Laurence Guillemard arrives in Singapore to become governor

On 10 October 1919, Singapore was informed of the identity of its new governor, Laurence Nunns Guillemard, via telegram from London.^[1] Guillemard arrived on 3 February the following year to assume his post, taking over the leadership of the Straits Settlements and Malaya from Arthur Henderson Young who had retired in August 1919.^[2]

As Governor of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner of the Federated Malay States, Guillemard was a greenhorn in colonial administration as his entire 34-year government service had been spent in the Treasury (Home Service).^[3] His solid public financial credentials, however, shored up his credibility, as Malaya would benefit from a governor who could shape up the country’s economy. Right after Guillemard began his work, Malaya was hit by a trade recession that greatly reduced the funding for his development programmes.^[4] Nevertheless, Guillemard’s administration was associated with several notable public projects.

Guillemard laid the foundation stones for the erection of the Cenotaph to commemorate those who had died in World War I, and the construction of the Causeway linking Singapore and Johor.^[5] He opened the clubhouse of the Singapore Yacht Club at Trafalgar Street in December 1920^[6] and the new building of the Singapore General Hospital in March 1926.^[7] During his term, the King Edward VII Medical School was upgraded and renamed the King Edward VII College of Medicine with its new building completed in February 1926.^[8]

Guillemard’s tenure was also beset by an acrimonious power struggle between him and William George Maxwell, then chief secretary of the Federated Malay States. This conflict was to “overshadow the successes in public works and the anxiety over rubber prices” that had troubled the economy.^[9]

After relinquishing his post in May 1927, Guillemard retired to England where he died on 13 December 1951.^[10] He was succeeded by Hugh Clifford as governor.^[11]

References
1. The new governor.  (1919, October 10).  The Straits Times, p. 10.  Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
2. Straits dinner.  (1920, January 16).  The Straits Times, p. 9; The governor’s departure.  (1919, August 23).  The Straits Times, p. 8; Sir Laurence Nunns Guillemard arrives.  (1920, February 3).  The Straits Times, p. 7.  Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
3. Yeo, K. W.  (1981). The Guillemard-Maxwell power struggle, 1921–1925.  Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. 54, No. 1 (239), 1. Retrieved from JSTOR.
4. Yeo, 1981, p. 49.
5. Johore Causeway: Governor lays 500 tons of granite. (1920, April 26). The Straits Times, p. 9; The Johore Causeway. (1924, June 30). The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942), p. 6. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Singapore’s war memorial to the glorious dead. (1920, November 11). The Straits Times, p. 9. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
6. Singapore Yacht Club. (1920, December 20). The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942), p. 12. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
7. The new hospital. (1926, March 30). The Singapore Free Press, p. 9. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
8. Snapshots of the past. (1987, August 13). The Straits Times, p. 3; Medical college. (1926, February 16). The Straits Times, p. 9. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
9. Yeo, 1981, pp. 48–64; Stockwell, A. J.  (2008, May). ‘Guillemard, Sir Laurence Nunns (1862–1951)’. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  Retrieved December 18, 2013, from Oxford University Press: http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/96297
10. The governor’s departure. (1927, May 4). The Straits Times, p. 8; Stockwell, May 2008, Guillemard.
11. Sir Hugh Clifford. (1927, March 26). The Straits Times, p. 10.