William Denis Battershill

Sir William Denis Battershill KCMG (29 June 1896 – 11 August 1959) was a British colonial administrator. He was Governor of Cyprus from 1939 to 1941 and Governor of Tanganyika from 1945 to 1949.

Biography

Early life and education Battershill attended King's College in Worcester from 1908 to 1914. After graduating, he enlisted in the British Army, serving in India and Iraq.

Colonial service In 1920, he joined the Ceylon Civil Service as a cadet officer, rising to the position of 2nd Assistant Secretary and Clerk to the Legislative Council 1928. Following this, he served variously as Assistant Colonial Secretary in Jamaica, 1929–1935, Colonial Secretary of Cyprus, 1935–1937, Chief Secretary of the Mandate of Palestine, 1937–1939, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Cyprus, 1939–1941, Assistant Under-Secretary of State for the Colonial Office, 1941–1942, and Deputy Under-Secretary for the Tanganyika Territory, 1942–1945.

In 1945 he became Governor of the United Nations Trust Territory of Tanganyika. He was largely known for taking land that had previously been set aside for German settlers during the era of German East Africa and redistributing it to indigenous Africans. He also sought to increase the role of Africans in government by increasing African participation in voting and by replacing European officials with African officials. Battershill also saw to it that it was illegal to pay Africans less than Europeans or Asians for doing the same work in Tanganyika.

Later life In 1959, after a life of public service, he died in Cyprus, where he had chosen to live with his wife in retirement.