The Burma Office was a British government department created in 1937 to oversee the administration of

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

. The department was headed until 1947 by the

Secretary of State for India His (or Her) Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for India, known for short as the India secretary or the Indian secretary, was the British Cabinet minister and the political head of the India Office responsible for the governance of ...

and Burma, a member of the

British cabinet The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the senior decision-making body of the Government of the United Kingdom. A committee of the Privy Council, it is chaired by the Prime Minister and its members include Secretaries of State and senior Mini ...

, and then for a few months until January 1948 by the Secretary of State for Burma.

Creation and end of the Burma Office

With the administrative reforms of the Government of India Acts of

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (later Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off th ...

and

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...

, a tentative devolution of authority to legislative bodies and local governments in South Asia was begun. In 1937, as provided for in the 1935 act, these reforms led to the separation of Burma from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and the creation in London of the Burma Office, constitutionally separate from the

India Office The India Office was a British government department in London established in 1858 to oversee the administration of the Provinces of India, through the British viceroy and other officials. The administered territories comprised most of the mo ...

, although the two shared the same Secretary of State and were housed in the same building. The new Burma Office came into existence on 1 April 1937.''The Commonwealth Office year book'' (H. M. Stationery Office, 1968), pp. 7 & 17 In August 1947, two newly independent

dominion A dominion was any of several largely self-governance, self-governing countries of the British Empire, once known collectively as the ''British Commonwealth of Nations''. Progressing from colonies, their degrees of self-governing colony, colon ...

s of

and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

resulted from the

partition of British India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Pakistan is the Islam ...

. In September 1947, a constitution to create the Union of Burma, an independent republic outside the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

, was approved, and in October the Nu-

Attlee Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee (3 January 18838 October 1967) was a British statesman who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955. Attlee was Deputy Prime Minister d ...

agreement was signed, granting Burma independence.''Area Handbook for Burma'' Vol. 550, Issues 61-62 (American University Foreign Areas Studies Division, 1971), p. 45 Thus the Burma Office was dissolved and the last Secretary of State for Burma,

William Hare, 5th Earl of Listowel William Francis Hare, 5th Earl of Listowel, (28 September 1906 – 12 March 1997), styled Viscount Ennismore between 1924 and 1931, was an Anglo-Irish peer and Labour politician. He was the last Secretary of State for India, as well as the la ...

, left the British Cabinet. In the words of the ''Commonwealth Office Year Book'',

Timeline

*1937: Separation of Burma from British India, establishment of the Burma Office *1947: Announcements of imminent independence of India, Pakistan and Burma *15 August 1947:

Partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

into independent India and Pakistan, end of India Office *4 January 1948: Independence of Burma and abolition of Burma Office

Burma Office records

Unlike other British Government records, the Burma Office records, like those of the India Office, are not in

The National Archives National archives are the archives of a country. The concept evolved in various nations at the dawn of modernity based on the impact of nationalism upon bureaucratic processes of paperwork retention. Conceptual development From the Middle Ages i ...

at Kew but are deposited with the

India Office Records The India Office Records are a very large collection of documents relating to the administration of India from 1600 to 1947, the period spanning Company and British rule in India. The archive is held in London by the British Library and is publi ...

in the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

, London, where they form part of the

Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections The Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections previously called the Oriental and India Office Collections (OIOC) form a significant part of the holdings of the British Library in London, England. India Office collection The collections include the d ...

. The catalogue is searchable online in the catalogues.

Notes

{{Authority control British rule in Burma Defunct departments of the Government of the United Kingdom Government agencies established in 1937 Government agencies disestablished in 1948 1937 establishments in the United Kingdom 1948 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Foreign Office during World War II

Creation and end of the Burma Office

Timeline

Burma Office records

See also

Notes