LT-COLONEL HAROLD FENTON JACOB
CSI, OFFICER OF THE LEGION OF HONOUR
born 22nd December 1866 - died 23rd December 1936
Harold was born on 22nd December 1866, the second son of Colonel George Adolphus Jacob. He had three brothers and four sisters, more of these later. He was educated at Malvern, Highgate and Sandhurst, entering the army in 1887.
Most of his time was spent in the Indian Political Service however. He then spent the majority of his remaining service in Aden. He was Political Agent at Dthala 1904-07 and 1st Assistant Resident in Aden 1910-17 (and once the War started he was also Chief Political Officer to the Aden Field Force).
He was promoted Lieutenant Colonel in 1913 and appointed CSI in 1917, and in 1919 was appointed an Officer of the Legion of Honour. From 1917-20 he was advisor on SW Arabian affairs to the High Commissioner in Egypt.
He was Political Agent in Aden and in the Hinterland and served on Lord Allenby's staff as an advisor on South West Arabia, where he became acquainted with Lawrence of Arabia.
Harold became a close friend of the Imam Yahya. When he first tried to visit him in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, as head of a diplomatic mission on behalf of King George V, he was captured by tribesmen friendly to the Turks. After several months of captivity, he was eventually released.
Harold spoke Arabic fluently and was a great student of the Koran - it being his textbook in all his dealings with the Arabs. He was greatly beloved in the Arab Hinterland and it was to Gakub that the Arabs took their troubles, their disputes and family feuds, always sure of sympathy and a sound sense of justice. He wrote two books about Arabia, Perfumes of Araby and Kings of Arabia.
Harold married twice. His first wife was Lilian, the daughter of Colonel F M Hunter CB CSI, by whom he had three children, two surviving infancy, a son Frederick Arthur and a daughter Marjorie Lilian ,died on 3rd October 1903. Harold married as his second wife Ellen Maria Hoyer the only daughter of the Reverend Olaf Hoyer of Copenhagen, Denmark and they had three children Alaric, Kenneth Clive and Lorna Eileen.
A good insight into this period of the family's history can be obtained from Clive Jacob's excellent book 'A Victorian Pedagogue and his Circle', being letters written to Harold's father, Colonel George Adolphus Jacob by his father the Reverend George Andrew Jacob and his father-in-law the Reverend Amos Abbot (The Jacob Private Press c 2002).
Harold & Ellen lived in the white house known as 'Prideaux Castle' at Tawahi below Hogg Tower, overlooking The Union Club and with fine views across Post Office Bay.
'Prideaux Castle' is on the ridge between Post Office Bay and Tawahi. Prideaux was there as a junior Assistant in 1871 and again a few years later. One possibility is that this was the official residence of the 1st Assistant and at the time the photograph was taken Prideaux may have held that appointment.
Col H F Jacob (centre and inset), one of Allenby's men, captured by Arabs while (with the other officers seen in the photographs) he was on a mission to Turkish Yemen. The mission were treated well, though they had a narrow escape when an inquiring aeroplane appeared and set all the tribesmen shooting for all they were worth.
In the end the mission were released with much jubilation, in which a drum band played a vigorous part. The doctor of the party, Capt. Brock (standing on the left) was very popular with the natives, who believed him to be 'the son of the daughter of the King'.
The Daily Sketch, Tuesday 13th April 1920
IN MEMORIAM
Lt. Col. H. F. Jacob, C.S.I.
The few in our congregation who knew him felt deeply the news that Lt. Col. Jacob had passed away from heart failure after a serious operation.
All will remember his tall figure laying the wreath at our Armistice service, but few knew of the true greatness which prompted me to invite him to perform this small service. They only knew of him as a quiet unobtrusive man, who came morning and evening to our Church. When I gave him the usual wording for laying the wreath he said to me "do you mind if I don't use these words, but say a few words of my own. I should like to witness to my faith." That was the true character of this humble man. Yet it is not we but the Empire that is the loser by his death.
Col. Jacob was political officer under the Indian Government. He was on the staff of the late Lord Allanby, and a warm personal friend. He was also a personal friend of Lawrence of Arabia, and did something of the kind of work in Southern Arabia that Lawrence did for for the whole of Arabia. For four years he lived in Sana, the capital of the Imman Yahya, King of Southern Arabia. While there he was our King's Royal Envoy. He played a leading part in drawing up the Treaty which was recently made with this Arab Kingdom.
He was author of several books, and had just completed a new one. I had the privilege of reading this MS and of discussing it with him in the course of preparation for the press. The "Times" truthfully says of him, "The good men do lives after them, and Col. Jacob has left a valuable gift to his own country in the standard he set in Southern Arabia for the name of England."
He died at St. Leonards and was laid to rest at our Hastings Cemetery on December 28th (1936). I felt it a sad honour to be allowed to conduct the service. I have lost a valued friend.
Cyril C. Dobson - Vicar of St Mary-in-the-Castle, Hastings.