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>) | '''Patrick Donald MacDonald''', nicknamed '''Paddy''' (born 21 July 1909, Bells Hill, Scotland - died June 1987, Surrey, England)<ref>Death registered in Surrey South-Western, v. 17, p. 1313</ref>) was the colonial secretary and is believed to have likely known "everything there was to know about the [[Bones found on Nikumaroro| bones found on Nikumaroro]]." | ||
On 8 April 1940 MacDonald became acting assistant secretary WPHC under Vaskess.<ref name="pf">WPHC personnel file</ref>, taking the job over from Harry Maude, who had been seconded to Pitcarn<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 GEIC."<ref>Does this mean he was back on Ocean or Tarawa?</ref> | |||
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." | 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." | ||
*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. | *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. | * Took the bones from the office to Hoodless at FSM in summer of 1941. | ||
Revision as of 21:34, 20 February 2009
Patrick Donald MacDonald, nicknamed Paddy (born 21 July 1909, Bells Hill, Scotland - died June 1987, Surrey, England)[1]) was the colonial secretary and is believed to have likely known "everything there was to know about the bones found on Nikumaroro."
On 8 April 1940 MacDonald became acting assistant secretary WPHC under Vaskess.[2], taking the job over from Harry Maude, who had been seconded to Pitcarn[3] 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,Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag
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."
- 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 (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
- 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.
- 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.