Archive of Sir Harry Charles Luke

Collection

The collection contains papers relating to the eight years during which Sir Harry Luke held the office of Lieutenant-Governor of Malta. Included are despatches, telegrams, and correspondence (including correspondence between Luke and Secretaries of State, Governors of Malta, and dignitaries of the Roman Catholic Church).

Luke came to Malta at a time when interference by the Roman Catholic Church in the affairs of a British self-governing colony had forced the British Government to suspend the Constitution. A Royal Commission, led by Lord Askwith, was sent to Malta to consider the political situation; this resulted in the restoration of the Constitution in Apr 1932, with amendments affecting languages. Elections were held and the Nationalist Party returned to power, with Sir Ugo Mifsud as Prime Minister. However, the educational policy of Dr Enrico Mizzi emphasised the Italian nature of the island, and increasing Italian propaganda and extravagance in finance caused the Governor to dismiss the Ministry on 1 Nov 1935.

There are also papers relating to Lord Strickland and his relationship with the Roman Catholic Church and with the British Government, as well as papers dealing with the threat of invasion of Malta by Italy in 1935, while Luke was Officer administering the government (including correspondence between him and the Governor, Sir David Campbell, who was in England owing to illness).

Secretaries of State for the Colonies:

Lord Passfield
J.H. Thomas
Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister
W. Ormsby-Gore.

Colonial Office:

Sir Samuel Wilson, Permanent Under-Secretary
A.J. Dawe.

Foreign Office:

Sir Robert Vansittart, Permanent Under-Secretary
Orme G. Sargent, Counsellor.

Governors of Malta:

General Sir John Du Cane (appointed 1927)
General Sir David Campbell (appointed 1931)
General Sir Charles Bonham-Carter (appointed 1936).

Legal Adviser: R. Strother Stewart.

Agent-General: Sir James Connolly.

Minister and Officials:

Lord Strickland, Leader of the Constitutional Party
Sir Ugo Mifsud, Leader of the Nationalist Party
Sir Augusto Bartolo, Professor of History of Legislation, Malta University
S. Galea, Commissioner of Police
Dr Carlo Mallia, Professor of Commercial Law, Malta University
E.R. Mifsud, Secretary to the Maltese Imperial Government
Dr Enrico Mizzi, Minister for Public Instruction
S.B. Olivier, Minister for Public Health and Posts
Rev. A.V. Pantalleresco, Director of Secondary School
Dr P. Pullicino, Treasury Counsel.

Dignitaries of the Roman Catholic Church:

Archbishop-Bishop of Malta: His Grace Mgr. Dom Maurus
Bishop of Gozo: His Lordship Mgr. M. Gonzi
Vicar General: Mgr. Can. P. Galea
Cardinal Lépicier, Papal Legate
Cardinal Pacelli.

Royal Commission to Malta, 1931:

Lord Askwith, Chairman
Count de Salis
Sir Walter Egerton
A.F. Dawe, Secretary.

Dates

Creation: 1930-1940

Extent

0.3 linear metres (3 boxes)

Language of Materials

English
Italian

Preferred Citation

Oxford, Bodleian Libraries [followed by shelfmark and folio or page reference, e.g. MSS. Brit. Emp. s. 286/1, folder 1, fol. 1].

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Full range of shelfmarks:

MSS. Brit. Emp. s. 286/1-3

Collection ID (for staff)

CMD ID 3007

Additional Description

Abstract

Archive of Sir Harry Charles Luke, Lieutenant-Governor of Malta.

Biographical / Historical

Sir Harry Charles Luke was born in 1884 in London, England, the only son of J.M. Luke. He was educated at Eton, and Trinity College, Oxford (he became an honorary fellow of the College in 1952). Luke's first official appointment was as Private Secretary (1908) and Aide-de-Camp (1909) to the Governor of Sierra Leone. In 1911, he served in the same capacity in Barbados, except for a period during May-Jul when he was attached to the Colonial Office. In Oct 1911, Luke was transferred to Cyprus, where he held the posts of Private Secretary to the High Commissioner, Assistant Secretary to the Government (1912), and Commissioner of Famagusta (1918). From 1909 to 1911, Luke was also second lieutenant in the London Yeomanry.

During World War I, Luke served as Commander of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve on the Syrian Coast, and as a Political Officer on the staff of Admiral Sir Rosslyn Wemyss; for his services, he was awarded the Italian medal for military valour. In 1919, Luke was appointed Political Officer to the Admiral of the Fleet, Sir J. de Robeck.

In 1920, Luke spent six months serving as British Chief Commissioner in Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan (Apr-Sep 1920) before being appointed Assistant Governor of Jerusalem (1920-1924). During this period, he also served as a Commissioner inquiring into the Jaffa Riots and into the affairs of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem (1921).

After appointments as Colonial Secretary of Sierra Leone (1924-1928), Chief Secretary of Palestine (1928-1930), and Lieutenant-Governor of Malta (1930-1938), Luke's last official post was as Governor of Fiji and High Commissioner for the Western Pacific (1938-1942). On his retirement from the Colonial Service, in 1943, Luke was Chief Representative of the British Council in the Caribbean for three years.

In 1918, Luke married Joyce C. St J. Fremlin, with whom he had two sons. He was appointed Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1926, and created a Knight in 1933, and a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1939. He was a D.Litt. of Oxford (1938) and an honorary LLD of Malta. He also published many books, chiefly about the Middle East and the Pacific. Luke died in Cyprus on 11 May 1969.