Arthur Grimble


Sir Arthur Francis Grimble, KCMG was a British civil servant and writer.

Biography

Grimble was educated at Chigwell School and Magdalene College, Cambridge. He then went to France and Germany for postgraduate studies. After joining the Colonial Office in 1914 he became a cadet administrative officer in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, of which he became Resident Commissioner in 1926. He was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George on 1 January 1930. He learned the Gilbertese language and became a specialist in the myths and oral traditions of the Kiribati people. He remained in the islands until 1933, after which he served as Governor of the Seychelles and then of the Windward Islands.

Literary career

After retiring and moving to Britain in 1948 Grimble became a writer and broadcaster. He wrote A Pattern of Islands and Return to the Islands, both of which were bestsellers. Pacific Destiny, a film based on his experiences, was released in 1956. Grimble's scholarly work on Gilbertese culture is covered in Henry Evans Maude's book Tungaru Traditions: Writings on the Atoll Culture of the Gilbert Islands.
He is credited with designing the coat of arms for the Gilbert and Ellice Islands British colony, which was adapted for the current flag of Kiribati.