Wyndham Deedes
Encyclopedia
Sir Wyndham Henry Deedes CMG DSO
(10 March 1883 – 2 September 1956) was a British Brigadier General
and was also the Chief secretary
to the British High Commissioner of the British Mandate of Palestine.
, England. He was the son of East Kent gentry
, Colonel Herbert George Deedes and Rose Elinor Barrow, whose family had owned the land between Hythe
and Ashford
for four centuries.
He was educated at Eton College
, Eton, Berkshire
.
, his first posting was as Aide-de-camp
to the Governor of Malta. On 22 January 1906, Deedes was promoted to Lieutenant and seconded to the Colonial Office
. During this time he learned Turkish
. By 1910 he had enough of a command of the language to satisfy a posting to Constantinople
. On 8 May 1910, Deedes was seconded for service under the Foreign Office.
During World War I, Deedes saw service in Gallipoli
, where he took part in the Gallipoli Campaign. In 1915, he was a Captain in The King's Royal Rifle Corps. On 27 April 1915, Captain Deedes was appointed as a General Staff Officer (2nd Class). Deedes was promoted to Major on 14 September 1916. On 21 March 1917, Deedes was promoted to temporary Lieutenant Colonel upon appointment as a General Staff Officer (1st Class) in the General Staff. On 3 June 1917, Deedes was awarded the rank of Brevet
Colonel "for distinguished service in the Field".
After the war he was posted to Istanbul
, Turkey
, as a military attaché
. He was posted to Cairo
, Egypt
, which was at that time a British protectorate, as public security
director. Here he helped to set up the Palestine Police Force
.
From 1920 to 1922, Deedes served as chief secretary
to the then British High Commissioner Sir Herbert Samuel
in Palestine
. Palestine was then under British mandate
following the League of Nations
decision in 1920 to hand it over to Britain control from 1923 onwards. Although Deedes had pro-Zionist
sympathies, he played an active part in promoting the Supreme Muslim Council
as an Arab counterweight to the Jewish Agency.
He retired from the British Army on 27 June 1923, with the honorary rank of Brigadier General
. Upon returning to England, he did not take up his heritage
as a country squire
, but moved to London and chose to do unpaid social work in one of the poorest quarters of the city.
Between 1931 and the end of World War II in 1945, Wyndham shared a house in Bethnal Green
with his nephew William Deedes
. During this time Sir Wyndham became a local
councillor
, served on the education committee
and became chairman of the London Council of Social Service. He was also vice chairman of the National Council of Social Services.
When the London Turkish House (Halkevi) was set up during World War II to help foster Anglo-Turkish relations, Deedes was its Chairman, with Lady Dorina Neave in charge of its social side. During the War, Deedes also became chief Air Raid Warden of his borough
.
In 1949, one year after the state of Israel
was formed, Deedes set up the Anglo-Israel Association.
. He returned to Hythe to live his years in a single room. He died in 1956.
, Sir Wyndham shared a home from 1931 to 1939.
and a memoir by Mahmut Makal:
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(10 March 1883 – 2 September 1956) was a British Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
and was also the 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 British High Commissioner of the British Mandate of Palestine.
Early life
Deedes was born in 1893 in KentKent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England. He was the son of East Kent gentry
Gentry
Gentry denotes "well-born and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past....
, Colonel Herbert George Deedes and Rose Elinor Barrow, whose family had owned the land between Hythe
Hythe, Kent
Hythe , is a small coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the District of Shepway on the south coast of Kent. The word Hythe or Hithe is an Old English word meaning Haven or Landing Place....
and Ashford
Ashford, Kent
Ashford is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. In 2005 it was voted the fourth best place to live in the United Kingdom. It lies on the Great Stour river, the M20 motorway, and the South Eastern Main Line and High Speed 1 railways. Its agricultural market is one of the most...
for four centuries.
He was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, Eton, Berkshire
Eton, Berkshire
Eton is a town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, lying on the opposite bank of the River Thames to Windsor and connected to it by Windsor Bridge. The parish also includes the large village of Eton Wick, 2 miles west of the town, and has a population of 4,980. Eton was in Buckinghamshire until...
.
Career
Once Deedes had joined the armyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, his first posting was as Aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to the Governor of Malta. On 22 January 1906, Deedes was promoted to Lieutenant and seconded to the Colonial Office
Colonial Office
Colonial Office is the government agency which serves to oversee and supervise their colony* Colonial Office - The British Government department* Office of Insular Affairs - the American government agency* Reichskolonialamt - the German Colonial Office...
. During this time he learned Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
. By 1910 he had enough of a command of the language to satisfy a posting to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. On 8 May 1910, Deedes was seconded for service under the Foreign Office.
During World War I, Deedes saw service in Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
, where he took part in the Gallipoli Campaign. In 1915, he was a Captain in The King's Royal Rifle Corps. On 27 April 1915, Captain Deedes was appointed as a General Staff Officer (2nd Class). Deedes was promoted to Major on 14 September 1916. On 21 March 1917, Deedes was promoted to temporary Lieutenant Colonel upon appointment as a General Staff Officer (1st Class) in the General Staff. On 3 June 1917, Deedes was awarded the rank of Brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
Colonel "for distinguished service in the Field".
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, as a military attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
. He was posted to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, which was at that time a British protectorate, as public security
Public security
To meet the increasing challenges in the public security area, responsible public institutions and organisations can tap into their own intelligence to successfully address possible threats in advance...
director. Here he helped to set up the Palestine Police Force
Palestine Police Force
The Palestine Police Force was a British colonial police service established in the British Mandate for Palestine on 1 July 1920, when High Commissioner Herbert Samuel's civil administration took over responsibility for security from General Allenby's Occupied Enemy Territory Administration...
.
From 1920 to 1922, Deedes served as 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 then British High Commissioner Sir Herbert Samuel
Herbert Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel
Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel GCB OM GBE PC was a British politician and diplomat.-Early years:...
in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. Palestine was then under British mandate
League of Nations mandate
A League of Nations mandate was a legal status for certain territories transferred from the control of one country to another following World War I, or the legal instruments that contained the internationally agreed-upon terms for administering the territory on behalf of the League...
following the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
decision in 1920 to hand it over to Britain control from 1923 onwards. Although Deedes had pro-Zionist
Christian Zionism
Christian Zionism is a belief among some Christians that the return of the Jews to the Holy Land, and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, is in accordance with Biblical prophecy. It overlaps with, but is distinct from, the nineteenth century movement for the Restoration of the Jews...
sympathies, he played an active part in promoting the Supreme Muslim Council
Supreme Muslim Council
The Supreme Muslim Council was the highest body in charge of Muslim community affairs in Mandate Palestine under British control. It was established to create an advisory body composed of Muslims and Christians with whom the High Commissioner could consult...
as an Arab counterweight to the Jewish Agency.
He retired from the British Army on 27 June 1923, with the honorary rank of Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
. Upon returning to England, he did not take up his heritage
Inheritance
Inheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, rights and obligations upon the death of an individual. It has long played an important role in human societies...
as a country squire
Squire
The English word squire is a shortened version of the word Esquire, from the Old French , itself derived from the Late Latin , in medieval or Old English a scutifer. The Classical Latin equivalent was , "arms bearer"...
, but moved to London and chose to do unpaid social work in one of the poorest quarters of the city.
Between 1931 and the end of World War II in 1945, Wyndham shared a house in Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,...
with his nephew William Deedes
Bill Deedes
William Francis Deedes, Baron Deedes, KBE, MC, PC, DL was a British Conservative Party politician, army officer and journalist; he is to date the only person in Britain to have been both a member of the Cabinet and the editor of a major daily newspaper, The Daily Telegraph.-Early life and...
. During this time Sir Wyndham became a local
Metropolitan Borough of Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green was a civil parish and a metropolitan borough in the East End of London, England. It was formed as a civil parish in 1743 from the Bethnal Green hamlet in Stepney ancient parish. The vestry became an electing authority to the Metropolitan Board of Works in 1855 and in 1889 it became...
councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
, served on the education committee
Local Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
and became chairman of the London Council of Social Service. He was also vice chairman of the National Council of Social Services.
When the London Turkish House (Halkevi) was set up during World War II to help foster Anglo-Turkish relations, Deedes was its Chairman, with Lady Dorina Neave in charge of its social side. During the War, Deedes also became chief Air Raid Warden of his borough
Metropolitan Borough of Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green was a civil parish and a metropolitan borough in the East End of London, England. It was formed as a civil parish in 1743 from the Bethnal Green hamlet in Stepney ancient parish. The vestry became an electing authority to the Metropolitan Board of Works in 1855 and in 1889 it became...
.
In 1949, one year after the state of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
was formed, Deedes set up the Anglo-Israel Association.
Retirement and death
In 1946, severe illness forced him to retire from his work in the London East EndEast End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
. He returned to Hythe to live his years in a single room. He died in 1956.
Personal life
Deedes was a strict Christian. He never married nor had any children. His older brother, Herbert William Deedes (born 27 October 1881), married Melesina Gladys Chenevix Trench on 3 July 1912. They had three children, with one of whom, William DeedesBill Deedes
William Francis Deedes, Baron Deedes, KBE, MC, PC, DL was a British Conservative Party politician, army officer and journalist; he is to date the only person in Britain to have been both a member of the Cabinet and the editor of a major daily newspaper, The Daily Telegraph.-Early life and...
, Sir Wyndham shared a home from 1931 to 1939.
Translations
Deedes translated three major Turkish literary works into English: two novels by Reşat Nuri GüntekinResat Nuri Güntekin
Reşat Nuri Güntekin was a Turkish novelist, storywriter and playwright. His most known novel, Çalıkuşu is about the destiny of a young Turkish female teacher in Anatolia; a movie was filmed on this book in 1966, and a TV series were produced in 1986...
and a memoir by Mahmut Makal:
- Reşat Nuri Güntekin. The Autobiography of a Turkish GirlÇalikusuÇalıkuşu, or The Wren, is a novel by Reşat Nuri Güntekin written in 1922, about the destiny of a young Turkish female teacher named Feride in Anatolia.-Plot summary:...
(Çalıkuşu, 1922). London: George Allen & Unwin, 1949. - Reşat Nuri Güntekin. Afternoon Sun (Akşam Güneşi, 1926). London: Heinemann, 1951.
- Mahmut Makal. A Village in Anatolia (Bizim Köy, 1950). London: Vallentine, Mitchell & Co., 1954.