Ralph Hone

His ExcellencyMajor General Sir Ralph Hone KCMGKBEMCTDKStJ
21stGovernor of North Borneo
In office 10 January 1950 – 1954
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	Edward Twining
Succeeded by	Roland Evelyn Turnbull
Attorney General of Uganda
In office 1937–1943
Monarch	George V
Preceded by	James Reali Gregg
Succeeded by	Neville Harry Turton
Attorney General of Gibraltar
In office 1933–1936
Preceded by	Maxwell Hendry Anderson
Succeeded by	Mansell Reece
President ofThe Uganda Society.
In office 1937–1938
Preceded by	H. Jowitt
Succeeded by	John Sykes
Personal details
Born	Herbert Ralph Hone (1896-05-03)3 May 1896 Hove,Sussex,England
Died	28 November 1992(1992-11-28)(aged 96)
Alma mater	University of London
Occupation	Military officer,barristeranddiplomat
Military service
Branch/service	British Army
Years of service	1915–1920 1941–1945
Rank	Major General
Unit	Inns of Court Regiment London Irish Rifles
Commands	Uganda Defence Force Middle East Command South East Asia Command
Battles/wars	World War I World War II

Major GeneralSir Herbert Ralph HoneKCMGKBEMC(3 May 1896 – 28 November 1992) was aBritish Armyofficer, barrister and colonial administrator.

Biography

Early life

Ralph Hone was born inHove,Sussex, and was educated atVarndean Grammar School,Brighton.Hone's mother died while he was in his teens; his father, "a man of character",went on to becomemayorof Brighton in 1937. His family, theHones,were distant relations toNathaniel Hone the Elderof the famous painting, writing, cricket and diplomatic dynasty the Hones. However, Ralph's upbringing was far removed from that of his forebears.

World War I

In April 1915 Hone passed the British civil service examination. He then joined theInns of Court Regimentand was commissioned in July 1915 in theLondon Irish Rifles.He was posted to the 1/18th battalion and was involved in theBattle of Loosin autumn 1915. Hone served in theNotre Dame de Lorettesector and then atVimy Ridge.During this time Hone was hospitalised with acutetrench feverandimpetigo.He was promoted to lieutenant on 14 April 1917,and to acting captain on 14 January 1918.

On 21 March 1918, the Germans opened theirSpring Offensivewith 6000 guns. Hone's company halted the German's first infantry assault, capturing 25 German prisoners. Hone was awarded theMilitary Cross(MC) for his actions when the Germans attempted toenfiladethe British lines, becoming severely wounded in the process.The full citation for the medal appeared inThe London Gazettein September 1918 and reads as follows:

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when in command of a company. He led his men with skill and courage and drove out a party of the enemy who had penetrated into his trench. Later, he held the right flank of his battalion against a determined bombing attack, when he was severely wounded. By his action and example he undoubtedly saved the situation at a critical moment.

He was repatriated to England, and by the end of the war had been promoted to acaptain.The day after thearmistice with Germanyin November he married Elizabeth Matthews (b. 1894/95), with whom he later had two children, a son and daughter.

In 1920, Hone left the army and joined the colonial service in Uganda. He trained as abarristerand on his first long leave wascalled to the barby theMiddle Templein 1924, during which time he aided in the prosecution of Patrick Mahon, the perpetrator of theCrumbles murders.The next year, he was appointedZanzibar's registrar to the high court; followed by resident magistrate. His legal career continued with an appointment as crown counsel inTanganyika,followed byAttorney General of Gibraltar(1933–36). While he was in Gibraltar theSpanish Civil Warbroke out; domestic duties included acting as chairman of the Gibraltar governmentslum clearancecommission. From Gibraltar he was posted toUgandafrom 1937 to 1943, asAttorney General of Uganda.

World War II

Hone was made commandant of the Uganda Defence Force following the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1941, he was transferred toGeneral Headquarters Middle East,first as legal advisor to advise on law in the conquered Italian territories and later as chief political officer. In March 1943, he was promoted tomajor-general,"to ease his command over the Brigadiers under him";he was also appointed Commander of theCBE.

This was followed by a period in theWar Officein London, dealing with the war situation inSouth-East Asia.While working atSouth East Asia Command(SEAC) headquarters he got to knowLouis Mountbatten,later Earl Mountbatten of Burma. In August 1945, Hone was sent toMalaya,to oversee the handover to civilian rule, and was present at theJapanese surrenderatSingaporeon 12 September.

Post-war career

Hone married again in 1945, and had a son by his second wife Sybil. Hone was awarded the Knight Commander of theKBEin 1946. He served as Secretary-General to the Governor-General of Malaya for two years from 1946, followed by Deputy Commissioner-General in south-east Asia from 1948 to 1949, and in 1949 he was appointedGovernorand Commander-in-Chief ofNorth Borneo.Hone was considered a great success as Governor of North Borneo, encouraging the country's recovery from the ravages of the Japanese occupation and expanding the colony's export trades. He was appointedKCMGin 1951.

H.R Hone

Later years

"Sir H. Ralph Hone" displayed in theSabah Museum

Hone was head of the legal division of the Commonwealth Relations Office from 1954 to 1961, when he retired from the civil service, and resumed practice at the bar. Given his background in diplomacy and overseas service, he also held many important advisory posts both at home and overseas: his final advisership was to theBermudangovernment from July to November 1966.

Hone was Vice President of theRoyal Commonwealth Society.He was also an activefreemason,a member of the higher degree of freemasonry, the Ancient and Accepted (Scottish) Rite 33º. Hone was also Bailiff Grand Cross of theVenerable Order of St John.He died on 28 November 1992.

An archive of Hone's papers dating from 1937 to 1972 has been deposited at theBodleian Libraryof Commonwealth and African Studies atRhodes House,part of theUniversity of Oxford.The reference for the records is MSS Brit Emp s 407, MSS Ind Ocn s 271.

In addition, the papers of Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma held atSouthampton UniversityLibrary include correspondence with Hone relating to South East Asia Command 1944–1946. The reference for the records is MB1/C124.

A steam engine was named in his honour, theHunslet-built 40604T "Sir H. Ralph Hone", which is now displayed in theSabah Museum,Kota Kinabalu,Sabah.

Books

• Revised Edition of the Laws of Gibraltar in Force on 31 December 1935Gibraltar: Benedict R Miles for Gibraltar Garrison Library Committee, 1936
• The Statute Law of the Bahama Islands, 1799–1965 in Force on 1 April 1965Nassau: Government of the Colony of the Bahama Islands, 1965
• The Subsidiary Legislation of the Bahama Islands, 1799–1965Nassau: Government of the Colony of the Bahama Islands, 1965

References

• Oxford Dictionary of National Biographyentry for Sir Herbert Ralph Hone by Philip Warner
• Obituary inThe Independent(4 December 1992)
• Obituary in theDaily Telegraph(7 December 1992)
• Obituary inThe Times(7 December 1992)
• The Times(10 February 1993)
• Cambridge University Library: Royal Commonwealth Society Collections Sir Ralph Hone Collection: Saudi Arabia
• Liddel Hart Centre for Military Archives entry for Sir Herbert Ralph Hone
• Major General Sir Herbert Ralph HONE– Biographies at www.BritishMilitaryHistory.co.uk
• Generals of World War II