Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Fernley Douglas Webber (12 March 1918 – 1991), sometimes referred to as Awang F.D. Webber, was a British diplomat and formerly the British High Commissioner to Brunei.

Early life

Webber was born on 12 March 1918, and educated at Cotham Secondary School in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree at

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes fr ...

, and began work with the Colonial Office in 1939. Amid the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he served in the military from 1940 until 1945, earning the rank of Major. After his time in the military, he worked as the Private secretary to Minister of State Colonial Office, as Assistant Secretary in 1950, as Establishment Officer Colonial Office from 1950 to 1958, and lastly the Head of East Africa Department Colonial Office from 1958 to 1965.

Diplomatic career

Webber's diplomatic career began after being appointed as the Deputy High Commissioner to Kuching in 1965. On 1 August 1965, he became the new high commissioner to Brunei, replacing Edgar O. Liard. During his time in Brunei, he attended key events such as the wedding of Princess Nor'ain Bolkiah in August 1967. Early that year in February, he gave the reassurance of the British government being keen on seeing positive constitutional changes in Brunei. In conjunction to the

1967 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1967 were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, on the occasion of the official birthday ...

, he awarded the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

Commander (CBE) to Brunei Financial Officer, John Lee. Notably, Webber was appointed as Brunei's Scout Chief. He was transferred to the British High Commission in Canberra in October 1967.

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III Sultan Sir Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien ( Jawi: ; 23 September 1914 – 7 September 1986) was the 28th Sultan of Brunei, reigning from 4 June 1950 until his abdication from the throne on 5 October 1967. He was also Brunei's fir ...

was worried when the

Commonwealth Office The Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs was a British Cabinet minister responsible for dealing with the United Kingdom's relations with members of the Commonwealth of Nations (its former colonies). The minister's department was the Common ...

informed him that F.D. Webber would be moving to Australia. The Sultan wanted him to stay because he was concerned that if the High Commissioner changed, the Commonwealth Office would adopt a much stricter stance regarding Brunei's constitutional progress. Consequently, the Sultan's attempt in revoking Webber's transfer was unsuccessful.

Death

Webber passed away in 1991.

Honours

Fernley Webber was given the honorary title of ''Yang Terutama'' (His Excellency) by the

Government of Brunei The Government of Brunei Darussalam is the union government created by the constitution of Brunei where by the Sultan of Brunei is both head of state and head of government (Prime Minister of Brunei). Executive power is exercised by the governme ...

. He would go on to earn the following awards; * UK Order St-Michael St-George ribbon

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

Companion (CMG; 1959) * Ribbon - Efficiency Decoration (South Africa)

Territorial Decoration __NOTOC__ The Territorial Decoration (TD) was a military medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army. This award superseded the Volunteer Officer's Decoration when the Te ...

(TD; 1942) * Military cross BAR

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

(MC; 1954)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Webber, Fernley 1918 births 1991 deaths Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Recipients of the Military Cross High Commissioners of the United Kingdom to Brunei