Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Frederick Travers O'Connor (30 July 1870 – 14 December 1943) was an Irish diplomat and officer in the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and British Indian armies. He is remembered for his travels in Asia, cartography, study and publication of local cultures and language, his actions on the

Younghusband expedition to Tibet The British expedition to Tibet, also known as the Younghusband expedition, began in December 1903 and lasted until September 1904. The expedition was effectively a temporary invasion by British Indian Armed Forces under the auspices of the Ti ...

, Royal Geographic Society council member, member of the

Royal Automobile Club The Royal Automobile Club is a British private Club (organization)#Country or sports club, social and athletic club. It has two clubhouses: one in London at 89 Pall Mall, London, Pall Mall, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, ne ...

and for his work negotiating and signing the

Nepal–Britain Treaty of 1923 The Nepal–Britain Treaty was first discussed in 1921 and the final treaty was signed on 21 December 1923 in Singha Durbar. The treaty was the first formal acknowledgement by the British that Nepal, as an independent nation, had the right to c ...

Early life

O'Connor was born in 1870,

Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It had a population of 10,952 at the 2022 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meeting of ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, son of land agent Matthew Weld O'Connor, and Harriet Georgina, daughter of Anthony O'Reilly, of Baltrasna,

County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

. He had a sister, Lina O'Connor, and two younger brothers Matthew O'Connor and Myles O'Connor. He was educated at

Charterhouse School Charterhouse is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Godalming, Surrey, England. Founded by Thomas Sutton in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian monastery in Charter ...

as a Junior Scholar, in Verites house, 1884-1887. Member of Charterhouse shooting team in 1885, and placing 7th, winning the House Shooting Cup in 1885. He passed through the Royal Military Academy in 1888 and was gazetted to the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

in 1890. He received Henry Wilkinson sabre (number 29781) in 1889, as gift from a family member.

Military career

14 February 1890 – Joined 14th Field Academy

at Shorncliffe as second lieutenant. 14 February 1893 – Promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. 1894 – Served in Indian mountain battery stationed near

Darjeeling Darjeeling (, , ) is a city in the northernmost region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the Koshi Pr ...

. 1897–98 – Employed in the

Swat valley Swat District (), also known as the Swat Valley, is a district in the Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Known for its stunning natural beauty, the district is a popular tourist destination. With a population of 2,687,384 per th ...

and Tirah Campaigns, patrolling the Kurrum Valley. Awarded medal and 3 clasps. 1 October 1899 – Promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. 1899–1903 – Appointed inspecting officer of the

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

Imperial Service Troops, stationed at

Gilgit Gilgit (; Shina language, Shina: ; ) is a city in Pakistani-administered Gilgit-Baltistan, Gilgit–Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kas ...

near the border of

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and Chinese

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ash ...

. 11 December 1903 – Departed

Sikkim Sikkim ( ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the ...

as interpreter, secretary and chief intelligence officer to Sir Francis Younghusband's Lhasa mission as part of

British expedition to Tibet The British expedition to Tibet, also known as the Younghusband expedition, began in December 1903 and lasted until September 1904. The expedition was effectively a temporary invasion by British Indian Army, British Indian Armed Forces under th ...

. Awarded medal and clasp. 1904 – Employed former Sengchen Lama's personal attendant Sherab Gyatso to be his personal language teacher and suspected intelligence informant. 21 May 1904 - Fought, and wounded, in battle to capture village of Pala. David (born Dorje) MacDonald briefly took over O'Connor's interpreter duties during recovery. 1905 – Posted as the first British Trade Agent at the new Trade Mart in

Gyantse Gyantse, officially Gyangzê Town (also spelled Gyangtse; ; ), is a town located in Gyantse County, Shigatse Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It was historically considered the third largest and most prominent town in Tibet (after Lha ...

, under the Anglo-Tibet Convention. May 1905 – Investigated theft of remains of Younghusband mission money from boxes left at Gyantse. Summer 1906 – Stayed with

Gertrude Bell Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell (14 July 1868 – 12 July 1926) was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, and archaeologist. She spent much of her life exploring and mapping the Middle East, and became highly inf ...

whilst she worked on her travel book '' The Desert and the Sown''. 1907 – Import of two motor cars, by carrying over the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

, into Tibet. One was an 8 hp Clement brought as a gift for Thubten Choekyi Nyima, the 9th

Panchen Lama The Panchen Lama () is a tulku of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The Panchen Lama is one of the most important figures in the Gelug tradition, with its spiritual authority second only to the Dalai Lama. Along with the council of high la ...

, who presided over

Tashi Lhunpo monastery Tashi Lhunpo Monastery () is an historically and culturally important monastery in Shigatse, the second-largest city in Tibet. Founded in 1447 by the 1st Dalai Lama, it is the traditional monastic seat of the Panchen Lama. The monastery was sa ...

near

Shigatse Shigatse, officially known as Xigazê () or Rikaze ( zh, s=日喀则, p=Rìkāzé), is a prefecture-level city of the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Its area of jurisdiction, with an area of , corresponds to the histo ...

. The other was his own 6.5 hp Baby Peugeot (

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...

Type 69). 1908 – Accompanied Sikkimese Prince on world tour and also to meet

13th In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the Musical note, note thirteen scale degrees from the root (chord), root of a chord (music), chord and also the interval (music), interval between the root and the thirteenth. The thirteenth is m ...

Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣识一切瓦齐尔达喇达赖喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...

. O'Connor was the first Indian Government official to meet the Dalai Lama. 14 February 1908 – Promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. 30 September 1909 – Appointed His Majesty's council for the districts of Seistan and Kain. 1910 – Serving in

Mashad Mashhad ( ; ), historically also known as Mashad, Meshhed, or Meshed in English, is the second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. In the Central District of Mashhad ...

Consul-General A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

and Agent to the Governor-General. 1912 – Transferred to

Shiraz Shiraz (; ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the popu ...

, capital province of Fars, as

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

. 28 October 1913 – Met with the

Edwin Montagu Edwin Samuel Montagu PC (6 February 1879 – 15 November 1924) was a British Liberal politician who served as Secretary of State for India between 1917 and 1922. Montagu was a "radical" Liberal and the third practising Jew (after Sir Herber ...

Under-Secretary of State for India This is a list of Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State and Permanent Under-Secretaries of State at the India Office during the period of British rule between 1858 and 1937 for India (and Burma by extension), and for India and Burma from 193 ...

, at lunch arranged by

, for 1.5 hour briefing and questions on the status of the frontier. November 1915 – Taken captive by Persian army 14 February 1916 - Promoted to lieutenant-colonel. August 1916 – Released from Persian captivity as part of prisoner exchange. 1918 – Met with

Lord Beaverbrook William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook (25 May 1879 – 9 June 1964), was a Canadian-British newspaper publisher and backstage politician who was an influential figure in British media and politics of the first half of the 20th century ...

, the

Minister of Information An information minister (also called minister of information) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with information matters; it is often linked with censorship and propaganda. Sometimes the position is given t ...

and sent to

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

to further the cause of the Allies and their friends amongst the Russians. 9 April 1918 – Sailed from the

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

on board the ., taking 11 days, to meet with senior military and diplomats regarding the US policy in Siberia. 3 June 1918 – Arrived in to

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( ; , ) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. It is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, covering an area o ...

and served as Resident. January 1921 – Appointed political officer at

Gangtok Gangtok (, ) is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Sikkim. The seat of East Sikkim district, eponymous district, Gangtok is in the eastern Himalayas, Himalayan range, at an elevation of . The city's population of 100 ...

. March 1921 – Left position in Gangtok and returned to England, when mother fell seriously ill. 21 December 1921 – Signed Nepal

as British Envoy at the Court of Nepal. 1925 – Retired from military service.

Distinctions

* The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, Companion (C.I.E.), 1904 *

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

, Commander (C.V.O.), 1922 * The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India, Companion (O.S.I.), 1924 *

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 Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

, 1925

Later life

2 February 1930 - Article in Detroit Free Press newspaper showing O'Connor leading tiger hunt in India. 28 June 1931 – Article in The Indianapolis Sunday Star newspaper saying O'Connor inviting 5 Americans on tiger hunt for $100,000 ($20,000 each). 30 June 1931 – Bankruptcy petition filed. 29 July 1931 – Receiving Order issued on a creditor's petition. 11:00 12 August 1931 – Date First Bankruptcy Meeting. 30 October 1931 – Date of bankruptcy public examination. 13 Jul 1932 – Arrived in Southampton from New York on the RMS Berengaria. 16 July 1934 – Crossed border from Canada to Seattle, to go to L.A. and tour the US.US Department of Labor Immigration Service, Form 54S, 1934-07-16 27 November 1938 – The Old House performed by John McCormack at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

in London. November 1939 – The Old House recorded by John McCormack. 14 December 1943 – Death, Chelsea. 17 December 1943 – Funeral, St Luke's Church Office, Headley Road,

Grayshott Grayshott is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is on the Hampshire / Surrey border northwest of Haslemere by road, and southwest of central London. The nearest rail link is Haslemere railway st ...

, Hindhead, GU26 6LF

Works

* Routes in Sikkim, 1900. * Report on Tibet, 1903. * Rules for the Phonetic Transcription into English of Tibetan Words, with

Charles Alfred Bell Sir Charles Alfred Bell (October 31, 1870 – March 8, 1945) was the British Political Officer for Bhutan, Sikkim and Tibet. He was known as "British India's ambassador to Tibet" before retiring and becoming a noted tibetologist. Biography ...

,1904 * Lhasa: an account of the country and people of Central Tibet, with

Perceval Landon Perceval Landon (1869–1927) was an English writer, traveller and journalist, now best remembered for his classic and much reprinted ghost story "Thurnley Abbey". Family Perceval Landon was born in Hastings on 29 March 1869. He was the son of ...

and

Herbert James Walton Herbert Walton (19 January 1869 – 4 May 1938) was an English surgeon and naturalist. Born in London on 19 January 1869, he was the second child and elder son of James Sydney Walton and Eleanor Georgina Louissan, his wife. Walton was initially ...

, 1905. * Folk Tales from Tibet with Illustrations by a Tibetan Artist and Some Verses from Tibetan Love Songs, 1906. * On the frontier and beyond: a record of thirty years' service, 1931 * Wrote music and lyrics to The Old House, Quietide and One Hundred Years Ago, 1937. * Things mortal, 1940.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:OConnor, William Frederick Travers

C.I.E. The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander ( GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) Appoint ...

C.V.O. C.S.I. 1870 births 1943 deaths Administrators in British India British explorers British military personnel of the British expedition to Tibet British military personnel of the Tirah campaign People educated at Charterhouse School Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Knights Bachelor Royal Artillery officers Tibetologists Irish expatriates in British India Military personnel from County Longford 19th-century British Army personnel