Patrick Donald MacDonald: Difference between revisions

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'''Patrick Donald MacDonald''', nicknamed '''Paddy''' (born 21 July 1909, Bells Hill, Scotland - died June 1987<ref>Death registered in Surrey South-Western, v. 17, p. 1313</ref>) who is believed to have likely known "everything there was to know about the [[Bones found on Nikumaroro| bones found on Nikumaroro]]."
[[Image:McDonald (group photo) 001.jpg|thumb|right|MacDonald on the left, next to [[Sir Harry Luke]].]]'''Patrick Donald MacDonald''', CMG (Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George), CVO (Companion of the Royal Victorian Order), nicknamed '''Paddy''' (born 21 July 1909, Bells Hill, Lanarkshire, Scotland - died 15 June 1987, Surrey, England<ref>Death registered in Surrey South-Western, v. 17, p. 1313.</ref><ref name="obit">Obituary in ''The Times,'' 22 June 1987.</ref>) was the British colonial secretary of the [[Western Pacific High Commission]] in Fiji and is believed to have likely known "everything there was to know about the [[Bones found on Nikumaroro| bones found on Nikumaroro]]."


In 1941 MacDonald rose from assistant secretary to colonial secretary, a prestigious and important position. [[Ron Gatty]] later recalled, "The Governor was a ceremonial figure and might set policy, but the Colonial Secretary was the CEO. He had three telephones on his desk, gave orders, and approved spending. Paddy was pretty damn good."
Macdonald was educated at Marlborough and St. John's College, Cambridge.<ref name="obit"/>


==Colonial service==


* 8th April 1940 became Acting Assistant Secretary WPHC under Vaskess (source: WPHC personnel file), assuming job from Harry Maude, who had been seconded to Pitcarn (Source: Woodburn, "Where Our Hearts Still Lie").
"Appointed to the Colonial Service in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in 1932."<ref name="obit"/>
* 2nd May 1940 relinquished AAS post, but on 24th May became Acting Secretary until 11th July when he returned to being AAS (Source: Personnel file); presumably he stood in for Vaskess while Vaskess was on leave or secondment. 
* On vacation leave 14-28th October 1940
* 11th -- 19th November 1940 traveled to Samoa and Tonga
* 11th December again became Acting Secretary to WPHC, apparently continued in this post until 2nd July, when his personnel file says he "resumed duty in substantive post, with the note: "statement of pensionable service instrument(?) in GEIC."  Does this mean he was back on Ocean or Tarawa?
*24th April 1941 personnel file says he "proceeded(?) on duty with HC (sic: High Commissioner) to BSIP & HH."  BSIP would be British Solomon Islands Protectorate; don't know about HH.  Sir Harry, on page 179 of "From a South Seas Diary," notes that on 20th April he sailed on ''Viti'' with "Dr. Macpherson, Tomblings and Paddy Macdonald" for the Solomons; they got back on 14th May.  Our copy of Macdonald's personnel file ends with the 24th April 1941 entry.
* Took the bones from the office to Hoodless at FSM in summer of 1941.
* Colonial Secretary and in charge of boxing things up in 1978. Acting Archivist from the time that [[Burne]] retired (or quit) in 1976 until at least April 6, 1978.
* Both files and office equipment were sent to London. Lists of files were drawn up and typed. They were then packed in small archive boxes--no more than 5 files to a box. The small boxes were then stacked in a wooden packing crate. They fit perfectly, with no need of any kind of straw or other packing material.
* Tofiga remembers Paddy as "fair, firm and meticulous."
* Ron Gatty:
* Daughters: Hillary and Sally?  Hillary is now Hillary Roberts, living in Bermuda as of 2007 (See below). She worked for BOAC and got reduced fare flights for her father ([[Ron Gatty|RG]]).
* May have had a part-interest in the Grand Pacific Hotel.  [[Ron Gatty]] saw him there in a humble role--acting, perhaps, as the manager or desk clerk.
* Died in the late 1990s?
* .
* Employed by WPHC from ~1941 to 1978.


== Family ==
On 8 April 1940 MacDonald became acting assistant secretary of the [[Western Pacific High Commission]] (WPHC) under [[Vaskess]].<ref name="pf">WPHC personnel file. TIGHAR's copy of Macdonald's personnel file ends with the 24 April 1941 entry.</ref>, taking the job over from [[Harry Maude]], who had been seconded to Pitcairn<ref>Woodburn, ''Where Our Hearts Still Lie''.</ref> On 2nd May 1940 he relinquished this post and on 24 May became acting secretary until 11 July when he again became acting assistant secretary,<ref name="pf"/> likely having stood in for Vaskess while he was on leave or secondment. MacDonald went on vacation leave during 14-28th October 1940. From 11 to 19 November he traveled to Samoa and Tonga. On 11 December he again became acting secretary to WPHC and seems to have carried on in this post until 2 July 1941, when his personnel file noted he "resumed duty in substantive post... statement of pensionable service instrument(?) in the [[Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony]]."<ref>Does this mean he was back on Ocean or Tarawa?</ref>
* Wife: Delia Edith MacDonald (3 Aug 1913, Westcliff, England, to November, 1994, in Hove, Sussex).
 
* Son: Neil Mateson MacDonald, Auckland, New Zealand.  1940 or 1941.
On 24 April 1941 he "proceeded(?) on duty with HC [high commissioner] to BSIP [British Solomon Islands Protectorate] & HH [unknown]."<ref name="pf"/> On 20 April he sailed on the ''[[Viti]]'' with "Dr. Macpherson, Tomblings and Paddy Macdonald" for the Solomons. They got back on 14 May.<ref name="ssd">Maude, Sir Harry, ''A South Seas Diary'', page 179.</ref>
* Daughter: Hillary (~1947?). Hillary Roberts ("The daughter of former Fiji deputy Governor Patrick Macdonald...") lived in Bermuda until November 2007 and perhaps could be contacted through the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.  
 
* Daughter: Sally.
In 1941 MacDonald rose from assistant secretary to colonial secretary, a prestigious and important position. [[Ron Gatty]] later recalled, "The Governor was a ceremonial figure and might set policy, but the Colonial Secretary was the CEO. He had three telephones on his desk, gave orders, and approved spending. Paddy was pretty damn good." [[Tofiga]] remembered Paddy as "fair, firm and meticulous."
 
MacDonald took the bones from [[Hoodless]]' office at [[Fiji School of Medicine]] in the summer of 1941.
 
In 1942, Macdonald was "seconded to Trinidad as assistant colonial secretary; and, in 1946, transferred to the post of administrative officer on Fiji.  In 1949 he was appointed Chief Secretary of the Leeward Islands and retained the post until 1957 when he became Colonial Secretary and Acting Governor of Fiji.  His final job on the island was as chairman of the public and police service commissions which he held until 1971."<ref name="obit"/>
 
In 1978, Macdonald was in charge of closing the extant [[WPHC archives]].
 
MacDonald may have had a part-interest in the Grand Pacific Hotel. [[Ron Gatty]] saw him there acting in a humble role, maybe as manager or desk clerk.
 
==Family==
MacDonald's wife Delia Edith Travers was born 3 Aug 1913 in Westcliff, England and died in November 1994 at Hove, Sussex. His son Neil Mateson MacDonald was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1940 or 1941. His twin daughters, Sally and Hillary were born in about 1947.<ref>The ''Times'' obituary noted that the marriage "was dissolved" and that Macdonald was "survived by their twin daughters."</ref> Hillary later became Hillary Roberts and lived in Bermuda until November 2007.<ref>She might be contacted through the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.</ref>


==Notes and references==
==Notes and references==
<references/>
<references/>
[[Category:Biographical Data|MacDonald]]

Latest revision as of 14:05, 12 June 2010

Error creating thumbnail: File with dimensions greater than 12.5 MP
MacDonald on the left, next to Sir Harry Luke.

Patrick Donald MacDonald, CMG (Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George), CVO (Companion of the Royal Victorian Order), nicknamed Paddy (born 21 July 1909, Bells Hill, Lanarkshire, Scotland - died 15 June 1987, Surrey, England[1][2]) was the British colonial secretary of the Western Pacific High Commission in Fiji and is believed to have likely known "everything there was to know about the bones found on Nikumaroro."

Macdonald was educated at Marlborough and St. John's College, Cambridge.[2]

Colonial service

"Appointed to the Colonial Service in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in 1932."[2]

On 8 April 1940 MacDonald became acting assistant secretary of the Western Pacific High Commission (WPHC) under Vaskess.[3], taking the job over from Harry Maude, who had been seconded to Pitcairn[4] On 2nd May 1940 he relinquished this post and on 24 May became acting secretary until 11 July when he again became acting assistant secretary,[3] likely having stood in for Vaskess while he was on leave or secondment. MacDonald went on vacation leave during 14-28th October 1940. From 11 to 19 November he traveled to Samoa and Tonga. On 11 December he again became acting secretary to WPHC and seems to have carried on in this post until 2 July 1941, when his personnel file noted he "resumed duty in substantive post... statement of pensionable service instrument(?) in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony."[5]

On 24 April 1941 he "proceeded(?) on duty with HC [high commissioner] to BSIP [British Solomon Islands Protectorate] & HH [unknown]."[3] On 20 April he sailed on the Viti with "Dr. Macpherson, Tomblings and Paddy Macdonald" for the Solomons. They got back on 14 May.[6]

In 1941 MacDonald rose from assistant secretary to colonial secretary, a prestigious and important position. Ron Gatty later recalled, "The Governor was a ceremonial figure and might set policy, but the Colonial Secretary was the CEO. He had three telephones on his desk, gave orders, and approved spending. Paddy was pretty damn good." Tofiga remembered Paddy as "fair, firm and meticulous."

MacDonald took the bones from Hoodless' office at Fiji School of Medicine in the summer of 1941.

In 1942, Macdonald was "seconded to Trinidad as assistant colonial secretary; and, in 1946, transferred to the post of administrative officer on Fiji. In 1949 he was appointed Chief Secretary of the Leeward Islands and retained the post until 1957 when he became Colonial Secretary and Acting Governor of Fiji. His final job on the island was as chairman of the public and police service commissions which he held until 1971."[2]

In 1978, Macdonald was in charge of closing the extant WPHC archives.

MacDonald may have had a part-interest in the Grand Pacific Hotel. Ron Gatty saw him there acting in a humble role, maybe as manager or desk clerk.

Family

MacDonald's wife Delia Edith Travers was born 3 Aug 1913 in Westcliff, England and died in November 1994 at Hove, Sussex. His son Neil Mateson MacDonald was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1940 or 1941. His twin daughters, Sally and Hillary were born in about 1947.[7] Hillary later became Hillary Roberts and lived in Bermuda until November 2007.[8]

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Death registered in Surrey South-Western, v. 17, p. 1313.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Obituary in The Times, 22 June 1987.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 WPHC personnel file. TIGHAR's copy of Macdonald's personnel file ends with the 24 April 1941 entry.
  4. ↑ Woodburn, Where Our Hearts Still Lie.
  5. ↑ Does this mean he was back on Ocean or Tarawa?
  6. ↑ Maude, Sir Harry, A South Seas Diary, page 179.
  7. ↑ The Times obituary noted that the marriage "was dissolved" and that Macdonald was "survived by their twin daughters."
  8. ↑ She might be contacted through the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.
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