Cyril George Fox Cartwright (18 April 1911 – 23 April 1943) was a British Colonial Service administrator.[1] He died during the Japanese occupation of the Gilbert Islands.[1][2]

Biography

Cartwight was the third son of the Rev. G. F. Cartwright.[1] He attended Winchester College from 1924 to 1930; then he proceeded to Balliol College, Oxford and obtained his degree in 1933. He was appointed to the British Colonial Service and was posted to Ocean Island,[1] which was the administrative centre of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony.[3]

He was acting Resident Commissioner of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony on Ocean Island from December 1941 to August 1942. He was acting on behalf of Vivian Fox-Strangways, who had been appointed as Resident Commissioner, but because of the Pacific War, Fox-Strangways was seconded into the army and was located on Tulagi in the British Solomon Islands.[3][4]

While he had the opportunity to leave Ocean Island when the personnel of the British Phosphate Commission were evacuated,[5] he choose to stay to safeguard the people of Ocean Island.[1] Japanese forces occupied Ocean Island on 26 August 1942. He was subjected to ill-treatment and malnutrition.[1] He died on 23 April 1943.[1]

He is named on the memorial inscriptions in Chapel Passage, East Wall of Balliol College, Oxford.[6]

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Wykehamist-War-Service-Record-and-Roll-of-Honour-1939-1945". militaryarchive.co.uk. 1945. p. 137. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  2. ^ specified, Not (1 January 1934). "Cartwright, Cyril G F, d 1943 : Letters from Ocean and Gilbert Islands". Cartwright, Cyril G F, d 1943 : Lette... | Items | National Library of New Zealand | National Library of New Zealand.
  3. ^ a b Macdonald, Barrie Keith (2001). Cinderellas of the Empire: Towards a History of Kiribati and Tuvalu. Canberra: (Australian National University Press, (first published 1982). ISBN 982-02-0335-X.
  4. ^ Walsh, Michael Ravell (2020). A History of Kiribati: From the Earliest Times to the 40th Anniversary of the Republic. pp. 176–178. ISBN 9-79869535-895-7.
  5. ^ Macdonald, Barrie Keith (1985). The Phosphateers: A history of the British Phosphate Commissioners and the Christmas Island Phosphate Commission. Carlton, Vic.: Melbourne University Press. ISBN 9780522843026.
  6. ^ "Archives & Manuscripts – Memorial inscriptions". Balliol College. 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2021.


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