Sir Tom Hickinbotham
b.1903 d.1983

Governor of Aden from April 1951 to 13 Jul 1956 

Sir Tom Hickinbotham, Governor of Aden at Steamer Point in 1955
Image courtesy Alan Garland

In the days when Aden was still administered from India Tom Hickinbotham arrived in Aden as Personal Assistant to the Resident, Sir Bernard Reilly. Like most newcomers to Aden he did not take to this new environment and asked to be sent back to India. His personal diary entry for October 4th 1931 read: "Arrived at Aden at 4pm. The place is not as I had expected and I found I had forgotten all about it. It looked just like a penal settlement and the nearer one got the more unprepossessing the place became". However, he soon became accustomed to Aden and settled in to his now role.

 

His next position in Aden was Civil Secretary plus other duties including Inspector of Education, Judge of the sessions court and Superintendent of Customs, Salt & Excise.   After an absence of several years in neighbouring countries of the Persian Gulf he returned to Aden at the end of 1947 and in 1948 was appointed Chairman of The Aden Port Trust by the Governor-in-Council, presiding successfully over the Aden Port Trust Board.   On August 4th 1951 he was appointed Governor of Aden, responsible for not only the Colony of Aden but also the Aden Protectorate.

Sir Tom Hickinbotham