Henry Gurney
Encyclopedia
Sir Henry Lovell Goldsworthy Gurney KCMG K.St.J.
(27 June 1898–6 October 1951) was a British official who was assassinated by communist insurgents during the Malayan Emergency
.
, near Bude
in Cornwall
. He was the son of G.G.H. Gurney and Florence Gurney. He was educated at Winchester College
and University College, Oxford
. He married Lady Isabel Lowther Weir in 1924 and they had two sons, Michael and Peter.
from 1917 to 1920. He joined the Colonial Service
and was posted as the Colonial Servant in Kenya
, (1921). He also posted as the Assistant Colonial Secretary
in Jamaica, (1935), Chief Secretary
to the Conference of East Africa Governors, (1938–1944), Colonial Secretary in Gold Coast
(1944–1946), Chief Secretary to the Palestine Mandate Government (1946–1948). Gurney became British High Commissioner in Malaya on 13 September 1948.
In the 1947 New Year Honours
, he was promoted to Knight Commander (KCMG) of the Order of St Michael and St George
, which is the second highest rank in this order — when he represented the British Government as the Chief Secretary to the Palestine Mandate. He had previously been a Companion (CMG) in the same order. In 1949 he was made a Knight of the Venerable Order of Saint John
.
for a meeting; the guerrillas of the Malayan Communist Party
ambushed his Rolls Royce
during the Malayan Emergency
period. According to Lady Gurney who was with him at the time, he sacrificed himself to the attackers in order to protect the lives of his wife and the driver.
According to Communist leader Chin Peng
, the ambush was routine, the killing by chance, and the guerrillas only learned the High Commissioner was among the dead from news reports.
Although Gurney was knighted by King George VI
, Malayans from all classes and nationalities, having already given him their esteem and affection, kept his memory green, and when he died on 6 October 1951 they would mourn him as a friend who "has gone home to the mercy of God". At that moment, his funeral was not only attended by his family members and British Officers in Malaya but also attended by the Malayans from all classes and races. Today, Gurney Road in Malacca
, Seremban
, Kuala Lumpur
and Singapore
are named after him. The town named Pekan Gurney
in Perak
is also named after him. The popular beachfront Gurney Drive
, in Penang
, is also named after him, as well as the Henry Gurney Prisoners School
in Teluk Mas, Melaka. Gurney was buried at Cheras Christian Cemetery
in Kuala Lumpur
, Malaysia.
In his tombstone (shown on the right) inscribed with:
Venerable Order of Saint John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
(27 June 1898–6 October 1951) was a British official who was assassinated by communist insurgents during the Malayan Emergency
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
.
Background
Gurney was born on 27 June 1898, in PoughillPoughill
Poughill is a hamlet in north-east Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is located one mile north of Bude .-History and notable buildings:Poughill is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Pochelle. Notable old houses in Poughill include Burshill Manor , an open hall house, and Church House, dated 1525.The...
, near Bude
Bude
Bude is a small seaside resort town in North Cornwall, England, at the mouth of the River Neet . It lies just south of Flexbury, north of Widemouth Bay and west of Stratton and is located along the A3073 road off the A39. Bude is twinned with Ergué-Gabéric in Brittany, France...
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. He was the son of G.G.H. Gurney and Florence Gurney. He was educated at Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
and University College, Oxford
University College, Oxford
.University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m...
. He married Lady Isabel Lowther Weir in 1924 and they had two sons, Michael and Peter.
Career
He served in the King's Royal Rifle CorpsKing's Royal Rifle Corps
The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
from 1917 to 1920. He joined the Colonial Service
Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies....
and was posted as the Colonial Servant in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, (1921). He also posted as the Assistant Colonial Secretary
Chief Secretary
The Chief Secretary is the title of a senior civil servant in members of the Commonwealth of Nations, and, historically, in the British Empire. Prior to the dissolution of the colonies, the Chief Secretary was the second most important official in a colony of the British Empire after the...
in Jamaica, (1935), Chief Secretary
Chief Secretary
The Chief Secretary is the title of a senior civil servant in members of the Commonwealth of Nations, and, historically, in the British Empire. Prior to the dissolution of the colonies, the Chief Secretary was the second most important official in a colony of the British Empire after the...
to the Conference of East Africa Governors, (1938–1944), Colonial Secretary in Gold Coast
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
(1944–1946), Chief Secretary to the Palestine Mandate Government (1946–1948). Gurney became British High Commissioner in Malaya on 13 September 1948.
In the 1947 New Year Honours
New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the New Year annually in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen Elizabeth II...
, he was promoted to Knight Commander (KCMG) of the Order of St Michael and St George
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, which is the second highest rank in this order — when he represented the British Government as the Chief Secretary to the Palestine Mandate. He had previously been a Companion (CMG) in the same order. In 1949 he was made a Knight of the Venerable Order of Saint John
Venerable Order of Saint John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
.
Malaya
On 6 October 1951, he was shot to death on his way to Fraser's HillFraser's Hill
Fraser's Hill is a hill resort located on the Titiwangsa Ridge in the state of Pahang in Malaysia.- History :...
for a meeting; the guerrillas of the Malayan Communist Party
Malayan Communist Party
The Malayan Communist Party , officially known as the Communist Party of Malaya , was founded in 1930 and laid down its arms in 1989. It is most famous for its role in the Malayan Emergency.-Formation:...
ambushed his Rolls Royce
Rolls-Royce (car)
This a list of Rolls-Royce motor cars and includes vehicles produced by:*Rolls-Royce Limited *Rolls-Royce Motors , which was owned by Vickers between 1980 and 1998, and after that by Volkswagen...
during the Malayan Emergency
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
period. According to Lady Gurney who was with him at the time, he sacrificed himself to the attackers in order to protect the lives of his wife and the driver.
According to Communist leader Chin Peng
Chin Peng
Chin Peng, former OBE , was born Ong Boon Hua in Sitiawan, and was a long-time leader of the Malayan Communist Party...
, the ambush was routine, the killing by chance, and the guerrillas only learned the High Commissioner was among the dead from news reports.
Honours
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
, Malayans from all classes and nationalities, having already given him their esteem and affection, kept his memory green, and when he died on 6 October 1951 they would mourn him as a friend who "has gone home to the mercy of God". At that moment, his funeral was not only attended by his family members and British Officers in Malaya but also attended by the Malayans from all classes and races. Today, Gurney Road in Malacca
Malacca
Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...
, Seremban
Seremban
Seremban is the capital of the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan, located within the district of Seremban, one of the seven districts of Negeri Sembilan. The town's administration is run by the Seremban Municipal Council or Majlis Perbandaran Seremban...
, Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
are named after him. The town named Pekan Gurney
Pekan Gurney
Pekan Gurney or Gurney's Town is a small town in Perak, Malaysia. The town was founded in 1952 and named after Sir Henry Gurney, a former British High Commissioner in Malaya-History:...
in Perak
Perak
Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...
is also named after him. The popular beachfront Gurney Drive
Gurney Drive
Gurney Drive is a popular seafront promenade in Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia. The road is also one Penang's most popular tourist destinations, famous for the "hawker food" sold from food stalls formerly located along the seafront, now relocated close by...
, in Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
, is also named after him, as well as the Henry Gurney Prisoners School
Henry Gurney Prisoners School
Henry Gurney Prisoners School or Sekolah Tahanan Henry Gurney and Sekolah Henry Gurney is a prisoner school in Telok Mas, Malacca, Malaysia.-History:...
in Teluk Mas, Melaka. Gurney was buried at Cheras Christian Cemetery
Cheras Christian Cemetery
The Cheras Christian Cemetery is the largest Christian Cemetery in Malaysia. This cemetery is located in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.-Notable graves:*Sir Henry Gurney - British High Commissioner in Malaya...
in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, Malaysia.
In his tombstone (shown on the right) inscribed with: