David Trench

Sir David Trench
Governor of the Solomon Islands
Sir David Trench Governor of the Solomon Islands
	In office; 4 March 1961 – 16 June 1964
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	John Gutch
Succeeded by	Robert Sidney Foster
19th High Commissioner for the Western Pacific
	In office; 4 March 1961 – 16 June 1964
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	John Gutch
Succeeded by	Robert Sidney Foster
Personal details
Born	David Clive Crosbie Trench; 2 June 1915; Hanyu Pinyin
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping	daai3 leon4 zi2

Sir David Clive Crosbie Trench

DL (Chinese: 戴麟趾; 2 June 1915 – 4 December 1988) was a British Army officer and colonial governor who served as the Governor of Hong Kong from April 15, 1964 to October 19, 1971 and was High Commissioner for the Western Pacific

.

Early life

Trench was educated at Tonbridge School, Tonbridge, Kent and graduated from Jesus College, Cambridge with the degree of Master of Arts (M.A.).

War service

In 1938, Trench entered the Colonial Service as a cadet in the

Maasina Rule, an uprising aimed at securing independence for Malaita.^[1] In August 1947, he was appointed Secretary for Development and Native Affairs, and his crackdown on the Maasina Rule continued.^[2]

Trench attained the rank of

Lieutenant-Colonel in 1947 and studied at the Joint Services Command and Staff College in Swindon

, Wiltshire in 1949.

Colonial administration career

Trench served as

Governor of the Solomon Islands and High Commissioner for the Western Pacific

from 1961 to 1964. In 1950, Trench became Assistant Secretary to the Deputy Defence Secretary for Hong Kong. He eventually held the office of Deputy Financial Secretary in 1956 and Commissioner of Labour and Mines in 1957. In 1958, Trench studied at the Imperial Defence College in London.

Trench served as Deputy Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong between 1959 and 1960. He left Hong Kong to take up the office of High Commissioner for the British Western Pacific Territories between 1961 and 1964, but returned to Hong Kong as Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Hong Kong between 1964 and 1971.

His governorship in Hong Kong inherited from

City District Offices

in 1968 as links between the government and the public; the legislation of an eight-hour work day, six-day work week in 1971; and the introduction of a six-year compulsory primary school education, also in 1971.

Personal life

Trench married Margaret Gould on 18 August 1944. The couple had one daughter, Katherine Elizabeth (1956–2017). Trench was also a distant kinsman of the

Nigel Clive Cosby Trench

, also worked in the Foreign Service and succeeded to the Barony of Ashtown in 1990.

Trench died on 4 December 1988, aged 73.

Offices and honours

C.M.G.
, 1960
K.C.M.G.
, 1962
K.St.J.
, 1964
Honorary
LL.D. degree from the University of Hong Kong
, 1968

G.C.M.G.

, 1969

Governor of Hong Kong, 1964 to 1971

President of

St. John Ambulance Brigade and Association

in Dorset since 1972.

Chairman, Dorset Area Health Authority from 1973 to 1982

Deputy Lieutenant

of Dorset, 1977

The Trench Methadone Clinic and the David Trench Rehabilitation Clinic, both in Hong Kong, are named after him
Ching Cheung Road in Kwai Chung, New Territories, Hong Kong is named in honour of him

References

^ "Maasina Rule". Solomon Islands Historical Encyclopaedia 1893-1978. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
^ "Trench, David Clive Crosbie ( - 1988)". Solomon Islands Historical Encyclopaedia 1893-1978. Retrieved 31 August 2015.

Government offices
Preceded by John Gutch	High Commissioner for the Western Pacific 1961–1964	Succeeded by Robert Sidney Foster
Preceded by John Gutch	Governor of the Solomon Islands 1961–1964	Succeeded by Robert Sidney Foster
Preceded by Robert Brown Black	Governor of Hong Kong 1964–1971	Succeeded by Murray MacLehose

[1] "Maasina Rule". Solomon Islands Historical Encyclopaedia 1893-1978. Retrieved 31 August 2015.

[2] "Trench, David Clive Crosbie ( - 1988)". Solomon Islands Historical Encyclopaedia 1893-1978. Retrieved 31 August 2015.

[1]

[2]