Papers of F.N. Ashley

Photograph album, Ogoja Province, southern Nigeria; sketches; watercolour of Divisional Officer's house, Ikotikpene, 1918; photograph of Ashley, 1934; photograph of disembarkation of a colonial governor and members of his staff, uncaptioned.

Francis Noel Ashley (1884-1976), CMG (1937) was educated at Westminster, served with the Sussex Militia Artillery, 1902-1904 and with the Cape Colonial Mounted Forces, southern Africa, 1904-1908. He joined the Political Service, Nigeria as a cadet, 1908 and served with the West Africa Frontier Force, from 1915. He was Resident, Southern Provinces, Nigeria, 1924-1928, Resident Commissioner, British Solomon Islands Protectorate, 1929-1939 and served with the R.A.F. Volunteer Reserve [as Squadron Leader], 1940-1944. He was employed by the Bahamas Government, 1944-1946. In 1913 he married Marjorie Robinson, with whom he had one daughter.

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Collection level description created by Paul Davidson, Bodleian Library of Commonwealth and African Studies at Rhodes House.

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Postcard showing a photograph of native troops and colonial officials, inscribed Calabar, 1924, [Nigeria]. Donor assumes the couple in the centre of the picture to be F.N. Ashley and his wife. Donated by Mrs. Dorothy Sims Williams, through the good offices of Anthony Kirk-Greene, on 28th October 1996.

Account of history, administration, native manners and customs of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate, with associated papers as Resident Commissioner, and photographs, 1931-1938 (ref. MSS. Pac. s. 40); inspection reports as Resident Commissioner, British Solomon Islands Protectorate, 1929-1938 and as Chief Out Island Commissioner, Bahamas, 1944-1945; letter to a group of MPs who asked for an opinion on the future of the colonies, 1944 (ref. MSS. Brit. Emp. s. 422).