New Governor

Of Fiji

Sir Charles Luke, A Distinguished Authority On Near East

IT was announced on June 28 that Sir Charles Ltike had been appointed Governor of Fiji and High Com missioner for the Western Pacific, in succession to Sir Arthur Richards (re cently appointed Governor of Jamaica).

Sir Harry Charles Luke was born in 1884 and was educated at Eton and Trin ity College, Oxford. He took the de grees of B.A. in 1906; M.A. in 1910; and B. Litt. in 1919. He became private sec retary to the Governor of Sierra Leone in 1908, and A.D.C. in 1909. He acted as Colonial Secretary in Sierra Leone, for a few months in 1909. He became pri vate secretary to the Governor of Bar bados in 1911; and later was attached to the Colonial Office. Then he was pri vate secretary to the High Commis sioner of Cyprus, and Clerk of the Exe cutive Council.

He was Assistant Secretary to the Government of Cyprus when war broke out, in 1914. His war service included some very interesting work: Secretary of the Cyprus Defence Committee; service on “H.M.S. Doris” on coast of Syria; with rank of Lieutenant-Commander: political officer to Admirals Wemyss and Christian at Dardanelles, and Gov ernment Secretary at Mudros; Commis sioner at Paphos' and Famagust. He received the thanks of the Admiralty for good service, and the Italian Medal for military valour.

After the war. in 1919 and 1920. he was nolitical officer to Admiral Sir John de Robeck. in Constantinople and the Black Sea. and British Commissioner in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. He was Assistant Governor of Jerusalem in 1920; member of Commissions on the Or thodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and on the Jaffa disturbances. 1921; and Financial Commissioner of the Patriar chate.

Sir Charles became Colonial Secretary of Sierra Leone, in 1924. and was Action Governor on four occasions. He wont to Palestine as Chief Secretary in 1928.

Sir Charles Luke was appointed to his present position. Lieutenant-Gover nor of Malta, in 1930.

He is regarded as an authority on Mediterranean affairs, and esneciallv on matters affecting the Near East. He is

a master of the Turkish and Greek lan guages, and is the author of several books, dealing with Sierra Leone, Cy prus, Palestine, and Mediterranean af fairs generally.