Sir Charles Johnston
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The new Governor in Aden, Charles Johnston, was convinced of the need to merge the Colony and the Federation. He believed that the federal rulers would never allow Aden to gain self-government without having some say in its affairs.
Born in 1912, Charles Johnston was educated at Winchester College and Balliol College, in Oxford. He entered the Diplomatic Service in 1936 and was posted as 3rd Secretary in Tokyo in 1939. He interned in Japan from 1940-1942 then moved to the position of 2nd Secretary in Cairo from 1942-1945. Promoted to 1st Secretary in Cairo 1945-1948 followed by a posting to Madrid from 1948-1951.
Johnston was Counsellor to Japan and Pacific Department and China and Korea Department, Foreign Office from 1951-1953 and Political Adviser to British High Commissioner in Bonn during 1953.
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He became Ambassador to Jordan from 1956-1959 then Governor and Commander-in-Chief, Aden, 1960-1963. Following the change of status of Aden and the other member States to a Federation, he fulfilled the role of High Commissioner for Aden and Protectorate of South Arabia from 18 January 1963 to 17 July 1963. This was followed by a position as Deputy Under Secretary of State, Foreign Office, 1963-1965 then High Commissioner, Australia, 1965-1971, retiring in 1971. Sir Charles died 15 years later in 1986.
He retired a little earlier than intended from his position as Governor of Aden to be back in UK with his wife, who had been quite ill. In 1944 Charles had married Princess Nathalia (Natasha) Bagration-Moukhransky of the Russian Royal Family. Natasha was born in 1912 and died aged 72 in 1984.
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He described the rocky heights of Aden and Little Aden well when he said they "stick out into the sea like the claws of a lobster buried in the sand."
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With his wife he published a translation of Turgnev's Sportsman's Notebook and himself published a book of poems, 'Towards Mozambique', mainly written when he was interned in Japan during the war. Later he published 'The View from Steamer Point', an account of his three year term in Aden.
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