David Treffry,

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 ...

, (7 October 1926 – 3 April 2000) was a British colonial servant, international financier and

High Sheriff of Cornwall Sheriffs and high sheriffs of Cornwall: a chronological list: The right to choose high sheriffs each year is vested in the Duchy of Cornwall. The Privy Council, chaired by the sovereign, chooses the sheriffs of all other English counties, oth ...

Early life

David Treffry, a member of the old Cornish family of

Treffry Treffry is a Cornish surname. The first record of the name Treffry is found in Cornwall, where they lived at Treffry near Lanhydrock. A Roger Treffry was born about 1260 and his descendant John Treffry was living in 1658. History In 1457 French ...

, was born at Porthpean in 1926. He was educated in Cornwall and at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...

, and then served in the

Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (DCLI) was a Light infantry, light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1959. The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, by the merger of the 32nd ( ...

, transferring to the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four ...

, where he was a captain in the Frontier Force Regiment. In 1947 he returned to Britain and read History at Magdalen College, Oxford.

Colonial servant

Treffry joined the

Colonial Service The Colonial Service, also known as His/Her Majesty's Colonial Service and replaced in 1954 by Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service (HMOCS), was the British government service that administered most of Britain's overseas possessions, under the aut ...

in 1953, and served in Aden until independence in 1967. He achieved senior posts, and as Cabinet Secretary to the

South Arabian Federation The Federation of South Arabia ( ar, اتحاد الجنوب العربي ') was a federal state under British protection in what would become South Yemen. Its capital was Aden. It was formed on 4 April 1962 from the 15 protected states of ...

was involved in the independence negotiations. While in Aden, Treffry supported the work of the Reilly Centre for the Blind, and for this work was appointed

in 1966.

International financier

David Treffry moved to Washington D. C. in 1968 to work for the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster gl ...

, remaining there for 21 years.

Public servant and High Sheriff

Treffry retired to his ancestral home of

Place Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government * "Place", a type of street or road name ** Ofte ...

Fowey Fowey ( ; kw, Fowydh, meaning 'Beech Trees') is a port town and civil parish at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town has been in existence since well before the Norman invasion, with the local ch ...

in 1987, where he played a conspicuous part in Cornish public life, becoming High Sheriff in 1991, president of the

Royal Institution of Cornwall The Royal Institution of Cornwall (RIC) is a Learned society in Truro, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It was founded in Truro on 5 February 1818 as the Cornwall Literary and Philosophical Institution. The Institution was one of the earliest of seven ...

in 1993, and oversaw the inauguration in 1994 by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh of the Royal Cornwall Museum. He also worked for the Cornwall region of the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

, and other local organizations. He was a friend of the Cornish historian and poet

A. L. Rowse Alfred Leslie Rowse (4 December 1903 – 3 October 1997) was a British historian and writer, best known for his work on Elizabethan England and books relating to Cornwall. Born in Cornwall and raised in modest circumstances, he was encourag ...

, and, on Rowse's death, became the legatee of a substantial sum – which he made over to the Royal Institution of Cornwall, the National Trust, and the Cornwall Heritage Trust. In 1997 he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, but continued to play an active rôle in Cornish public and social life until his death at

Truro Truro (; kw, Truru) is a cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its population was 18,766 in the 2011 census. People of Truro c ...

in 2000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Treffry, David 1926 births 2000 deaths People from St Austell People educated at Marlborough College Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford British Indian Army officers Officers of the Order of the British Empire Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry officers High Sheriffs of Cornwall