Philip Euen Mitchell
Encyclopedia
Sir Philip Euen Mitchell (1890–1964) was a British Colonial administrator who served as Governor of Uganda (1935–1940), Governor of Fiji
(1942–1945) and Governor of Kenya
(1944–1952).
to a Scottish family.
His father Captain Hugh E. Mitchell
(1849–1937) had served in the Royal Engineers
, and after retiring had studied law at the Inner Temple
and had become a barrister.
His father had played for the Royal Engineers team
in the 1872 FA Cup Final.
His mother died when he was two years old, and his father moved to Gilbraltar where he built up his legal practice, living at Campamento
in Spain. Philip was educated by a French tutor, becoming equally fluent in English, French and Spanish.
He won a scholarship to St Paul's School, London.
From St Paul's, he won a classical scholarship at Trinity College, Oxford
.
While at university he was a friend of Joyce Cary
. His behavior was often wild, risking encounters with the police or the university proctors.
He was physically strong and good at most games, particularly golf.
He dropped out of University after two years and after losing his scholarship could not afford to return.
He was sent to Zomba District
in Nyasaland
as an assistant resident.
While there he learned the Nyanja language, with some difficulty since it is a Bantu language completely unrelated to European languages.
He served in the King's African Rifles
during World War I
(1914-1918).
During this period he became completely fluent in the Swahili language
.
In 1922 he was promoted to District Commissioner at Tanga
, a seaport on the coast of Tanganyika near the Kenya
n border.
In 1925, while on leave in South Africa
, he married Margery Tyrwhitt-Drake.
As Tanganyika Secretary for Native Affairs, in 1929 Mitchell supported cooperatives, and claimed that "in a sense every Bantu village is in fact a co-operative society". The Tanganyika government did not act on his recommendation, using lack of staff and budget as the reason.
in 1935.
During the depression, capital expenditure in Uganda had been slashed, and public infrastructure and services had deterioriated. In 1936, Mitchell appointed a committee to set priorities for development and to provide for financing.
He saw a need to completely review the relationship between Buganda and the government of the Protectorate.
He was concerned with political reform, recognizing that the eventual goal was self-government.
In 1937 he implemented reforms that increased the planning and budgetary capacity of the Secretariat, and introduced district-level planning teams working with the District Commissioners.
All these changes had little time to show results when World War II
(1939-1945) began.
In mid-1940 Sir Philip was transferred to Nairobi to coordinate the East African war effort.
In January 1941 he was appointed Chief Political Officer to General Sir Archibald Wavell, the Commander in Chief Middle East.
He was given the delicate job of administering the Italian African colonies that had fallen to the British.
In January 1942, as Chief Political Officer for the Commander in Chief, East Africa, Major-General Sir Philip Euen Mitchell signed a treaty with the Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia
. The reconquest of that country from the Italians had recently been completed.
Mitchell was also British High Commissioner in the Western Pacific, and a large part of his job was to smooth out differences between the allied forces in the struggle with Japan.
Fiji had a mixed-race population of 210,518 of whom about 100,000 were Fijians and 90,000 Indians.
Although the white and Fijian people were on good terms and often intermarried, there were tensions with the large Indian population, most of whom were descendants of indentured laborers.
Another issue was that, while the Fijian people were happy to belong to the British Empire, many of the Indians were in sympathy with the independence movement in India and could not be called loyal subjects.
A further source of tension was that between Hindus and Muslims in the Indian community.
Mitchell proposed that the islanders should be given greater power, but to his surprise found that the Fijians preferred the status quo, at least for the time being. Their reason was that they needed more time to develop experience in local government, or they would be dominated by the Indians. Mitchell nevertheless intended that Fiji should be put on course towards self-government, and wrote to the Colonial Office describing his views on how this would be achieved, and on the program for post-war reconstruction. Nothing was done about his recommendations during his term in office.
Even while the Gilbert and Ellice Islands were under Japanese occupation, Mitchell was in charge of planning for the colony`s future after the British regained control. At first, he was in favor of merging the colony with Fiji, since he felt it was too small to be viable on its own. The Colonial Office would not accept this proposal.
Later he moved to the idea that the Gilbert and Ellice Islands would have to remain as a Native Territory, but wanted the islanders to be trained so they could take on their own administration as far as possible.
In February 1952, he received Princess Elizabeth on a visit just before her father died and she ascended the throne as Queen Elizabeth II.
However, Mitchell had a paternalistic attitude towards Africans, considering that they needed help from white settlers to become civilized. In The Agrarian Problem in Kenya he said of Africans: "They are a people who, however much natural ability and however admirable attributes they may possess, are without a history, culture or religion of their own and in that they are, as far as I know, unique in the modern world.
Once progressive, by 1947 Mitchell had become highly conservative. In May that year he wrote to Arthur Creech Jones
, Secretary of State for the Colonies, saying Britain's task was "to civilise a great mass of human beings who are at present in a very primitive moral, cultural and social state".
Governor of Fiji
Fiji was a British Crown Colony from 1874 to 1970, and an independent dominion in the British Commonwealth from 1970 to 1987. During this period, the Head of State was the British Monarch, but in practice his or her functions were normally exercised locally by the Governor prior to independence ,...
(1942–1945) and Governor of Kenya
Colonial Heads of Kenya
-List of the colonial heads of Kenya:For continuation after independence, see: Heads of state of Kenya-See also:*Kenya**Heads of state of Kenya**Heads of Government of Kenya...
(1944–1952).
Birth and education
Philip Euen Mitchell was born on 1 May 1890 in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to a Scottish family.
His father Captain Hugh E. Mitchell
Hugh E. Mitchell
Capt. Hugh E. Mitchell was a Scottish member of the Royal Engineers who later became a barrister. In his youth he was a keen footballer who played for the Royal Engineers in the 1872 FA Cup Final and appeared for Scotland in two of the representative matches played against England in 1871 and...
(1849–1937) had served in the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
, and after retiring had studied law at the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
and had become a barrister.
His father had played for the Royal Engineers team
Royal Engineers A.F.C.
The Royal Engineers Association Football Club is an association football team representing the Corps of Royal Engineers, the "Sappers", of the British Army. In the 1870s it was one of the strongest sides in English football, winning the FA Cup in 1875 and being Cup Finalists in four of the first...
in the 1872 FA Cup Final.
His mother died when he was two years old, and his father moved to Gilbraltar where he built up his legal practice, living at Campamento
Campamento
Campamento is a municipality in the south west of the Honduran department of Olancho, south of Concordia and west of Juticalpa. The municipality of Campamento is located at the entrance to Olancho, along the main highway from Tegucigalpa...
in Spain. Philip was educated by a French tutor, becoming equally fluent in English, French and Spanish.
He won a scholarship to St Paul's School, London.
From St Paul's, he won a classical scholarship at Trinity College, Oxford
Trinity College, Oxford
The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...
.
While at university he was a friend of Joyce Cary
Joyce Cary
Joyce Cary was an Anglo-Irish novelist and artist.-Youth and education:...
. His behavior was often wild, risking encounters with the police or the university proctors.
He was physically strong and good at most games, particularly golf.
He dropped out of University after two years and after losing his scholarship could not afford to return.
Early career
Mitchell joined the Colonial Administrative Service in 1913.He was sent to Zomba District
Zomba District
Zomba District is one of twelve districts in the Southern Region of Malawi, surrounded by the Districts of Chiradzulu, Blantyre, Mulanje, Phalombe, Machinga, Balaka and the Republic of Mozambique to the east...
in Nyasaland
Nyasaland
Nyasaland or the Nyasaland Protectorate, was a British protectorate located in Africa, which was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Since 1964, it has been known as Malawi....
as an assistant resident.
While there he learned the Nyanja language, with some difficulty since it is a Bantu language completely unrelated to European languages.
He served in the King's African Rifles
King's African Rifles
The King's African Rifles was a multi-battalion British colonial regiment raised from the various British possessions in East Africa from 1902 until independence in the 1960s. It performed both military and internal security functions within the East African colonies as well as external service as...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
(1914-1918).
During this period he became completely fluent in the Swahili language
Swahili language
Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
.
In 1922 he was promoted to District Commissioner at Tanga
Tanga, Tanzania
Tanga is both the name of the most northerly seaport city of Tanzania, and the surrounding Tanga Region. It is the Regional Headquarters of the region.With a population of 243,580 in 2002, Tanga is one of the largest cities in the country...
, a seaport on the coast of Tanganyika near the 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...
n border.
In 1925, while on leave in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, he married Margery Tyrwhitt-Drake.
As Tanganyika Secretary for Native Affairs, in 1929 Mitchell supported cooperatives, and claimed that "in a sense every Bantu village is in fact a co-operative society". The Tanganyika government did not act on his recommendation, using lack of staff and budget as the reason.
Uganda
Mitchell was appointed Governor of UgandaUganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
in 1935.
During the depression, capital expenditure in Uganda had been slashed, and public infrastructure and services had deterioriated. In 1936, Mitchell appointed a committee to set priorities for development and to provide for financing.
He saw a need to completely review the relationship between Buganda and the government of the Protectorate.
He was concerned with political reform, recognizing that the eventual goal was self-government.
In 1937 he implemented reforms that increased the planning and budgetary capacity of the Secretariat, and introduced district-level planning teams working with the District Commissioners.
All these changes had little time to show results when World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(1939-1945) began.
In mid-1940 Sir Philip was transferred to Nairobi to coordinate the East African war effort.
In January 1941 he was appointed Chief Political Officer to General Sir Archibald Wavell, the Commander in Chief Middle East.
He was given the delicate job of administering the Italian African colonies that had fallen to the British.
In January 1942, as Chief Political Officer for the Commander in Chief, East Africa, Major-General Sir Philip Euen Mitchell signed a treaty with the Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. The reconquest of that country from the Italians had recently been completed.
Fiji
Mitchell became Governor of Fiji, arriving there on 21 July 1942.Mitchell was also British High Commissioner in the Western Pacific, and a large part of his job was to smooth out differences between the allied forces in the struggle with Japan.
Fiji had a mixed-race population of 210,518 of whom about 100,000 were Fijians and 90,000 Indians.
Although the white and Fijian people were on good terms and often intermarried, there were tensions with the large Indian population, most of whom were descendants of indentured laborers.
Another issue was that, while the Fijian people were happy to belong to the British Empire, many of the Indians were in sympathy with the independence movement in India and could not be called loyal subjects.
A further source of tension was that between Hindus and Muslims in the Indian community.
Mitchell proposed that the islanders should be given greater power, but to his surprise found that the Fijians preferred the status quo, at least for the time being. Their reason was that they needed more time to develop experience in local government, or they would be dominated by the Indians. Mitchell nevertheless intended that Fiji should be put on course towards self-government, and wrote to the Colonial Office describing his views on how this would be achieved, and on the program for post-war reconstruction. Nothing was done about his recommendations during his term in office.
Even while the Gilbert and Ellice Islands were under Japanese occupation, Mitchell was in charge of planning for the colony`s future after the British regained control. At first, he was in favor of merging the colony with Fiji, since he felt it was too small to be viable on its own. The Colonial Office would not accept this proposal.
Later he moved to the idea that the Gilbert and Ellice Islands would have to remain as a Native Territory, but wanted the islanders to be trained so they could take on their own administration as far as possible.
Kenya
Mitchell was Governor of Kenya from 11 December 1944 until 1952.In February 1952, he received Princess Elizabeth on a visit just before her father died and she ascended the throne as Queen Elizabeth II.
Attitudes
Talking after his retirement of the lack of planning in the early days in East Africa, Mitchell said "there was no colonial policy, for Secretaries of State changed every eighteen months or so; so no one ever disciplined a Governor and no Secretary of State would ever force a row with settlers".However, Mitchell had a paternalistic attitude towards Africans, considering that they needed help from white settlers to become civilized. In The Agrarian Problem in Kenya he said of Africans: "They are a people who, however much natural ability and however admirable attributes they may possess, are without a history, culture or religion of their own and in that they are, as far as I know, unique in the modern world.
Once progressive, by 1947 Mitchell had become highly conservative. In May that year he wrote to Arthur Creech Jones
Arthur Creech Jones
Arthur Creech Jones was a British trade union official and politician. Originally a civil servant, his imprisonment as a conscientious objector during the First World War forced him to change careers. A protégé of Ernest Bevin, he was elected to Parliament in 1935 and served in the Colonial Office...
, Secretary of State for the Colonies, saying Britain's task was "to civilise a great mass of human beings who are at present in a very primitive moral, cultural and social state".