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Mubin Sheppard

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Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato'
Mubin Sheppard
PSM DPMS JMN CMG MBE OStJ
Born
Mervyn Cecil ffrank Sheppard

(1905-06-21)21 June 1905
Ireland
Died12 September 1994(1994-09-12) (aged 89)
Burial placeJalan Ampang Muslim Cemetery
CitizenshipMalaysia
Alma materMarlborough College
Magdalene College, Cambridge University
Occupations
OrganizationMalaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society
Known forHistorian
Notable work
  • The Malay Regiment 1933–1947 (1978)
  • The Adventures of Hang Tuah (1984)
  • A Short History of Terengganu (1949)
StyleHistorical
TitleFirst Keeper of Public Records
Spouse(s)Rosemary Sheppard (née Oakeley),
Tengku Mariam Tengku Ismail
ChildrenLavender Frances Sheppard
Awards
Military career
AllegianceAllied forces
Service / branch Volunteer Reserves
Years of service1941–1945
RankMajor
UnitFederated Malay States Volunteer Force
Commands1st Battalion, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces
Battles / warsWorld War II

Abdul Mubin Sheppard PSM DPMS JMN CMG MBE OStJ, born Mervyn Cecil ffrank Sheppard,[1] pen name M. C. ff Sheppard,[2] (21 June 1905 – 11 September 1994[3][4]) was a Malaysian World War II veteran and prisoner of war, as well as a renowned historian and academic.

Life

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Early life

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Mervyn Sheppard was born in Ireland on June 21, 1905. He received his early education at Marlborough College before continuing on to Cambridge University. He joined the Malayan Civil Services (MCS) in 1928, a year after passing his qualification exam in London. During his time there, he developed a strong attachment to the country and its people.[4] He married Rosemary Oakeley in Singapore's St Andrew's Cathedral on 27 January 1939. Lavender, their daughter and his only child, was born in October 1941. Their union lasted until their deaths.

World War II

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From 1941 to 1942, he served as a Company Commander in the 1st Battalion, Federated Malay States Volunteer Force (FMSVF), earning the rank of captain and becoming a prisoner of war during WWII.[5] In 1945, he retired as a major from the FMSVF.

Post-WWII

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He chose to remain in the civil service until his total retirement in 1963. He converted to Islam in 1957, adopting the name Abdul Mubin Sheppard and performing the Hajj.[4]

In 1957, he was appointed as the first Keeper of Public Records, an office that would eventually become the Arkib Negara, or National Archives.[4] One year later, he became the first director of the then-Federation of Malaya's own national museum, where he assembled a team tasked with retrieving Malayan artefacts from cities such as Lisbon and London to be displayed there.[4][6][7]

He also a founder of Malayan Film Unit (now known as Filem Negara Malaysia) when it was established in 1946.[8]

Death

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He died on 11 September 1994 at the Subang Jaya Medical Centre in Subang Jaya, Selangor. He was buried in Jalan Ampang Muslim Cemetery with military traditions and national honours.[9]

Careers

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Sheppard's careers include:[10]

  • Malayan Civil Services Intern (February 1942–September 1945)
  • Director of Public Relations (1946–1947)
  • Kelantan's Acting British Adviser (1950–1951)
  • Negeri Sembilan's British Adviser (1951–1956)
  • Federal Chief Examiner for Bahasa Melayu (1951–1957)
  • Head of Emergency Food Denial Organisation (1956–1957)
  • Keeper of Public Records (1957–1961)
  • Director of Museum, Federation of Malaya (1958–1963)[11]

Among his other positions are:[10]

Legacy

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The Mubin Sheppard Memorial Prize was established under his name in 1996 by the Malaysia Heritage Trust to stimulate students' awareness of "the need to conserve Malaysia's built heritage and to encourage research and writings on various aspects of conservation and preservation".[12]

He was the founding father of the Malaya Association of Youth Clubs (EST. 1954), a youth association inspired by the National Association of Boys' Club.[13]

Honours

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Among the honours and awards he has received including:[13][14]

Honours of the United Kingdom

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Honours of Malaysia

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Federal honours

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Malaysian State honours

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Bibliography

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His works include:

  • Tunku Abdul Rahman; Father of Independence 1957–1970
  • The Adventures of Hang Tuah (1949)
  • A Short History of Terengganu (1949)
  • A Short History of Malaya (1953)
  • Taman Indera: A Royal Pleasure Ground. Malay Decorative Arts and Pastimes (1972) ISBN 019582685X
  • The Malay Regiment 1933–1947 (1978)
  • Living Crafts of Malaysia (1978)
  • Taman budiman: Memoirs of an unorthodox civil servant (1979)
  • Singapore 150 Years (1982) ISBN 9971-65-092-4
  • Tunku, a pictorial biography, 1903–1957 (1984) ISBN 9679780023

References

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  1. ^ "Imperial War Museum, Department of Documents: 1997 Accessions". The National Archives. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  2. ^ SHEPPARD, M. C. ff (1938). "The Trengganu 'Rodat'". Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 16 (1 (130)): 109–114. ISSN 2304-7550. JSTOR 41559908.
  3. ^ "Tan Sri Datuk (Dr) Hj. Abdul Mubin Sheppard (1905–1994)". 9 November 2009.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Profil Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Haji Abdul Mubin Sheppard". National Archives of Malaysia (in Malay).
  5. ^ Moggie, Elizabeth (26 January 2018). "Volunteers also gave up life for the country". The Star. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  6. ^ Noraini Abd. Razak (3 April 2011). "Muzium jadi darah daging". Utusan Malaysia (in Malay). Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  7. ^ Rais Yatim. "Kehilangan khazanah budaya Melayu". Utusan Malaysia (in Malay). Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  8. ^ Zainuri Misfar (23 June 1993). "Bangsal kilang jadi bangunan pertama FNM" [The factory shed became the FNM's first building] (in Malay). Berita Harian. Retrieved 14 December 2021 – via KLiK. Pengasas MFU ialah Mubin Sheppard (sekarang Tan Sri) yang ketika itu bertugas di Jabatan Perhubungan Raya selepas tamat Perang Dunia Kedua. Dia dengan inisiatifnya sendiri membeli peralatan filem dari pasukan filem tentera British yang hendak dilelong di Singapura. [The founder of MFU was Mubin Sheppard (now Tan Sri) who was then working in the Public Relations Department after the end of the Second World War. He on his own initiative bought film equipment from the British military film team to be auctioned in Singapore.]
  9. ^ "Tan Sri Dato' Dr. Haji Abdul Mubin Sheppard". National Archives of Malaysia (in Malay). Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Mubin Sheppard - The Malay of Malays". Sustainable Living Institute (SAVE). 6 November 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  11. ^ "Previous Director General Department of Museums Malaysia". Official Website Department of Museums Malaysia. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  12. ^ "Mubin Sheppard Memorial Prize". Badan Warisan Malaysia | Malaysia Heritage Trust. Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2006.
  13. ^ a b "Mubin Sheppard". Veteran MAYC (in Malay). 13 September 2010. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  14. ^ a b Faridah Abdul Rashid (21 November 2011). "Mubin Sheppard (1905–1994)". The Early Malay Doctors. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  15. ^ "Recommendation for Award for Sheppard, Mervyn Cecil Frank Rank: Captain". The National Archives. 5 December 1946. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  16. ^ a b "Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat". istiadat.gov.my.
  17. ^ "DPMS 1982". awards.selangor.gov.my. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
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