on-Soar, Leicestershire, England to the Rev. C. K. Gimson. He attended Balliol College, Oxford in his youth and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Early colonial service

Gimson entered the British Ceylon Civil Service as a cadet in November 1914. In the beginning he was attached to the Office of the Naval Intelligence Officer in addition to his own duties. Later on he became an Additional Police Magistrate in Colombo. In 1918 he was sent on military service during World War I and returned to the colonial administration as an Additional Assistant Colonial Secretary in July 1919. Two months later he was transferred to North Central Province as Assistant Government Agent.

Gimson was appointed Additional Assistant Colonial Secretary for the second time in March 1920 and was promoted to the post of 4th Assistant Colonial Secretary in September 1920. Subsequently, he was sent to Mannar as Acting Assistant Government Agent in February 1922. In February 1924, he was promoted to the Customs Department as Landing Surveyor and acted as Acting Deputy Controller from March to May in 1928. Gimson left the Customs in March 1929 and was appointed as an Additional Assistant to the Director of Education. Later in July 1931 he became Secretary to the Minister of Education.

In February 1932, Gimson was appointed Assistant Government Agent of Trincomalee and in December 1933, appointed Assistant Government Agent of Kegalle. In August 1935, he involved in a special duty to help organize the forthcoming general election of members of the State Council. Afterwards, he was appointed the Chairman of the Municipal Council of Kandy in June 1936 but was eventually given the post of Controller of Labour in 1937. Gimson held this office until 1941 and he gained the rank of class one officer in 1938.

Life as Colonial Secretary and internment in Hong Kong

Gimson was promoted to the post of Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong in 1941 and arrived at the colony on 7 December, just the day before the Japanese Army initiated its unexpected and sudden large-scale invasion to Hong Kong. The defence forces of Hong Kong soon lost in the Battle of Hong Kong and then Governor Sir Mark Young was forced to surrender on 25 December, which is now known as the Black Christmas. After the victory of Japan, all British officials were arrested and were under Japanese rule. Since the Governor was interned elsewhere, Gimson became the representative of the former government who was responsible to deal with the Japanese over the issue of transfer of power. For some time he even set up a provisional liaison office in Prince’s Building, Central.