Sir Edward Youde GCMG

Order of St Michael and St George

The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....

, GCVO

Royal Victorian Order

The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...

, MBE

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

 (19 June 1924 – 5 December 1986 in Beijing, China) was a British administrator

Administrator of the Government

An Administrator in the constitutional practice of some countries in the Commonwealth is a person who fulfils a role similar to that of a Governor or a Governor-General...

, diplomat and Sinologist. He served as Governor of Hong Kong

Governor of Hong Kong

The Governor of Hong Kong was the head of the government of Hong Kong during British rule from 1843 to 1997. The governor's roles were defined in the Hong Kong Letters Patent and Royal Instructions...

 between 20 May 1982 and 5 December 1986.

Early years

Youde was born Penarth

Penarth

Penarth is a town and seaside resort in the Vale of Glamorgan , Wales, 5.2 miles south west from the city centre of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff and lying on the north shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay...

, Wales in the United Kingdom and attended the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies

School of Oriental and African Studies

The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...

. He was fluent in Mandarin and spent 10 of his 30 years as a diplomat in China.

In 1949, Youde was serving on the frigate HMS Amethyst amidst the Chinese Civil War

Chinese Civil War

The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...

 when it came under attack by People's Liberation Army

People's Liberation Army

The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...

 forces. The frigate was heavily damaged by artillery fire and became stranded in the Yangtze River

Yangtze River

The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...

. Using his skills in Mandarin, Youde negotiated with the PLA commander to secure the release of the Amethyst. Following the Amethyst's escape from enemy territory, Youde was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his actions.

Governorship

Youde is mainly remembered as the Governor during whose time in office the Joint Declaration on the future of Hong Kong was signed in Peking in 1984. This, amongst other things, made it clear that the British would leave Hong Kong in 1997 after 156 years of colonial rule.

Youde, Hong Kong's only Welsh Governor, was widely liked for his pleasant, kindly demeanour and greatly admired for his formidable erudition. He was widely respected by the Chinese population of Hong Kong.

The idea of setting up a secondary school to develop students' potential in sport and the visual arts together with a normal academic syllabus was first mooted by Sir Edward Youde. Based upon this idea, the Jockey Club Ti-I College

Jockey Club Ti-I College

Jockey Club Ti-I College is a secondary school in Sha Tin, Hong KongJockey Club Ti-I College was established by a total funding of HK$ 84 million from Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club...

 was founded in 1989.

Death and after

During a visit to Beijing, Sir Edward suffered a fatal heart attack in the British Embassy in the early morning of 5 December 1986, while he was sleeping. He was the only Governor of Hong Kong to have died in office and many thousands lined the streets for his "state" funeral, which was conducted with the highest military honours in 1986. A fund, known as the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund, was created from public contributions upon the recommendation of the Legislative Council. The fund is currently administered by the HKSAR Government and offers a number of scholarships and sponsorship schemes aimed at encouraging and promoting the education of and research by Hong Kong people. Eligibility Criteria for Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund be proficient in English and Chinese and also have a good mastery of the language in which their studies will be undertaken.

A plaque in memory of Sir Edward is affixed to a wall in St. John's Cathedral, Hong Kong

St. John's Cathedral, Hong Kong

St. John's Cathedral , officially The Cathedral Church of St. John the Evangelist and located at 4 Garden Road, Central, is an Anglican cathedral in Hong Kong. It is the Diocesan cathedral of the...

.

Places named after Sir Edward Youde

The Edward Youde Aviary

Edward Youde Aviary

The Edward Youde Aviary is built over a natural valley at the southern corner of Hong Kong Park which is located on the northern slope of Victoria Peak in Hong Kong. The Edward Youde Aviary was opened to the public in September 1992 and managed by the Urban Council...

 in Hong Kong Park

Hong Kong Park

The Hong Kong Park is a public park next to Cotton Tree Drive in Central, Hong Kong. Built at a cost of HK$398 million and opened in May 1991, it covers an area of 80,000 m² and is an example of modern design and facilities blending with natural landscape....

 was named after him in 1992 and the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital

Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital

Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital is an acute care hospital in Hong Kong.The hospital opened in 1993 with 1829 beds and staff of over 3000. It replaced the Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital in Mid-Levels in Hong Kong Island and moved to Chai Wan...

 in Hong Kong was named after his wife. A plaque to his memory was commissioned by the Hong Kong Civil Service and placed on the wall of St John's Cathedral

St. John's Cathedral, Hong Kong

St. John's Cathedral , officially The Cathedral Church of St. John the Evangelist and located at 4 Garden Road, Central, is an Anglican cathedral in Hong Kong. It is the Diocesan cathedral of the...

, in the Central District of Hong Kong; a memorial plaque was also installed in Canterbury Cathedral

Canterbury Cathedral

Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site....

, England, where his ashes were laid.