Ernest Tristram Crutchley (10 February 1878 – 5 October 1940) was a British civil servant who was the predecessor of the first
British High Commissioner to Australia
The High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Australia is an officer of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the United Kingdom's foremost Diplomat, diplomatic representative to the Commonwealth of Australia. Despite Britain's close relati ...
.
Career
Crutchley was educated at
Emanuel School and joined the
Post Office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...
as a "boy clerk" in 1893. In 1909 he was promoted from clerk to Assistant Surveyor
"upon a special recommendation from the Postmaster-General." During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
he was appointed to organise the Army postal service and was
commissioned in the
Royal Engineers with the rank of
Captain. He ended the war as an acting
Lieutenant colonel and was appointed
OBE. After the war he served in the
Ministry of Transport
A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government ag ...
1919–21, then on the staff of the last
Chief Secretary for Ireland at
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle ( ga, Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a former Motte-and-bailey castle and current Irish government complex and conference centre. It was chosen for its position at the highest point of central Dublin.
Until 1922 it was the s ...
until the establishment of the
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between ...
in 1922. In 1928 he was appointed "British Government Representative for Migration in Australia", and in 1931 he became "Representative in the Commonwealth of Australia of HM Government in the United Kingdom" pending the appointment of the first British
High Commissioner to Australia. In 1935 he was recalled by the Post Office to serve as Public Relations Officer, then was Public Relations Officer in the
Ministry of Home Security
The Ministry of Home Security was a British government department established in 1939 to direct national civil defence, primarily tasked with organising air raid precautions, during the Second World War. The Ministry for Home Security was headed ...
, 1939–40 "to undertake the difficult task of explaining to the public the importance of the new
Civil Defence
Civil defense ( en, region=gb, civil defence) or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from man-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mit ...
measures." He retired due to ill health shortly before his death.
Crutchley was appointed OBE in 1919 and promoted to CBE in 1926. He was appointed CMG in the
1932 New Year Honours
The 1932 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the United Kingdom and British Empire. They were announced on 29 December 1931.
The recipients of honour ...
and CB in the
1935 Birthday Honours
The 1935 Birthday Honours for the British Empire were announced on 3 June 1935 to celebrate the Birthday and Silver Jubilee of King George V.
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged b ...
.
References
CRUTCHLEY, Ernest Tristram ''Who Was Who'', A & C Black, 1920–2016 (online edition, Oxford University Press, 2014)
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Crutchley, Ernest
1878 births
1940 deaths
People educated at Emanuel School
Civil servants in the General Post Office
British Army personnel of World War I
Royal Engineers officers
Civil servants in Ireland (1801–1922)
Australian colonial governors and administrators
Companions of the Order of the Bath
Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George