Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

Sidney Arnold Pakeman, CBE, MC, ED (4 January 1891 – 15 June 1975) was a British academic and a member of the Parliament of Ceylon.

Early life and education

Sidney Arnold Pakeman was born in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...

, England on 1 April 1891, the son of Thomas Lovell Pakeman, a

draper Draper was originally a term for a retailer or wholesaler of cloth that was mainly for clothing. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. History Drapers were an important trade guild during the medieval peri ...

and

undertaker A funeral director, also known as an undertaker (British English) or mortician (American English), is a professional involved in the business of funeral rites. These tasks often entail the embalming and burial or cremation of the dead, as ...

. He attended Bristol Grammar School between 1903 and 1910.

Military service

He served in the British Army in the Wiltshire Regiment 4th Battalion, attached to the

Gloucestershire Regiment The Gloucestershire Regiment, commonly referred to as the Glosters, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 until 1994. It traced its origins to Colonel Gibson's Regiment of Foot, which was raised in 1694 and later became the ...

, during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

. On the 18 June 1917 he was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

as a lieutenant for ''conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He led his company in the most gallant manner and personally tried to cut gaps in the enemy’s wire. Later, although wounded, he remained at his post'' during a battle on 6–7 April 1917 at Maissemy, France.

Academic career

He obtained a Master of Arts degree from

Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Sidney Sussex College (referred to informally as "Sidney") is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England. The College was founded in 1596 under the terms of the will of Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex (1531–1589), wif ...

and joined the Ceylon University College in 1921 serving as lecturer and thereafter Professor of Modern History and Economics until 1942.

Ceylon Defence Force

He joined the

Ceylon Defence Force The Ceylon Defence Force (CDF) was established in 1910 by the Ceylonese legislation ''Ceylon Defence Force Ordinance'', which reformed the Ceylon Volunteer Force (CVF) that existed previously as the military reserve in the British Crown colony ...

as a

volunteer officer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others se ...

in the

Ceylon Cadet Battalion The National Cadet Corps (NCC) is a Youth organisations in the United Kingdom, youth organisation in Sri Lanka, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence (Sri Lanka), Ministry of Defence, which operates in schools, and normally includes Sri Lanka Army ...

. Promoted to

Brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

, he served as the

Commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latit ...

of the Ceylon Cadet Battalion from 1932 to 1938 and was confirmed in the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

. In 1937 he received an

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(Military Division) for his role as Officer Commanding,

Parliament

Following Ceylon's first parliamentary elections in 1947, Pakeman was appointed as a member of the Ceylon House of Representatives. He was one of six members appointed by the

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

, to represent important interests which were not represented or inadequately represented in the House. In the 1951 King's Birthday Honours Pakeman was awarded a CBE (Civil Division) for his service as a member of parliament and as a professor at the Ceylon University College.Ceylon :

Bibliography

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pakeman, Sidney Arnold 1891 births 1975 deaths Academics from Bristol People educated at Bristol Grammar School Alumni of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Academic staff of the Ceylon University College Recipients of the Military Cross Members of the 1st Parliament of Ceylon Ceylonese Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Sri Lankan people of English descent Gloucestershire Regiment officers Sri Lankan Cadet Corps officers Ceylonese colonels