Admin History | John Digby Shebbeare (1919-2004), major, lawyer and teacher, was born in Oxfordshire and was the son of a Rector. He was educated at Rugby College and Sandhurst, before joining the Indian army, serving in India, Egypt, Persia and Iraq. On leaving the army, Shebbeare read for the Bar, working initially in the family chambers in London and then in the Department of Health. He was then appointed legal advisor to Binnie Deacon and Courlie in Baghdad, before becoming District Resident in Beihan, Aden.
On the British departure from Aden, he became appointed as a British advisor ['Secretary in Internal Affairs'] to the Sultan of Muscat and Oman, Said bin Taimur, returning to England on the Sultan's deposition by his son Qaboos bin Said in 1970, at which point Muscat and Oman became the Sultanate of Oman. Shebbeare then took up teaching and subsequently retired to Devon, where he was active in local history. He was also a member of the Anglo-Omani Society. |