The Burma Office was a British government department created in 1937 to oversee the administration of

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

. The department was headed until 1947 by the

Secretary of State for India and Burma His (or Her) Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for India, known for short as the India Secretary or the Indian Secretary, was the British Cabinet minister and the political head of the India Office responsible for the governance of th ...

, a member of the

British cabinet The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the senior decision-making body of His Majesty's Government. A committee of the Privy Council, it is chaired by the prime minister and its members include secretaries of state and other senior ministers. ...

, and then for a few months until January 1948 by the Secretary of State for Burma.

Creation and end of the Burma Office

With the administrative reforms of the Government of India Acts of

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...

and

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...

, a tentative devolution of authority to legislative bodies and local governments in South Asia was begun. In 1937, as provided for in the 1935 act, these reforms led to the separation of Burma from India and the creation in London of the Burma Office, constitutionally separate from the

India Office The India Office was a British government department established in London in 1858 to oversee the administration, through a Viceroy and other officials, of the Provinces of India. These territories comprised most of the modern-day nations of I ...

, although the two shared the same Secretary of State and were housed in the same building. The new Burma Office came into existence on 1 April 1937.''The Commonwealth Office year book'' (H. M. Stationery Office, 1968), pp. 7 & 17 In August 1947, two newly independent

dominion The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...

s of India and Pakistan resulted from the

partition of British India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: India and Pakistan. T ...

. In September 1947, a constitution to create the Union of Burma , an independent republic outside the Commonwealth, was approved, and in October the Nu-

Attlee Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, (3 January 18838 October 1967) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 t ...

agreement was signed, granting Burma independence.''Area Handbook for Burma'' Vol. 550, Issues 61-62 (American University Foreign Areas Studies Division, 1971), p. 45 Thus the Burma Office was dissolved and the last Secretary of State for Burma,

William Hare, 5th Earl of Listowel William Francis Hare, 5th Earl of Listowel, (28 September 1906 – 12 March 1997), styled Viscount Ennismore between 1924 and 1931, was an Anglo-Irish peer and Labour politician. He was the last Secretary of State for India as well as the last ...

, left the British Cabinet. In the words of the ''Commonwealth Office Year Book'',

Timeline

*1937: Separation of Burma from British India, establishment of the Burma Office *1947: Announcements of imminent independence of India, Pakistan and Burma *15 August 1947:

Partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

into independent India and Pakistan, end of India Office *4 January 1948: Independence of Burma and abolition of Burma Office

Burma Office records

Unlike other British Government records, the Burma Office records, like those of the India Office, are not in

The National Archives National archives are central archives maintained by countries. This article contains a list of national archives. Among its more important tasks are to ensure the accessibility and preservation of the information produced by governments, both ...

at Kew but are deposited with the

India Office Records The India Office Records are a very large collection of documents relating to the administration of India from 1600 to 1947, the period spanning Company and British rule in India. The archive is held in London by the British Library and is public ...

in the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

, London, where they form part of the Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections. The catalogue is searchable online in the catalogues.

Notes

{{Authority control British rule in Burma Defunct departments of the Government of the United Kingdom History of Myanmar Government agencies established in 1937 Government agencies disestablished in 1948 1937 establishments in the United Kingdom 1948 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Foreign Office during World War II

Creation and end of the Burma Office

Timeline

Burma Office records

See also

Notes