Frederick Richard Saunders

Sir Frederick Richard Saunders KCMG (7 July 1838 – 30 March 1910) was the Treasurer of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) (1890–1897), Commissioner of Stamps, a member of the Executive and Legislative Councils, and the second British colonial Inspector General of Police of British Ceylon from 1872 to 1873.

Early Life

Frederick Richard Saunders was born in Colombo, Ceylon on 7 July 1838, the first son and second child of Frederick Saunders (1804–1870) and Louisa Matilda née Tucker (1814–1895).

His father was the acting Postmaster General of Ceylon (1839), the eleventh Treasurer of Ceylon (1861–1865), and a member of both the Legislative Council and Governor's Executive Council, under the Robinson administration.

He was educated at the Royal College of Elizabeth, Guernsey, and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.

Career

He entered the Ceylon Civil Service in 1857, and amongst the posts he held were those of Assistant Government Agent, District Judge, Inspector-General of Prisons, and Government Agent for the Western Province.

While Assistant Government Agent in In 1864, Sir Frederick supervised and personally carried out the capture of the noted brigand Utuwankande Sura Saradiel, a Ceylonese gang leader and bandit described as the 'Robin Hood of Sri Lanka', who was sentenced to death and hanged on 7 May 1864.

Sir Frederick organised elephant kraals on the occasion of the visits of the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Alfred, the Earl of Clarence, Prince Leopold, and the Duke of York who would later become King George, V of the United Kingdom and Emperor of India, to Ceylon.

In 1886, he represented Ceylon at the Royal Colonial Exhibition in London and in 1897 was the principal representative of Ceylon at the Diamond Jubilee Commemoration Celebrations in London, and presented the Ceylon address to Queen Victoria at Windsor.

He was appointed Treasurer of Ceylon and Commissioner of Stamps in 1890. He received the CMG in 1880 and was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George on 22 June 1897, retiring from public service in 1897.

It was greatly due to his efforts whilst Chairman of the Northern Railway Commissions that the northern line railway to Jaffna was sanctioned, constructed, and opened in 1894.

Personal Life

Sir Frederick married Mary Jane née Gibson, daughter of William Charles Gibson (CMG); a fellow senior Ceylonese Civil Servant, on 26 October 1867. By his wife Mary he had issue:

-Louisa Caroline (b. 1868).

-Frederick William (b. 1870) of the Royal Engineers and Queen Victoria's Own Sappers and Miners. He was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in 1888, became Lieutenant 1891, Captain in 1899, and was promoted to Major in 1907. He was posted in Aden in 1914 and promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel before being sent to Bombay in 1917. From there, he was sent to Quetta, where he fought with the 4th (Quetta) Division during the Third Anglo-Afghan War where he was brought to notice for his distinguished service during operations against Afghanistan by Sir Charles Monro, 1st Baronet. Frederick died on 4 May 1933, aged 63, at 8 Knaresborough Place, South Kensington He left his substantial estate to his brother Reginald and sister Louisa, who remained unmarried.

-Maud Mary (b. 1871); married Colonel George Dalrymple Fanshawe of the Royal Artillery, nephew of Admiral, Sir Edward Gennys Fanshawe and grandson of Sir George Judd Harding.

-Neva Mary (b. 1872); married Captain Robert Bruce Cameron, son of John Macdonald Cameron and like G. D. Fanshawe, of the Royal Artillery.

-Reginald Gibson (b. 1878); educated in England at Tonbridge School and Cheltenham College. He entered the Ceylon Government Service and held various minor appointments, such as Third Assistant to the Postmaster-General, Acting Assistant Collector of Customs and Police Magistrate, Trincomalee, and Office Assistant to the Government Agent, Uva Province. In 1903 he became Police Magistrate at Matara, and in 1904 Assistant Government Agent and District Judge at Mannar. He attended the two pearl fisheries of 1904 and 1905 in his official capacity. In 1906, on his return from half-pay leave, he was appointed Commissioner of Requests and Police Magistrate, Chilaw. Later he was made Assistant Government Agent and District Judge, Chilaw.

Mary died on 30 April 1895, and in the year 1900, Sir Frederick married, secondly, Christina Sophia (née Freshfield), daughter of Charles Freshfield (MP for Dover); son of James William Freshfield - the man who founded the (now) international law firm Freshfields. Christina died on 15 January 1909.

Death

Saunders died on 30 March 1910 at The Drive, Hove, East Sussex at the age of 71. Saunders' body was then brought by train to Leamington Spa, accompanied by members of his family, and interred at Leamington Cemetary, where he was buried in the grave of his first wife, Mary. The Cingalese flag was used as a pall and the funeral service was conducted by Rev. W. A. Buck, who - when in Ceylon - was acquainted with Sir Frederick. .