Sir Robert Christopher Stafford Stanley,

KBE KBE may refer to: * Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, post-nominal letters * Knowledge-based engineering Knowledge-based engineering (KBE) is the application of knowledge-based systems technology to the domain o ...

, CMG,

OBE 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 ...

(12 May 1899 – 15 November 1983) was a British colonial administrator. After serving as Chief Secretary of

Northern Rhodesia Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in Southern Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by Amalgamation (politics), amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-Western Rhodesia and North ...

, he was appointed High Commissioner of the Western Pacific in January 1952, although he did not arrive in

Suva Suva (, ) is the Capital city, capital and the most populous city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rew ...

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

, until June, taking up his duties on 3 July. He was the first person to hold the office separately from the

Governor of Fiji Fiji was a British Crown colony from 1874 to 1970, and an independent dominion in the Commonwealth from 1970 to 1987. During this period, the head of state was the British monarch, but in practice the functions of the crown were normally exercis ...

, the two positions having been joined since 1877. After touring the

British Western Pacific Territories The British Western Pacific Territories (BWPT) was a colonial entity created in 1877 for the administration of a series of Pacific islands in Oceania under a single representative of the British Crown, styled the High Commissioner for the Weste ...

, which included the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

New Hebrides New Hebrides, officially the New Hebrides Condominium () and named after the Hebrides in Scotland, was the colonial name for the island group in the South Pacific Ocean that is now Vanuatu. Native people had inhabited the islands for three th ...

, and the

Gilbert and Ellice Islands The Gilbert and Ellice Islands (GEIC as a colony) in the Pacific Ocean was part of the British Empire from 1892 to 1976. It was a British protectorate, protectorate from 1892 to 12 January 1916, and then a crown colony, colony until 1 January 1 ...

in September, he moved the High Commission to Headquarters to

Honiara Honiara () is the capital and largest city of Solomon Islands, situated on the northwestern coast of Guadalcanal. , it had a population of 92,344 people. The city is served by Honiara International Airport and the seaport of Point Cruz, and lies ...

in the Solomon Islands on 22 December. On 1 January 1953, he also became Governor of the Solomon Islands. He retired as High Commissioner and Governor in July 1955. His daughter, Phillada Stanley, was married to Sir Cosmo Haskard, sometime Governor of the Falkland Islands.

References

Governors of the Solomon Islands High commissioners for the Western Pacific Members of the Legislative Council of Northern Rhodesia Chief secretaries of Northern Rhodesia Governors of Northern Rhodesia British expatriates in Zambia British expatriates in Fiji 1899 births 1983 deaths Officers_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire Knights_Commander_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire Companions_of_the_Order_of_St_Michael_and_St_George {{Solomon Islands-stub