Norval Mitchell, OBE, served in India from 1930 to 1947, initially with the Indian Civil Service and transferring to the Indian Political Service in 1934. His final position was Chief Secretary of the North-West Frontier Province

North-West Frontier Province

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province and various other names, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the north-west of the country...

 under the Governor, Sir Olaf Caroe. His later career included Clerk to the Legislative Council of Northern Rhodesia and Secretary and Registrar of the University of St Andrews

University of St Andrews

The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...

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In 1968 he completed a biography of Sir George Cunningham

George Cunningham (governor)

Sir George Cunningham, GCIE, KCSI, OBE was an administrator in British India who in his early years was a notable sportsperson, representing and later captaining the Scottish national team at rugby union.-Rugby career:...

, Governor of the Northwest Frontier Province of India 1937-46 and again 1947-48, which was published by William Blackwood, Edinburgh. In 1975 he completed an autobiography covering his early life and his service in India. This was edited and published posthumously in 2006 by his son, David Norval Mitchell, under the title The Quiet People of India.