Sir
Bruce Greatbatch
KCVO CMG MBE KStJ
Sir Bruce Greatbatch in 1970
Governor of the Seychelles
In office
1969–1973
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterSir James Mancham
Preceded bySir Hugh Norman-Walker
Succeeded byColin Allan
Personal details
Born(1917-06-10)10 June 1917
Died20 July 1989(1989-07-20) (aged 72)
NationalityBritish
Alma materUniversity of Oxford
Civilian awardsKnight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Member of the Order of the British Empire
Military service
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Branch/serviceRoyal West African Frontier Force
Years of service1940–1945
RankCaptain
Battles/warsSecond World War
Military awardsMentioned in Despatches

Sir Bruce Greatbatch, KCVO, CMG, MBE, KStJ (10 June 1917 – 20 July 1989)[1] was a British Colonial Service officer and soldier who concluded his career as Governor of the Seychelles from 1969 to 1973.

Early life

Greatbatch was born on 10 June 1917, the son of W. T. Greatbatch. He was educated at Malvern College and Brasenose College, Oxford.[2]

Career

Sir Bruce Greatbatch inspecting a police guard of honour on the Seychelles, 1972

In 1940, after graduating from Oxford, Greatbatch was appointed to the Colonial Service and became a district officer in Northern Nigeria. However, during the Second World War he served from 1940 to 1945 with the Royal West African Frontier Force, seeing active service in the Burma Campaign, during which he was mentioned in despatches. After rising to the rank of Major, in 1945 he returned to the Colonial Service in Northern Nigeria. In 1956, he was promoted to Resident, and in 1957 became Secretary to the Governor and the Executive Council. In 1958 he was promoted again to Senior Resident in Kano, after which he was Secretary to the Premier of Northern Nigeria.[2] The Federation of Nigeria gained independence from Britain in 1960.

Greatbatch later served as British Governor of the Seychelles from 1969 to 1973.[2]

Chagos

Greatbatch oversaw the forced deportation of the Chagossians between 1968 and 1973. He and his subordinate, John Rawling Todd, were accused of ordering the island's dog population of 1,000 to be gassed as a means of intimidating the Chagossians before deportation.[3] The deportation was carried out at the request of the United States government in order to construct a military base on Diego Garcia.[4]

Honours

References

  1. ^ "KNIGHTS AND DAMES FOX - GZ". Leighrayment.com. Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2021.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Greatbatch, Sir Bruce, (10 June 1917 – 20 July 1989)", Who's Who & Who Was Who, published online 1 December 2007, accessed 4 December 2023 (subscription required)
  3. ^ Evers, Sandra; Kooy, Marry (2011). Eviction from the Chagos Islands: Displacement and Struggle for Identity Against Two World Powers. Brill Publishers. p. 3. ISBN 9789004202603.
  4. ^ "Chagos Islanders v Attorney General Her Majesty's British Indian Ocean Territory Commissioner [2003] EWHC 2222 (QB) (09 October 2003)". bailii.org. Retrieved 20 August 2021.

External links

Political offices Preceded bySir Hugh Norman-Walker Governor of the Seychelles 1969–1973 Succeeded byColin Allan


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