T. P. M. Lewis

T. P. M. Lewis (26 July 1904 – 10 June 1989) was a British educationalist who served in Malaya, and is known for the diary he kept during his three and a half years as a POW in Singapore, which he later published.

Early life and education T. P. M. Lewis was born on 26 July 1904 into a Welsh family, and educated at Royal Masoninc School, Bushey, Hertfordshire, and at Jesus College, Oxford.

Career Lewis began his career in 1926 when he joined the Malayan Education Department of the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States as Assistant Master, and in 1930 was appointed Acting Headmaster of Anderson School, Ipoh, in addition to his other duties. He then served in several schools as headmaster or assistant headmaster including King Edward VII School, Taiping (1932), English College, Johore Bahru (1936), Francis Light School, Penang (1938), and Clifford School, Kuala Lipis (1940).

After the Second World War, during which Lewis spent over three years in captivity in Singapore, he returned to Malaya and rejoined the Malayan Department of Education. In 1948, he was appointed Director of Education, Johore, before being promoted to Deputy Director of Education, Federation of Malaya, based in Kuala Lumpur.

In 1954, he went to Singapore where he assumed the role of Senior Inspector of Schools, and Director of Education. At the time there was a rapid increase in the number of school age children in Singapore, and there was an insufficient number of teachers and schools. Lewis was responsible for introducing a major school building programme, and the system of morning and afternoon schools where premises were used in two sessions by different pupils and staff.

Lewis left Malaya in 1956 and returned to the United Kingdom where he taught at Abermad Preparatory School, Aberystwyh and in 1968 at Dragon School, Oxford. He retired in 1976, aged 72. He was a keen sportsman playing rugby for London Welsh, Perak and North Malaya.