Misplaced Pages

#976023

33-636: John Brooke Johnson Brooke (born John Brooke Johnson, 1823 – 1 December 1868) was a soldier and Rajah Muda (heir apparent) of the Raj of Sarawak until disinherited in favour of his younger brother, Charles . He was born in South Stoke near Bath, to Francis Charles Johnson, a clergyman and Emma Frances Brooke, an elder sister of James Brooke . James took John on a long cruise around the Mediterranean in 1837 in his yacht, Royalist . John then joined

66-505: A commoner, Kathleen Hudden, sister of a Sarawak government official. In 1944, Brooke was restored as Rajah Muda , after consultations between his uncle and father. He was, however, deprived of his titles again on 12 October 1945. In 1946, Rajah Vyner ceded Sarawak to the British Colonial Office , in exchange for a sizeable pension for him and his three daughters. Anthony Brooke, the designated heir, initially opposed

99-743: A granddaughter of Lord Elgin , at Kilgrastron in Scotland in 1856. They went to live in Kuching where they had two sons, Basil (1857–1860), and John Charles Evelyn Hope (1858–1934), but Anne died shortly after Hope's birth. Brooke's second marriage was to Juliana Caroline Welstead: they had met in England and married in Singapore in 1861; Julia died a year later giving birth to a daughter, Matilda Agnes (1862–1943). Brooke died in Hounslow in 1868 after

132-550: A long illness, and was buried in his father's churchyard at his childhood home of Whitelackington . Rajah Muda Based on descent through the male line in accordance with the will of James Brooke, the White Rajahs' dynasty continued through Brooke's nephew and grandnephew , the latter of whom ceded his rights over Sarawak to the United Kingdom in 1946, which was made a Crown colony . His nephew had been

165-915: The Ranee Muda of Sarawak . They had three children: Anthony Brooke lived for various periods in London, in Sussex , and at Findhorn community in Scotland . In 1982, he married secondly a fellow peace activist: Brigitte (Gita) Keller (born in 1931 in Copenhagen to the Reverend Paul H. Lange), who founded Operation Peace Through Unity (OPTU) in Sweden in 1975. From 1987 until Brooke's death in 2011 they lived together in Wanganui , New Zealand. Brooke

198-514: The pretender to the throne . In 2013, the acting British high commissioner to Malaysia attended Brooke's reburial in Sarawak and offered an apology on behalf of Great Britain, clearing Anthony Brooke's name of any involvement. Brooke was married firstly, in Rangoon , Burma , to Kathleen Mary Hudden (1907–1981), daughter of William Edward Cecil Hudden, Esq., of Backwell , Somerset, who became

231-690: The British Army’s 88th Foot as an ensign in 1839, and became a lieutenant in 1842, and captain in 1848. Captain Brooke, his preferred name by then, left the 88th Foot in 1848, but did not resign his commission. He was re-assigned to serve as aide-de-camp to James Brook, now the Governor of Labuan. Captain Brooke adopted the surname of Brooke on 23 May 1848 by Royal concession, and went to join his uncle in Sarawak as Rajah Muda , taking effective charge of

264-667: The British government knew that Brooke was not involved, but chose not to reveal the truth of the matter so as not to provoke Indonesia. It had recently won its war of independence from the Netherlands , and the UK was already dealing with the Malayan Emergency to the north-west. Since those events, there has been no serious movement for the restoration of the monarchy, although under the will of Sir James Brooke any member of

297-491: The British intelligence agency, who wanted to "get wind of any other plots he and his associates might be hatching". No evidence was found that he had known of the assassination plot. In 2012, a declassified document from the British National Archive showed that Brooke had had no connection with the assassination of Stewart and that the British government had known this at the time. This was not revealed at

330-582: The Brooke family graveyard in Kuching, as per his last wish. Vyner Brooke instituted significant political reforms during his tenure. He ended the absolute rule of the rajah in 1941, before the Japanese invasion during World War II , by granting new powers to the Council Negri (the parliament). Bertram co-ruled with his elder brother, taking turns of 6–8 months in charge of the country each year. By 1939 Vyner Brooke's nephew Anthony Brooke had taken

363-541: The Brooke family is eligible to be appointed heir. The Brooke family still maintains strong ties to the state and its people and are represented by the Brooke Trust, and by Anthony Brooke's grandson Jason Brooke , at many state functions and supporting heritage projects. The coaling station of Brooketon in Brunei was named after the Brooke family. The architectural legacy of the dynasty can be seen in many of

SECTION 10

#1732780927977

396-870: The Land and Registry Department, and as a magistrate . He enlisted in the British Army as a private soldier in November 1941, during the Second World War , and from 1941 to 1944 served as a lieutenant in the Intelligence Corps on the staff of the South East Asia Command at Kandy , Ceylon . He was special commissioner for Sarawak in the United Kingdom from 1944 to 1945. Brooke was appointed as heir apparent with

429-596: The Sarawak Sovereignty Trust. When James Brooke first arrived in Sarawak, it was governed as a vassal state of the Sultanate of Brunei ; the system of government was based on the Bruneian model. Brooke reorganised the government according to the British model, eventually creating a civil service . It recruited European (chiefly British) officers to run district outstations. The Sarawak Service

462-629: The White Rajahs during crises such as the Chinese uprising. One of the company steamships, the Sir James Brooke , helped recapture Kuching. Rajah Charles formed a small paramilitary force, the Sarawak Rangers , to police and defend the expanding state. This small army also manned a series of forts around the country, acted as the rajahs' personal guard, and performed ceremonial duties. After World War II , during which Sarawak and

495-406: The White Rajahs. The heraldic arms of the Brooke dynasty were based on the emblem used by James Brooke prior to 9 November 1848. It consisted of a red and black cross per pale on a yellow shield, crested by a badger , known in heraldic parlance as a "brock" and hence alluding to the dynastic surname. The shield design was used as the basis of the Sarawak flag hoisted 21 September 1848. A crown

528-555: The cession to the Crown, along with a majority of the native members of the Council Negri (Parliament). A five-year campaign in Sarawak followed, aimed at revoking the country's new colonial status, in part directed by Brooke from his house in Singapore. In 1948, after the second British governor of Sarawak, Duncan Stewart , was assassinated by the Malay Sarawakian nationalist Rosli Dhobie , Brooke came under scrutiny by MI5 ,

561-413: The cession, Anthony Brooke was considered a suspect when Duncan Stewart , the second British governor to Sarawak, was assassinated by two people that were believed to be members of a group dedicated to restoring him as rajah. In reality, they were from a political group agitating for union with newly independent Indonesia . He was never prosecuted. Documents released in the late 20th century indicate that

594-597: The country when James returned to England. He spent some time in Labuan at first as James was establishing himself as its first governor, but was subsequently based in Kuching . He has been largely ignored in the standard historical accounts of Sarawak, but substantial records survive which show how active he was, and his engagement with pirates in the Battle off Mukah in 1862 has attracted interest. Brooke married Anne Grant,

627-649: The country's 19th-century and colonial heritage buildings. In Kuching these include the Astana , or governor's residence; the Sarawak Museum ; the Old Courthouse ; Fort Margherita ; the Square Fort; and Brooke Memorial. The Brooke Dockyard, which was founded in the period of Rajah Charles, is still in operation, as is the original Sarawak Museum . Several key buildings from the Brooke period, such as

660-480: The descendants of his late father Thomas Brooke. Children of Ruler and Heir apparent: Anthony Brooke Anthony Walter Dayrell Brooke (10 December 1912 – 2 March 2011) was appointed the Rajah Muda of Sarawak ( heir apparent ; Malay: Yang Amat Mulia Tuan Rajah Muda Sarawak ) on 25 August 1937, by his uncle, Rajah of Sarawak, Charles Vyner Brooke , the third and last ruling White Rajah . Brooke

693-518: The economy. The core of the early Sarawak economy was antimony , later followed by gold, which was mined in Bau by a Chinese company which imported numerous workers from China and Singapore. After the local Chinese uprising in 1857, the mining operations were gradually taken over by the Borneo Company; it bought out the last Chinese company in 1884. The Borneo Company provided military support to

SECTION 20

#1732780927977

726-513: The legal heir to the throne and objected to the cession, as did most of the Sarawak members of the Council Negri . Sarawak was part of the realm of Brunei until 1841 when James Brooke was granted a sizeable area of land in the southwest area of Brunei – around the town of Sarawak (now Kuching) and the nearby mining region of Bau – from Bruneian Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin II . He

759-899: The offices and warehouses of Borneo Company, have been demolished for more recent developments. Modern Kuching has many businesses and attractions that refer to the era of the White Rajahs: Sarawak has a diverse population with a large proportion of indigenous tribal peoples, such as the Dayaks (Kayan, Kelabit, Kenyah, Melanau (Kayan Lalo), Kenowit, Sebop Bukitan, Kedayan, Tanjong, Sipeng, Kajang, Sekapan, Kejaman, Lahanan, Punan, Lugat, Lisum, Penan, Sian, Tagal (Murut), Tring, Adang, Livong, Miriek, Tabun, Ukit, Bakong, Kiput, Berawan, Narum, Dali, Penan & other Dayaks), Malay, Bidayuh (Land Dayaks) and Iban (Sea Dayaks). In addition, it received numerous Chinese and Indian immigrants, whose businesses and labour were encouraged at various times by

792-469: The reins of government, and it was with a considerable controversy that Vyner attempted to secretly cede Sarawak to Britain in 1946 in what gave rise to the anti-cession movement of Sarawak . Sarawak today is a state of Malaysia after the Malaysia Agreement of 1963. In accordance with the will of the first rajah, James Brooke, the line of succession to the "sovereignty of Sarawak and all

825-492: The rest of Borneo had been occupied by Japanese forces , the third rajah, Vyner Brooke, ceded Sarawak to the Colonial Office . Unclear as to the legality of cession, the British government simultaneously passed a Bill of Annexation. Rajah Vyner's nephew and legal heir, Anthony Brooke , initially opposed annexation by the Crown, as did a majority of the native members of the Council Negri . Because of his opposition to

858-504: The rights and privileges whatsoever thereto belonging" was to the heirs male lawfully begotten of the Rajah's nephew Charles Anthony Johnson Brooke. Charles inherited under the will in 1868, and confirmed the succession in his own will of 1913. On his accession in 1918, his son Vyner (later Sir Charles Vyner Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak) swore to uphold the will "as forming the constitution of the state". This unique testamentary trust became known as

891-425: The time as the assassins were found to be agitating for union with newly independent Indonesia and the British government did not want to provoke Indonesia which had only recently won its war of independence from the Netherlands , and the UK was already dealing with the Malayan Emergency to the north-west. In 1951, Brooke withdrew from the independence campaign, although according to some loyalists he remained

924-467: The title of Rajah Muda of Sarawak on 25 August 1937 and was granted the personal style of His Highness . Having been responsible for administering Sarawak between 1939 and 1940, in the absence of the Rajah, he was deprived of his styles and titles on 17 January 1940, then dismissed and expelled from the state in September 1941, following a dispute with his uncle, Rajah Vyner Brooke, over his marriage to

957-701: Was a traveller and lecturer, supporting various movements for peace and universal understanding. Brooke died at his home in Wanganui on 2 March 2011, at the age of 98. His death coincided with the anniversary of the deaths of two of the four members of the Sarawak Anti-Cession Movement , Rosli Dhoby and Awang Ramli Amit, who were hanged at Kuching Central Prison on 2 March 1950, while the two others, Bujang Suntong and Morshidi Sidek, were hanged on 27 March. The Brooke Heritage Trust stated that Brooke's ashes would be buried, per his last wish, at

990-433: Was added to the flag around 1870 when Charles Brooke wanted to differentiate the government flag from the merchant flag (without crown). On 9 November 1848 Sir James Brooke, KCB was granted a coat of arms (Or a Cross engrailed per cross indented, Azure and Sable in the first quarter an Estoile of the second. Crest: On an Eastern Crown Or a Brock Proper ducally gorged also Or). The arms were for him and his descendants and

1023-544: Was continually reformed by Rajah James and his successors. Rajah James retained many of the customs and symbols of Malay monarchy, and combined them with his own style of absolute rule. The Rajah had the power to introduce laws and acted as chief judge in Kuching. The White Rajahs were determined to prevent the indigenous peoples of Sarawak from being exploited by Western business interests. They allowed Borneo Company Limited (the Borneo Company) to assist in managing

John Brooke Johnson Brooke - Misplaced Pages Continue

1056-578: Was later confirmed with the title of Rajah of the territory. The Raj of Sarawak developed and expanded during the rule of the first two White Rajahs, growing to occupy much of the north region of the island of Borneo. The Brooke administrations leased or annexed more land from Brunei. James and Charles had short grammar school educations, Vyner went to public schools and Cambridge University (but without taking degrees). All of them died in England and are buried at Sheepstor parish church , Devon. Anthony Brooke had his ashes interred at Sheepstor as well as at

1089-608: Was the son of Bertram, Tuan Muda of Sarawak and Gladys Milton Palmer , daughter of Sir Walter Palmer, 1st Baronet , and heir to part of the Huntley & Palmers biscuit fortune. Anthony Brooke grew up in Britain and was educated at Eton College ; Trinity College, Cambridge ; and the School of African and Oriental Studies , University of London. Throughout the 1930s he served the Sarawak civil service in various sectors, including

#976023