Sir John Warburton Paul, (29 March 1916 – 31 March 2004) was a British colonial administrator and civil servant, who most notably served as the final Governor of the Gambia (1962–1965) and

Governor of the Bahamas This is a list of governors of the Bahamas. The first English settlement in the Bahamas was on Eleuthera. In 1670, the king granted the Bahamas to the lords proprietors of the Province of Carolina, but the islands were left to themselves. The lo ...

(1972–1973) prior to both of those countries achieving

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

from the United Kingdom. Paul also served as the first Governor-General of the Gambia from 1965 to 1966, the Governor of British Honduras from 1966 to 1972, the first Governor-General of the Bahamas in 1973, and the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man from 1974 to 1980.

Early life and education

Paul was born in

Weymouth, Dorset Weymouth ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the Dorset (district), Dorset district, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. Situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey, Dorset, River Wey, south of the county town of ...

, and attended Weymouth College. He went on to study at

Selwyn College, Cambridge Selwyn College, Cambridge is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1882 by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of George Selwyn (bishop of Lichfield), Georg ...

Military service

He was commissioned into the Royal Tank Corps Supplementary Reserve in 1937 and into the regular

Royal Tank Regiment The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) is the oldest tank unit in the world, being formed by the British Army in 1916 during the World War I, First World War. Today, it is an Armoured warfare, armoured regiment equipped with Challenger 2 main battle tanks ...

in 1938. He won a

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

for his bravery during the German invasion of France in 1940. However, he was captured by the Germans in 1940 and was a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

until the end of the war in 1945. He was promoted Lieutenant in 1941 and

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in 1946 and resigned his commission in 1947.

Colonial career

Following the war, Paul entered colonial administration, serving in various position in

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

until its independence in 1961. He was knighted in 1962, becoming the Governor of the Gambia. He served until that country's independence in February 1965, and became its first Governor-General. In 1966, he was replaced in this role by a Gambian doctor. He then went on to become Governor of British Honduras, from 1966 to 1972. He dealt with demonstrations which were sparked by rumours that the territory was to be annexed by

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

. Paul then went on to become the last Governor of the Bahamas, serving from 1972 to 1973. He continued to serve as acting Governor-General for a period in 1973 following independence. His last role in the colonial service was a Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, which he held from 1974 to 1980. Following that he retired from colonial administration.

Personal life

Paul married (Kathleen) Audrey Weeden in 1946. They had three daughters and were married for 58 years, until he died in March 2004. Audrey died in December 2004.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Paul, John Warburton British Militia officers Colonial Administrative Service officers British Army personnel of World War II 1916 births 2004 deaths British governors of the Bahamas Governors of the Gambia Governors-general of the Gambia Governors of British Honduras Lieutenant governors of the Isle of Man Alumni of Selwyn College, Cambridge Recipients of the Military Cross Royal Tank Regiment officers British World War II prisoners of war World War II prisoners of war held by Germany Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Weymouth, Dorset 20th-century Bahamian people 20th-century British politicians