John Pringle Appleby

John Pringle Appleby
CMG, JP
Born1892
Morpeth, Northumberland, England
Died29 March 1966(1966-03-29) (aged 73–74)
Sidmouth, Devon, England
NationalityBritish
Occupationpublic servant
Known forPostmaster General of Ceylon
Term1940–1946
PredecessorJohn Radley Walters
SuccessorAbdon Ignatius Perera
SpouseMinnie née Sams
Children3
Parent(s)Christopher Appleby, Margaret née Paley

Lieutenant-Colonel John Pringle Appleby CMG, JP (1892 – 29 March 1966) was the Postmaster General of Ceylon for seven years, between 1940 and 1947.[1]

In 1907 he joined the Royal Mail,[2] in 1921 made a supplementary clerk,[3] and in 1933 was appointed the postmaster in Okehampton.[4] Appleby served in the Royal Signal Corps during World War I and was appointed as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1917.[5]

On 4 July 1936 Appleby was made a Justice of the Peace for the District of Colombo and on 1 October he was formally appointed as the Assistant Postmaster-General, replacing Gate Mudaliyar A. G. Tillekeratne.[6][7] On several occasions he served as acting Postmaster General before being formally appointed to the position in early 1940.[8] Between 1939 and 1946 the activities and advances in telecommunications were not given much publicity due to the war.[9] It is known that in 1946 Appleby issued the first amateur radio transmitting licenses in the country.

In the 1945 New Year Honours list he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George for his services as Postmaster General.[10] He retired from the Ceylon Civil Service in late 1946.[9]

Appleby died on 29 March 1996 in Sidmouth, Devon.[11]

  1. ^ Ferguson's Ceylon Directory for 1944. Colombo: Ceylon Observer Press. 1944. p. 134.
  2. ^ "The London Gazette". 1 February 1907. p. 752. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  3. ^ "The London Gazette". 3 June 1921. p. 4445. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  4. ^ "The London Gazette". 7 April 1933. p. 2387. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  5. ^ "The London Gazette". 28 September 1917. p. 10117. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  6. ^ "Ceylon Government Gazette" (PDF). 17 July 1936. p. 1120.
  7. ^ "Ceylon Government Gazette" (PDF). 9 October 1936. p. 1522.
  8. ^ "untitled". Malay Tribune. 7 June 1938. p. 22.
  9. ^ a b Development, 1931–1981, Sri Lanka: Publication Depicting Public Sector Development in Sri Lanka to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Adult Franchise Introduced to Sri Lanka in 1931. Ministry of Plan Implementation. 1981. p. 212.
  10. ^ "The London Gazette" (PDF). 1 January 1945. p. 6. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  11. ^ "Obituary". The Times. 7 April 1966. p. 17. Retrieved 27 November 2020.