Lieutenant Colonel Sir (George) Stewart Symes

Symes was born in 1882, entering the Army in 1900. He was the first Resident not to have been in the Indian Army. He was in South Africa in 1902 towards the end of the Boer War, and from 1903-04 in Aden with his Regiment (the Hampshires). Whilst serving with the column supporting the Boundary Commission he was awarded the DSO, one of only two or three gallantry medals (and the only DSO) awarded to those serving in the hinterland.

Somewhat strangely no campaign medal was ever awarded to those in the hinterland, as it was not considered ‘active service’, in spite of Symes’ award and quite a few soldiers being killed in action. He then spent quite few years in the Sudan, probably in the Sudanese equivalent of the Indian Staff Corps. He was appointed CMG and Brevet-Lieutenant Colonel in 1917.

From 1920-25 he was Governor of the Northern District of Palestine, followed by three years as Chief Secretary to the Government of Palestine, before coming to Aden in 1928 as Resident and Commander-in-Chief until 1931. He got his ‘K’ on coming to Aden, this being upgraded to GBE in 1939 when he became Governor General of the Sudan. After Aden he was Governor of Tanganyika from 1931-33, being appointed KCMG in 1932. He died in 1962.