Shenton Thomas


Sir Thomas Shenton Whitelegge Thomas , commonly known as Sir Shenton Thomas, was the last Governor of the Straits Settlements. He served from 1934 to 1942, during which time the Second World War broke out, and again from September 1945 to April 1946, when the Straits Settlements was dissolved.

Life

Shenton Thomas was born on 10 October 1879, in Southwark, London to The Rev Thomas William Thomas and his wife Charlotte Susanna née Whitelegge. He was educated at St. John's School, Leatherhead and Queens' College, Cambridge. He taught at Aysgarth School in Yorkshire prior to entering the Colonial Service. Before he went to Malaya as the colonial administrator, Thomas was the Governor of Nyasaland from 1929 to 1932. He was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George in 1930.
Thomas was a prisoner-of-war during the Japanese occupation of Singapore having decided to stay in Singapore during the war. He was imprisoned in Cell 24 of Changi Prison along with Ernest Tipson. Thomas helped established the King George V National Park in Malaya. Shenton Way, located in Singapore's business district, is named after him. After the war, Thomas remained as the 11th British High Commissioner in Malaya, until the Malayan Union was established and succeeded the British administration in the Straits Settlements, Federated Malay States and Unfederated Malay States, where the post of Governor-General of the Malayan Union was created.
Thomas died on 15 January 1962, at his home in London. He was 82.

Family

He married Lucy Marguerite Montgomery daughter of James Montgomery on 11 April 1912 at St Jude's Church, Kensington, London, with issue:
, a major road in Singapore's central business district, was named after him.