Major General Sir Duncan Cumming, (10 August 1903 – ) was a twentieth-century British colonial administrator. In 1930, he married Nancy Acheson Houghton (died 1971); they had one daughter, the author Ann Schlee (born 1934).

Education

Cumming attended

Giggleswick School Giggleswick School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) in Giggleswick, near Settle, North Yorkshire, England. Early school In 1499, Giggleswick School was founded on half an acre of land leased by the Prior an ...

in the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

and

Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of th ...

, where he read history. Whilst at Cambridge he played

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

for England in 1925.

Career

From Cambridge Cumming joined the

Sudan Political Service Anglo-Egyptian Sudan ( ar, السودان الإنجليزي المصري ') was a condominium of the United Kingdom and Egypt in the Sudans region of northern Africa between 1899 and 1956, corresponding mostly to the territory of present-day ...

. In 1941 he was sent to Eritrea when it was captured during the Second World War, to establish British military administration. He became chief administrator of

Cyrenaica Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika ( ar, برقة, Barqah, grc-koi, Κυρηναϊκή ��παρχίαKurēnaïkḗ parkhíā}, after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between ...

in 1942. In 1945 he became chief civil affairs officer, Middle East as a major-general responsible to the War Office, 1945–48. From 1948 the military administrations were transferred to the Foreign Office under his influence. He became governor of Kordofan Province, Sudan, 1949 and deputy civil secretary to the Sudan Government, 1950–51.Sir Duncan Cumming Wartime administration in Africa, ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'', 13 Dec 1979, p 14, Issue 60499 During, and after, the war he was responsible for the civil administration of all of the occupied Italian Colonies in the Middle East, of which Eritrea was one. Subsequently, he worked for BOAC as managing director of Associated Companies Ltd, 1955–59 and Adviser on African Affairs, 1959–64. He was also a biographer of the traveller Mansfield Parkyns. Cumming was knighted in 1953. He was the honorary treasurer of the Royal Geographical Society (1971–74) and president (1974–77). He was president of the Society for Libyan Studies (1969–74).Sir Duncan Cumming, KBE, CB 1903–1979, ''LIBYAN STUDIES'', 11, 1979–1980 He was a member of the Mount Everest Foundation 1971–77 and the British Institute in Eastern Africa.

References

People educated at Giggleswick School English rugby union players England international rugby union players Presidents of the Royal Geographical Society Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Companions of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire 1903 births 1979 deaths Sportspeople from Yorkshire Sudan Political Service officers British expatriates in Eritrea British expatriates in Libya {{England-rugbyunion-bio-stub