Esler Dening

Ambassador Esler Dening lays a wreath in the Yokohama War Cemetery on Remembrance Day — November 1955

Sir Esler Maberley Dening GCMG OBE (21 April 1897 – 29 January 1977) was a British diplomat. He was the first British Ambassador to Japan after the end of the Second World War.^[1]

Career

Dening was a career foreign service officer; and he was promoted regularly across the span of years.

Dening was consular officer in 1938, when he was awarded an OBE. ^[2] During the Second World War, he served on the staff of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma. He had become the Chief Political Adviser to the Supreme Allied Commander, South-East Asia Command when he was made a member or Companion in the Order of St Michael and St George in 1945.^[3]

In 1950, Dening was an Assistant Under-Secretary of State in the Foreign Office when the King promoted him to be a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George.^[4] He was the British Political Representative in Tokyo in 1950-1951 and when full diplomatic relations were re-established,^[5] his role was an essential element of the transition.^[6]

Sir Esler appointed to be Her Majesty's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at Tokyo on 6 May 1952.^[7] He was the Ambassador from 1952 through 1957.^[5]

In 1955, Sir Esler promoted to be a Member of the First Class, or Knight Grand Cross, of the Order of St Michael and St George.^[8]

Later years

In 1977, the London Gazette published a notice of Sir Esler's death.^[9]

Honours

• Order of the British Empire, Member (MBE), 19__.^[2]
• Order of the British Empire, Officer (OBE), 1938.^[2]
• Order of St Michael and St George, Companion (CMG), 1945.^[3]
• Order of St Michael and St George, Knight Commander (KCMG), 1950.^[4]
• Order of St Michael and St George, Knight Grand Cross (GCMG), 1955.^[8]

Selected works

In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about Maberley Esler Dening, OCLC/WorldCat encompasses roughly 7 works in 19 publications in 2 languages and 800+ library holdings .^[10]

• Japan (1960)
• The Life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1971)

See also

• List of Ambassadors from the United Kingdom to Japan
• Anglo-Japanese relations

Notes

1. Ian Nish. (2004). British Envoys in Japan 1859-1972, pp. 173-178.
2. The London Gazette: no. 34585. p. 14. 30 December 1938. Retrieved 2011-05-17.
3. The London Gazette: no. 37119. p. 2938. 8 June 1945. Retrieved 2011-05-17.
4. The London Gazette: no. 39092. p. 6269. 15 December 1950. Retrieved 2011-05-17.
5. Hoare, James. (1999). Embassies in the East: the Story of the British Embassies in Japan, China, and Korea from 1859 to the Present, p. 214., p. 214, at Google Books
6. The first British Ambassador to Japan was appointed in 1905. Before 1905, the senior British diplomat had different titles: (a) Consul-General and Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, which is a rank just below Ambassador.
7. The London Gazette: no. 39569. p. 3185. 10 June 1952. Retrieved 2011-05-17.
8. The London Gazette: no. 40497. p. 3261. 3 June 1955. Retrieved 2011-05-17.
9. The London Gazette: no. 47147. p. 2079. 11 February 1977. Retrieved 2011-05-17.
10. WorldCat Identities: Cortazzi, Hugh

References

• Hoare, James. (1999). Embassies in the East: the Story of the British Embassies in Japan, China, and Korea from 1859 to the Present. Richmond, Surrey: Curzon Press. ISBN 9780700705122; OCLC 42645589
• Nish, Ian. (2004). British Envoys in Japan 1859-1972. Folkestone, Kent: Global Oriental. ISBN 9781901903515; OCLC 249167170

External links

• UK in Japan, Chronology of Heads of Mission