Dates

• Existence: 1916 - 1985

Biography

John Ewart Marnham was born in Hampstead on 24 January 1916, the elder son of Col. Arthur Ewart Marnham, M.C., T.D., D.L., J.P. (1890-1976) of Foxley Grove, Holyport, Berkshire. After education at Mill Hill School he went to Jesus College, Cambridge : Exhibitioner : Maths Tripos Pt. 1, Modern Languages Tripos Pts 1 and 2 : M.A. In 1938 he was appointed an Assistant Principal in the Colonial Office and was commissioned as Second Lieutenant RA (Territorial Army). He served with the British Expeditionary Force in 1939-1940 and was promoted to Captain in the latter year and Major in 1942. He returned to Europe with the British Liberation Army in 1944, was mentioned in despatches, and awarded the Military Cross. In 1944, he married Susan, eldest daughter of Walter Foster (formerly Friedenstein) of Vienna; they had two sons, Brian and Nicholas. He returned to the Colonial Office after the war, was promoted to Principal in 1946 and after serving as Secretary to the British Guiana and British Honduras Settlement Commission in 1947-1948 was promoted to Assistant Secretary. In 1955 he was appointed C.M.G. He continued his military career (T.D., 1949) and 1954-1957 was Lt-Col. Commanding 353 (London) Medium Regiment RA (TA): Defence College, a post in which he travelled widely. In 1964 he became Assistant Under-Secretary of State in the Colonial Office and from 1966-1967 in the Foreign Office. He then held three overseas posts as Consul-General in Johannesburg 1967-1970, British Government Representative in the West Indian Associated States in 1970-1973 and Ambassador to Tunisia, 1973-1975. From 1977-1981 he was Clerk in the Committee Office of the House of Commons. He died on 28 December 1985.

Sources:

Typescript copy of 'Index to Photographers'.

Found in 3 Collections and/or Records:

 Fonds

Marnham collection

 Fonds

Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Marnham

Scope and Contents This collection of slides records the travels of the British civil servant and diplomat John Ewart Marnham, and in particular his considerable interest in wildlife as well as in gardening. The RCS originally received a collection of 3358 slides. Marnham appears in a few of them and some others may have been given to him, but he was the photographer of the vast majority of the collection. There are 1631 relating to the Commonwealth countries or those with Commonwealth connections. ...

Dates: 1939 - 1980

Conditions Governing Access: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).

Found in: Cambridge University Library