Charles Henry Sansom CMG,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(14 January 1886 – 29 December 1947) was a barrister and senior colonial police officer who served in Malaya and

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

Early life and education

Sansom, who was born on 14 January 1886, was the son of Louis Sansom J.P. He was educated at

Plymouth College Plymouth College is a co-educational private school in Plymouth, Devon. History The school was established in 1877. In 1896 Plymouth College bought Mannamead School (founded in 1854), and was temporarily known as Plymouth and Mannamead Colleg ...

Career

In 1905, Sansom joined the police force of the

Federated Malay States The Federated Malay States (FMS, , Jawi script, Jawi: ) was a federation of four protectorate, protected states in the Malay Peninsula — Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang — established in 1895 by the British government, and whi ...

as a probationer, and in 1908, was appointed Acting Commissioner of Police, rising to become Assistant Commissioner of Police and Registrar of Criminals of the Federated Malay States and the

Straits Settlements The Straits Settlements () were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under control of the ...

. In 1923, he was called to the Bar by the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

, and later that year was appointed Commissioner of Police in

Johore Johor, also spelled Johore,'' is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. It borders with Pahang, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the north. Johor has maritime borders with Singapore to the south and Indonesia to the east and ...

. In 1925, after taking the senior police officer's course at Scotland Yard, he was appointed Chief Police Officer in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

remaining in the post until 1930, having in 1927, and 1928, also acted as Inspector General. In 1930, he was Chief Police Officer in

Perak Perak (; Perak Malay: ''Peghok'') is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kel ...

, and the following year was promoted to Inspector-General of Police for the Federated Malay States, remaining in the post until his retirement in 1939. Upon on the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in 1939, he trained as a warden in the

Air Raid Precautions Air Raid Precautions (ARP) refers to a number of organisations and guidelines in the United Kingdom dedicated to the protection of civilians from the danger of air raids. Government consideration for air raid precautions increased in the 1920s a ...

(A.R.P.). He was sent to

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

to organise the civil defence of the island serving as Chief A.R.P. Officer and Director of Compulsory Service, and for his leadership and brave conduct in the face of air raids was awarded the CBE. In 1944, he was attached to the Colonial Office. In 1945, he was appointed

Commissioner of Police A police commissioner is the head of a police department, responsible for overseeing its operations and ensuring the effective enforcement of laws and maintenance of public order. They develop and implement policies, manage budgets, and coordinate ...

in Hong Kong and retired, aged 60, to England the following year. Sansom died on 29 December 1949.

Personal life

In 1925, Sansom married Minnie Sophia Denham Godfrey, and they had a son and two daughters.

Honours

Sansom was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 1938 New Year Honours. In 1942, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sansom, Charles Henry 1886 births 1949 deaths People educated at Plymouth College Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Officers of the Order of the British Empire British colonial police officers Commanders_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire