William Addis (colonial administrator)

Sir William Addis
CMG KBE
Sir William Addis CMG KBE
Governor of Bermuda (acting)
	In office; 1945 – May 1946
Monarch	George VI
Preceded by	Lord Burghley
Succeeded by	Sir Ralph Leatham
Governor of the Seychelles
	In office; 1953–1958
Monarch	George VI
Preceded by	Sir Frederick Crawford
Succeeded by	Sir John Thorp
Personal details
Born	5 September 1901
Died	19 November 1978 (aged 77)
Parent	Sir Charles Stewart Addis (father);
Relatives	Robina Addis (sister); John Addis (brother); Jerry Cornes (brother-in-law)
Education	Rugby School
Alma mater	Magdalene College, Cambridge

Sir William Addis, KBE, CMG (5 September 1901 – 19 November 1978) was a British colonial administrator. He was Governor of Seychelles from 1953 to 1958. During his tenure as governor, he was responsible for Archbishop Makarios, who had been exiled to the colony from Cyprus.

Life and career

The third son of the Scottish banker Sir Charles Stewart Addis, William Addis was educated at Rugby School and Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he took the mechanical science tripos in 1923. He entered the Colonial Administrative Service in 1924, and subsequently served in Zanzibar and Northern Rhodesia, with a secondment to the Dominions Office during 1933. He was private secretary to Sir Khalifa bin Harub, Sultan of Zanzibar from 1939 to 1945, and was a member of the Zanzibar Naval Volunteer Force during the same period.^[1]

From 1945 to 1950, Addis served as Colonial Secretary of Bermuda, and acted as governor during 1945 and 1946. From 1950 to 1953, he was based in Singapore as Deputy Commissioner-General for Colonial Affairs, South-East Asia, in succession to Sir Ralph Hone.

Horne was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Seychelles, serving from 1953 until his retirement in 1958. During his tenure, Addis was responsible for Archbishop Makarios, who had been exiled to the Seychelles from Cyprus. During his tenure, the islands' first telephone exchange system was opened.^[2] In 1956, he welcomed the Duke of Edinburgh to the colony.

From 1958 to 1966, he held a temporary appointment in the Foreign Office.^[1]

Addis was appointed to the third class of the Order of the Brilliant Star of Zanzibar in 1945, was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1948, and was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1955.

References

^ ^a ^b "Sir William Addis". The Times. 20 November 1978. p. 14.
^ Ernesta, Sharon; Bonnelame, Betymie (30 March 2017). "Island history: 18 British governors who led Seychelles through the 20th century". Seychelles News Agency. Retrieved 2022-11-18.

External links

Portraits of Sir William Addis at the National Portrait Gallery, London

[:0-1] "Sir William Addis". The Times. 20 November 1978. p. 14.

[2] Ernesta, Sharon; Bonnelame, Betymie (30 March 2017). "Island history: 18 British governors who led Seychelles through the 20th century". Seychelles News Agency. Retrieved 2022-11-18.

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