Michael David Irving Gass

Sir Michael D. I. Gass
KCMG CMG
祈濟時
Governor of the Solomon Islands
In office
1969–1973
Monarch Elizabeth II
Preceded by Robert Sidney Foster
Succeeded by Donald Collin Cumyn Luddington
High Commissioner for the Western Pacific
In office
1969–1971
Monarch Elizabeth II
Preceded by Robert Sidney Foster
Succeeded by Donald Collin Cumyn Luddington
Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong
In office
1965–1969
Monarch Elizabeth II
Preceded by Edmund Brinsley Teesdale
Succeeded by Sir Hugh Norman-Walker
Personal details
Born 24 April 1916
Died 27 February 1983 (aged 66)
Somerset
Nationality British
Spouse(s) Elizabeth Periam Fuller Acland Hood (m. 1975)
Education King's School, Bruton
Alma mater Queens’ College, Cambridge
Occupation Colonial official
Military service
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch Royal West African Frontier Force
Years of service 1939-1945
Rank Major
Unit Gold Coast Regiment
Battles/wars World War II

Sir Michael David Irving Gass, KCMG, (Chinese: 祈濟時; 1916–1983) was the penultimate High Commissioner of the Western Pacific and also in his junior days Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong from 1965 - 1969, and the acting-Governor of Hong Kong during the riots in 1967.

Education and war years

He was educated at King's School, Bruton, and then later obtained degrees at both Queens' College, Cambridge and Oxford University.[1] After university he entered the Colonial Administration Service. His first appointment was to the Gold Coast in 1939. During World War II Gass entered the Army and achieved the rank of Major, he served in East Africa and Burma with the Gold Coast Regiment of the Royal West African Frontier Force (1939-1945); he was twice mentioned in despatches.

Career

Confrontation between rioters and the Hong Kong Police Force during the riots in 1967

After the war he returned to the Service, spending three years in Ashanti and two in Ghana before being posted in 1958 to the West Pacific High Commission as Chief Secretary.

From then until his retirement in 1973 he remained in the Far East, notably in Hong Kong where he was Colonial Secretary and Acting Governor intermittently between 1965-1969. In the colonial secretary's tenure, he and Ronald Holmes and Jack Cater and other government officials had to deal with riots in 1967 against British colonial rule. During the disorder, Governor Sir David Trench happened to be absent from Hong Kong and all of a sudden there was no one fully in command of the government. As a result Gass became acting-Governor, and therefore it was Holmes and Gass who were in charge in the crisis. During the riots, he took a tough stance against the activists, in order to effectively control the situation, but has also become one of the main targets of attack leftist camp vocal opposition.

He became High Commissioner for the Western Pacific in 1969.[2]

When he returned to England, Gass served as a Member of Somerset County Council (1977-1981).

Personal life

He became a Knight Commander of Order of St Michael and St George in the 1969 New Year Honours List.

He married Elizabeth Periam Fuller Acland Hood in 1975. They had no children.

References

  1. "Eminent Alumni". Queens' College, Cambridge. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  2. Sir Michael Gass. The Times (London, England), Wednesday, Mar 02, 1983; pg. 14
Government offices
Preceded by
Edmund Brinsley Teesdale
Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong
1965-1969
Succeeded by
Sir Hugh Norman-Walker
Preceded by
Robert Sidney Foster
High Commissioner for the Western Pacific
1969–1971
Succeeded by
Donald Collin Cumyn Luddington
Governor of the Solomon Islands
1969–1973