Henry Bolton Basten

Sir Henry Bolton Basten (né Cohen; 2 May 1903 – 8 April 1992) was a British–Australian civil servant and university vice-chancellor.

Early life and education Basten was born Henry Bolton Cohen on 2 May 1903 at Stoke Newington, London – the eldest son of Gustave Henry Cohen and his wife Elizabeth (née Hawker). He was educated at City of London School and Merton College, Oxford where he received his BA in 1925 (MA in 1954).

Career Basten joined the colonial civil service and went to India to work for the Calcutta Port Trust. In 1934, he went to Singapore and was employed by the Singapore Harbour Board. Before the Japanese occupation in 1942, he was evacuated to England and served with the Ministry of War Transport, organising shipping. In September 1945, he returned to Singapore as chairman and general manager of the Singapore and Penang Harbour Boards. Having been severely damaged during the Second World War, he successfully rehabilitated the port of Singapore in the face of shortages of materials, frequent labour unrest and crime. For his valuable service he was appointed CMG in 1947. By 1948, with the rebuilding of the docks virtually complete, the goods handled by the Harbour Board reached an all time high.

Basten retired from the civil service in 1950 and left Singapore to work for the Australian government reviewing the operation of Australian ports. In his report he identified the lack of warehouses and congestion at the ports as major causes of the slow turnaround of shipping. His recommendations, including construction of new ports, led to the improvement of port facilities such as those at Port Botany. In the 1966 New Year Honours, he was created a Knight Bachelor.