Sarawak, Borneo, in 1941

The Chief Secretary’s Files

Author: Gathorne Cranbrook

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Description

In 1941, perturbed by the worldwide advance of war, the Chief Secretary, senior executive of the Sarawak government in Kuching, Malaysia collated a dozen strategically important files under the title, 'Payments to certain Brunei Pengirans, or their descendants'. He shipped these to a trusted colleague in Limbang, at the farthest extremity of Sarawak territory. A few months later, Japanese forces invaded. The Chief Secretary's action preserved these files, and in 2008 they were rediscovered, still intact and suffering only from the effects of exposure to the tropical environment. Transcribed, together with associated documents, this book explains why these files confirmed the century-long rule of the three "white Rajahs", of Sarawak ― James, Charles and Vyner Brooke ― and describes the relationships of these Rajahs with their subjects and with neighbouring States, notably the sovereign power, Brunei Darussalam, and the British colonies of the Straits Settlements.

About the Author

Gathorne Cranbrook graduated with a BA from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, UK, in 1956. He voyaged by sea to Kuching, Malaysia, where he became Technical Assistant to Tom Harrisson, Curator of the Sarawak Museum. After completing two years in Sarawak, he enrolled at the Queen Elizabeth Medical School, University of Birmingham, UK, obtaining a PhD in 1960. Following a post-doc research fellowship in Indonesia awarded by Jajasan Siswa Lokantara, he joined the Zoology Department, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. In 1970 he returned to the U.K. On his father's death in 1978, he succeeded to a seat in the UK Parliament until hereditary peers were excluded by the House of Lords Act, 1999. His concurrent assignments included a multi-disciplinary investigation of the biodiversity of Belalong Forest, Temburong District, Brunei Darussalam.