Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 2001-2003 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
13 items typed, photocopied and handwritten
Context area
Name of creator
Administrative history
Name of creator
Biographical history
J.M. Gullick was born in Bristol in 1916. He attended Taunton School and won a scholarship to study Classics at Christ's College, Cambridge, from where he graduated with a Double First, and served as captain of college boats. After graduating, Gullick entered the Colonial Administrative Service and was sent to Entebbe as the Second World War was breaking out in 1939. After serving as aide-de-camp to Sir Philip Mitchell for a short period, he went to Teso District as third assistant district commissioner. In 1940, Gullick joined the King's African Rifles and participated in the Abyssinian Campaign. At the end of the campaign he held various roles in the military administrations in Cairo, Madagascar and Malaya, where he served for six months in the British Military Administration in the state of Negeri Sembilan.
When civilian government was restored in Malaya in 1946, Gullick was transferred to the Malayan Civil Service and served as state secretary for Negeri Sembilan. When the Federation of Malaya was formed in 1948, he joined the secretariat in Kuala Lumpur. He held various positions in the Defense and Internal Security Department, Rural and Industrial Development Authority and the Malayanisation Committee, on which he worked closely with Onn Jaafar and Tunku Abdul Rahman.
In 1956, Gullick returned to England and took up a position as company secretary with The Guthrie Group, a company with concerns in rubber plantations in Malaysia. He left Guthries in 1962 and embarked on a legal career as a solicitor He joined the firm of E.F. Turner & Sons in 1963 and by 1974 had risen to senior partner. After making partner, he left the firm to lecture on company law, publishing what became the standard work on the subject for students preparing for examinations, entitled Company Law.
J.M. Gullick, while in Malaysia, combined his official career with academic study of the history and culture of Malaysia. He was a prolific writer and continued to publish into his old age. In addition to the scholarly monographs, such as Indigenous Political Systems of Western Malaya (1958) and numerous specialist articles in journals, he also published introductions to Malaysian history intended for a general audience.
Repository
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Correspondence and administrative documents concerned with the award of the first Royal Asiatic Society medal to John Gullick in 2001. These are:
- Letter from Giles Tillotson, Director, Royal Asiatic Society, to Adrian Thomas, Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society, to ask for the item 'RAS Award 2001' to be added to the agenda for the Council meeting on 14 June. Handwritten, 1 piece, undated [June 2001].
- 'Nomination for Society's Award: John M. Gullick, Proposed by A.J. Stockwell' - a biography of Gullick with an accompanying list of publications taken from the Journal of the Malay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Part 2, 1999. Typed and photocopy, 6 pieces, dated April 2001.
- Letter from Giles Tillotson to John Gullick to inform him of the Council's decision to award him the new Royal Asiatic Society award which replaces the Society's previous Gold Medal. He asks if Gullick would be willing to come to the Society to receive the medal and give a lecture on a subject of his choice on 10 January 2002. Typed, 1 piece, dated 19 June 2001.
- Letter from John Gullick to Adrian Thomas to acknowledge the receipt of the letter from Giles Tillotson, express his appreciation at the honour, and confirm the date is convenient. He asks for a little time to consider the title of his lecture. Typed with handwritten annotation by Thomas, 1 piece, dated 22 June 2001.
- Letter from John Gullick to Adrian Thomas to confirm the title of his talk as 'An Indian Official in Singapore: Governor Cavenagh (1859-1867)' and also confirm practical details concerning the day. Typed, 1 piece, dated 5 July 2001.
- Letter from Adrian Thomas to Joh Gullick to thank for providing the title and to inform him that he will appraise the President, Professor Stockwell, of Gullick's arrangements for the lecture day. Typed, 1 piece, dated 12 July 2001.
- Letter from Anthony Stockwell, President, Royal Asiatic Society, to John Gullick to express his delight at Gullick's acceptance of the award. He asks if Gullick has a preference for a place for dinner after the presentation and informs that the Society will cover the costs of a hire car. He also asks for names of guests. Typed, 1 piece, dated 30 November 2001.
- Letter from John Gullick to Anthony Stockwell to cover the queries about transport, dinner and guests. Typed, 1 piece, dated 3 December 2001.
- Letter from Anthony Stockwell to John Gullick to confirm the Society will book a taxi for him to get home and to give his telephone numbers in case Gullick needs to contact. Typed, 1 piece, dated 14 December 2001.
- Letter from John Gullick to Anthony Stockwell to thank him for the previous evening's occasion and his receipt of the medal. Typed, 1 piece, dated 11 January 2002.
- Letter from John Gullick to Adrian Thomas concerning the emails of Mr J Kavanagh about Gullick's talk. Typed with handwritten postscript, 1 piece, dated 10 June 2002.
- Letter from Andrew McNad to Adrian Thomas asking whether he would forward a letter to Gullick concerning research about Malay history as he had been unable to attend the award ceremony. Handwritten, 1 piece, dated 20 December 2002.
- Copy of a letter from John Gullick to Hazel Greenberg, The American Forum of General Education, regarding using Gullick's material in the Forum's curriculum guide. There is also a handwritten postscript to Adrian Thomas to thank him for his help. Typed, 1 piece, dated 25 June 2003.