The Diaries of George C. Woolley

George Cathcart Woolley's currently extant diaries cover the years 1901-26. Their editing and publication are now complete in four handsome hardback volumes. These have been edited jointly by Danny Wong Tze Ken and Stella Moo-Tan, handsomely enhanced by photographs from Woolley's own collection. The result is a treasure trove of vital information on Sabah (or British North Borneo as it was then) in the first half of the twentieth century.

Volumes 1 and 2 were reviewed in JMBRAS 89(1): 178-180 (June 2016) and 90(1): 167-8 (June 2017) respectively. This review therefore concentrates on the latest two volumes issued simultaneously in June 2018.

One should perhaps first mention the photographs from the Woolley collection and the portraits from the National Archives, Kew. There are many more of them than in the first two volumes, almost all noted as having been rephotographed and reworked chiefly by Uwe Aranas and Suhaino Sutarman. They have done their work well. Many but not all of the Borneo photos can be identified to specific entries in the diary. Taken together they reflect the way of life of the tribes of the interior of what is now Sabah during the early years of the last century. It is a way of life which has now all but vanished from the state.

Volume 3 covers the period when Woolley was acting and then confirmed Commissioner for Lands for North Borneo, based in Jesselton from 21 March 1910, till he went on leave in November 1919. He had been denied permission to enlist in the British army in the First World War.

Volume 4, arguably the most readable of all the volumes, covers Woolley's appointment to Resident of the Interior, based initially at Tenom. The Residency —and with it, Woolley—was moved to Keningau just before the diary ends.

In both of these major administrative posts, Woolley comes across as extraordinarily energetic, walking in the hills behind Jesselton in volume 3 to assess the position on the ground. This aspect of his activities was even more emphasized with his posting to Tenom. During this period, well into middle age, he repeatedly undertook arduous expeditions, by boat, on horseback and on foot to the remotest areas of his Residency. He greatly disliked the colonial scene, and Tenom provided a welcome degree of insulation from the social life of Jesselton. So he took some satisfaction in arranging for his outstation visits to coincide with the festive season. Better to spend Christmas and the new year travelling to remote villages than socialising at the Residency or in Jesselton.

As with volumes 1 and 2, these volumes each contain a helpful introduction, outlining Woolley's work and the issues of the day. Both volumes conclude with a Glossary of Malay words, a list of abbreviations and a People section. This latter gives a potted biography and details of the career, where known, of all the key names mentioned in the diary. The list is particularly valuable as it includes details of estate managers, their assistants and other non-government figures as well as the local Dusuns and Muruts whom Woolley encountered. Thus the four volumes together provide a comprehensive reference for all individuals who played both major and minor roles in the life of BNB during the period covered by the diaries. This on its own will be of inestimable value to future scholars of this period of Sabah's history. One or two of the biographies do less than full justice to their subjects. Hardwick had a very colourful career, written up by N. Williamson in The Planter several years ago. Similarly, the mention of John Baxter is confined to a footnote on p. 453 of vol. 4. It makes no mention of his...