Sir Ivor Llewellyn Brace (September 1898 – 24 October 1952) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

and barrister who later served as a colonial judge. In 1951, he became the first Chief Justice of the Combined Judiciary of

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...

North Borneo (I persevere and I achieve) , national_anthem = , capital = Kudat (1881–1884);Sandakan (1884–1945);Jesselton (1946) , common_languages = English, Kadazan-Dusun, Bajau, Murut, Sabah Malay, Chinese etc. , gover ...

and

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...

. He served in this position until his death.

Career

Ivor was called to the Bar in England and Wales in 1921 and practised on the

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

circuit Circuit may refer to: Science and technology Electrical engineering * Electrical circuit, a complete electrical network with a closed-loop giving a return path for current ** Analog circuit, uses continuous signal levels ** Balanced circu ...

. His first appointment with the

Colonial Legal Service The Colonial Service, also known as His/Her Majesty's Colonial Service and replaced in 1954 by Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service (HMOCS), was the British government service that administered most of Britain's overseas possessions, under the aut ...

was as

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a ''magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

in the Gold Coast. In 1932, Ivor was

Crown Counsel Crown counsel are lawyers, generally in Common Law jurisdictions, who provide advice to the government and acts as prosecutors in cases. In various jurisdictions their title can vary and they could also be known as the Queen's Advocate, King's Adv ...

in Colonial Nigeria. He later served as assistant judge at the Nigerian High Court before being transferred to

Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate The Colony and Protectorate of Sierra Leone (informally British Sierra Leone) was the British colonial administration in Sierra Leone from 1808 to 1961, part of the British Empire from the abolitionism era until the decolonisation era. The Cr ...

to serve as

puisne judge A puisne judge or puisne justice (; from french: puisné or ; , 'since, later' + , 'born', i.e. 'junior') is a dated term for an ordinary judge or a judge of lesser rank of a particular court. Use The term is used almost exclusively in common law ...

. In 1946, Ivor left for

British Borneo British Borneo comprised the four northern parts of the island of Borneo, which are now the country of Brunei, two Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, and the Malaysian federal territory of Labuan. During the British colonial rule before Worl ...

after being appointed Chief Justice of North Borneo and subsequently became the first Chief Justice of the Combined Judiciary of Sarawak, North Borneo and Brunei in December 1951. He was knighted in the

1952 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1952 were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire and Commonwealth. They were announced on 1 January 1952 for the British Empire, Austra ...

Personal life

Brace was the younger of two sons of

William Brace William Brace (23 September 1865 – 12 October 1947) was a Welsh trade unionist and Liberal and Labour politician. Early life and career Born in Risca, in the coal-mining district of Monmouthshire, he was one of six children of Thomas and ...

and Nellie Humphreys.

Honours

* : **

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are t ...

(Kt) - Sir (1952)

References

*"Sir Ivor's Estate", '' Singapore Standard'', 6 April 1953, p. 3. 1898 births 1952 deaths People from Abertillery Colonial Nigeria judges Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate judges British Borneo judges Sarawak, North Borneo and Brunei judges British colonial governors and administrators in Africa British colonial governors and administrators in Asia Welsh barristers Welsh soldiers British colonial army officers Welch Regiment soldiers Royal Welch Fusiliers soldiers British Army personnel of World War I Knights Bachelor Colonial Legal Service officers {{Law-stub