Arthur Harold Dickinson CMG OBE KPM (5 October 1892 – 23 November 1978) was a British senior colonial police officer who served as Inspector-General of the Straits Settlements Police from 1939 to 1942.
Arthur Harold Dickinson | |
|---|---|
| Inspector-General of the Straits Settlements Police Force | |
| In office 1939–1942 | |
| Preceded by | René Onraet |
| Succeeded by | R.E Foulger |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Arthur Harold Dickinson 5 October 1892 |
| Died | 23 November 1978 (aged 86) |
| Spouse | Ethel Constance Kitchen |
| Children | 1 son and 1 daughter |
| Profession | Senior colonial police officer |
Early life and education
editDickinson was born on 5 October 1892, and was educated at Bromsgrove School.[1]
Career
editIn 1912, he joined the colonial police service as a cadet, was appointed police probationer and served in the Straits Settlements. In 1928 he was promoted to Superintendent of Police, Singapore. From 1931-32 he was sent on special missions to study police methods, to Paris, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Manila, Batavia, Bangkok and Saigon. On his return to the Straits Settlements he was appointed Chief Police Officer, Penang, and then Chief Police Officer, Selangor. In 1937, he was awarded the first officership of the OBE ever conferred upon a member of the police force for his "tactful handling" of serious strikes in the Federated Malay States.[1][2]
In 1939, after serving as Chief Police Officer of Singapore, he was promoted to Inspector-General of Police of the Straits Settlements.[3] The same year, he established and headed the Malayan Security Service which was responsible for political and security intelligence, replacing the Malayan Police Special Branch.[4][5] On 15 February 1942, he was at the meeting of senior officers, as the only member of the civilian government, which decided to surrender Singapore to the Japanese army.[4] From 1942 to 1944, he was a prisoner of war (POW) in Singapore. He retired in 1946.[1][6]
Personal life and death
editDickinson married Ethel Constance Kitchen in 1920 and they had a son and a daughter. He died on 23 November 1978.[1]
Honours
editDickinson was awarded the King's Police Medal in 1928.[7] He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1938 New Year Honours.[8] He was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 1946 New Year Honours.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b c d None (1981). Who was who, 1971-1980 : a companion to Who's who. Internet Archive. New York : St. Martin's Press. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-312-87746-0.
- ^ "Malayan New Year's Honours List". Pinang Gazette and Straits Chronicle. 1 January 1938. p. 7.
- ^ "New Inspector-General, Police Appointed". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. 5 August 1939. p. 7.
- ^ a b "The Other Men Who Surrendered Singapore". biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
- ^ Sinclair, Georgina (August 2011). "'The Sharp End of the Intelligence Machine': The Rise of the Malayan Police Special Branch 1948–1955". Intelligence and National Security. 26 (4): 460–477. doi:10.1080/02684527.2011.580601. ISSN 0268-4527.
- ^ "Army Police Chiefs in Singapore". The Straits Times. 14 September 1945. p. 2.
- ^ "Page 8 | Supplement 33343, 30 December 1927 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
- ^ "Page 1 | Supplement 34469, 31 December 1937 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
- ^ "Page 9 | Issue 37407, 28 December 1945 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-08-18.