Wilfrid Thomas Southorn (Chinese Translated Name:

Chinese language

The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

 修頓), known as Tom, was a British

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

 colonial administrator, spending the large part of career in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

). He was the Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong

Chief Secretary for Administration

The Chief Secretary for Administration , commonly known as Chief Secretary and abbreviated as CS, is the second highest position of the Hong Kong Government...

 from 1925–1936 and he became Acting Administrator 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...

 on various occasions. His official (summer) residence was Mountain Lodge

Mountain Lodge

Mountain Lodge was the former summer residence of the Governor of Hong Kong on Victoria Peak on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. The second building was a two storey Renaissance style home and was demolished in 1946...

.

In 1921 he married author Bella Sidney Woolf

Bella Sidney Woolf

Bella Sidney Woolf OBE was an English author, sister of author Leonard Woolf and wife, in her second marriage, of Hong Kong colonial secretary and colonial Ceylonese administrator Tom Southorn.-Early life:...

 (1877–1960), whom he met through her (later) more famous brother Leonard Woolf

Leonard Woolf

Leonard Sidney Woolf was an English political theorist, author, publisher and civil servant, and husband of author Virginia Woolf.-Early life:...

, when the two men were colleagues in Ceylon. In 1904, then a humble 'Office Assistant', Southorn had met Leonard Woolf on his arrival in Ceylon from England.

In 1936, he became Governor of The Gambia

The Gambia

The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....

, describing the colony as "a geographical and economic absurdity".

Places named after him

The Southorn Playground

Southorn Playground

Southorn Playground is a sports and recreational facility in the Wan Chai area of Hong Kong. It comprises a football field, four basketball courts, and a children's playground....

 in Wan Chai

Wan Chai

Wan Chai is a metropolitan area situated at the western part of the Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its other boundaries are Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to the south. The area north of Gloucester Road is often called...

, Hong Kong is named after him.