Papers related to posting in the British colonies of the western Pacific, 1938-1941; material chiefly concerning British territories in the western Pacific, 1941-1966; material mostly received or written in, or dealing with Ceylon, 1944-1948; material concerning Palestine, 1947-1949; papers concerning appointment in Malta, 1952-1959; papers relating to Burma, 1967-1975; papers relating to various interests, 1928-1963; engagement diaries, 1947-1975
Dates
- 1953-1959, 1967-1970
Extent
14 boxes
Language of Materials
- English
Preferred Citation
Oxford, Bodleian Libraries [followed by shelfmark and folio or page reference, e.g. MSS. Brit. Emp. s. 530].
Please see our help page for further guidance on citing archives and manuscripts.
Full range of shelfmarks:
MSS. Brit. Emp. s. 530
Collection ID (for staff)
CMD ID 4262
Biographical / Historical
Trafford Smith (1912-1975), civil servant and diplomat, began work in the Colonial Office in 1935 before being seconded to Fiji in 1938. He was made Assistant British Resident Commissioner, New Hebrides in 1940, served in the British Solomon Islands from the same year and in the Gilbert and Ellis Islands from 1941. He was Secretary of the Soulbury Commission on Constitutional Reform, Ceylon, 1944-1945 and Assistant Secretary, Colonial Office, 1945. He was attached to the British delegation to the United Nations, New York, for the Special General Assembly on Palestine, 1948. From 1953 to 1959 he was Lieutenant-Governor of Malta, and Acting Governor May-September 1953 and July-September 1954. He was made Assistant Under-Secretary of State, Commonwealth Office, 1959-1967 and Ambassador to Burma, 1967-1970. He was awarded a CMG and the Cross of St. John. In 1937 he married Mary Isabel Smith, with whom he had two daughters.
Other Finding Aids
Listed as no. 618 in Manuscript Collections in Rhodes House Library Oxford, Accessions 1978-1994 (Oxford, Bodleian Library, 1996). A handlist is also available for consultation in the library.
- 20th century
- Burma -- History -- 1948-
- Great Britain -- Colonies -- Administration
- Great Britain.Colonial Office -- Officials and employees
- Islands of the Pacific -- History -- 20th century
- Malta -- History -- 1798-1964
- Palestine -- History -- 1948-
- Smith | Trafford | 1912-1975 | civil servant and diplomat
- Sri Lanka -- History -- 20th century
- West Indies -- History -- 20th century
- Title
- Papers of Trafford Smith (2)
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Paul Davidson
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Bodleian Libraries Repository
Contact:
Weston Library
Broad Street
Oxford OX1 3BG United Kingdom
specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Weston Library
Broad Street
Oxford OX1 3BG United Kingdom
specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk