15th December 1994

Jersey-born Commissioner of Singapore dies

Arthur de la Mare was born in St John and educated at Victoria College and Cambridge. After joining the Foreign Service in 1936 he served in both the US and Far East. He was acting vice consul in Seoul before turning 30, ambassador to Afghanistan by the age of 49, then High Commissioner of Singapore and, later, Thailand, between 1968 and 1973.

The posting to Singapore was singularly important as, in that role, he oversaw the country gaining independence from Britain, and the handing over of Britain’s bases in the territory to local forces.

Upon retiring to Jersey in 1991, de la Mere, who was raised speaking Jèrriais, wrote a monthly column in the language for the Jersey Evening Post. He died in 1994.