Sir Folliott Herbert Sandford KBE CMG (28 October 1906 – 5 July 1986) was a British civil servant and

Registrar of the University of Oxford The Registrar of the University of Oxford is one of the senior officials of the university. According to its statutes, the Registrar acts as the "head of the central administrative services", with responsibility for "the management and professio ...

from 1958 to 1972.

Life and career

Folliott Herbert Sandford, the son of a barrister, was born on 28 October 1906. He was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...

and

New College, Oxford New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at th ...

, where he obtained first-class degrees in Classics and in Law. He joined the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

as a civil servant in 1930, working as

Principal Private Secretary A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family. The role exists in t ...

to four Secretaries of State for Air between 1937 and 1940:

Viscount Swinton A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

, Sir Kingsley Wood, Sir Samuel Hoare and

Sir Archibald Sinclair Archibald Henry Macdonald Sinclair, 1st Viscount Thurso, (22 October 1890 – 15 June 1970), known as Sir Archibald Sinclair between 1912 and 1952, and often as Archie Sinclair, was a British politician and leader of the Liberal Party. Backgr ...

. In 1941 and 1942, he was attached to

RAF Ferry Command RAF Ferry Command was the secretive Royal Air Force command formed on 20 July 1941 to ferry urgently needed aircraft from their place of manufacture in the United States and Canada, to the front line operational units in Britain, Europe, North Af ...

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...

, Canada; from 1942 to 1944, he was the secretary to the office of the

Resident Minister A resident minister, or resident for short, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of indir ...

for West Africa. He returned to the Air Ministry in 1944, rising from Assistant Under-Secretary of State to become Deputy Under-Secretary of State from 1947 to 1958. He was appointed a

Companion of the 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. ...

(CMG) and a

Knight Commander of 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 ...

(KBE) in 1949. He became a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of New College on his appointment as

in 1958, succeeding Sir Douglas Veale, and held both positions until retiring in 1972. On his retirement, he was appointed an Honorary Fellow of New College and Wolfson College and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the university. He was Master of the Skinners' Company from 1975 to 1976. He was twice married: to Gwendoline (née Masters) from 1935 until her death in 1977, and then to Peggy Young (née Odgear) from 1982 until her death in 1984. Sandford died on 5 July 1986. The historian Brian Harrison describes him as "unobtrusively providing expertise and continuity" and a hard worker, but one who "lacked Veale's vision and sense of proportion" and who suffered from having to try to match the standards set for the role by Veale.

References

External links

Sir Folliott Herbert Sandford's diary of wartime experiences in West Africa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandford, Folliott 1906 births 1986 deaths British civil servants Registrars of the University of Oxford People educated at Winchester College Alumni of New College, Oxford Fellows of New College, Oxford Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George