Powys-Lybbe Forbears - Person Sheet
Powys-Lybbe Forbears - Person Sheet
NameSir Henry Bolton Basten (born Cohen) 
[179, Marriage, 8 Dec 1931, Calcutta, Bengal, India], [3, Birth, Q2 of 1903, Hackney dist, vol 1B, p. 419], [4, 1911 ref: RG13, piece 1006, other RG78PN34 RD11 SD1 ED2 SN257]
[179, Marriage, 8 Dec 1931, Calcutta, Bengal, India], [3, Birth, Q2 of 1903, Hackney dist, vol 1B, p. 419], [4, 1911 ref: RG13, piece 1006, other RG78PN34 RD11 SD1 ED2 SN257]Birth2 May 1903, Stoke Newington, Hackney, London
Death8 Apr 1992, Chatswood, Sydney, Australia
General1st s. 1958: Vice-chancellor of Adelaide University. Kt Bach in 1966.
EducationCity of London School. Merton Coll, Oxon: matric 1921, BA 1925, MA 1954: did classics & philosophy.
Spouses
1Mildred Minshall [4, 1911 ref: RG14, piece 16135, other RG78PN997 RD350 SD3 ED6 SN13], [3, Birth, Q2 of 1905, oswestry dist, vol 6A, p. 691]
[4, 1911 ref: RG14, piece 16135, other RG78PN997 RD350 SD3 ED6 SN13], [3, Birth, Q2 of 1905, oswestry dist, vol 6A, p. 691]FatherWilliam Kenrick Minshall (ca1870-1944)
MotherMary Emily Denniss (ca1871-1944)
Marriage8 Dec 1931, St Mary's Cathedral, Calcutta, Bengal, India [179, Marriage, 8 Dec 1931, Calcutta, Bengal, India]
Notes for Sir Henry Bolton Basten (born Cohen)
His birth index:
First name(s) HENRY BOLTON
Last name COHEN
Birth year 1903
Birth quarter 2
District Hackney
County London
Country England
Volume 1B
Page 419
Record set England & Wales Births 1837-2006
And the new index with mother's maiden name gives:
Name: Mother's Maiden Surname:
COHEN, HENRY BOLTON HAWKER
GRO Reference: 1903 J Quarter in HACKNEY Volume 01B Page 419
_________________
In 1911 he was with his parents and siblings at 26 Allerton Road Stoke Newington N, Stoke Newington, London:
First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Sex Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
Gustave Henry Cohen Head Married Male 38 1873 Manufacturer Artificial Flowers London
Elizabeth Emma Cohen Wife Married Female 40 1871 - London
Henry Bolton Cohen Son - Male 7 1904 - London
Bertram Baston Cohen Son - Male 2 1909 - London
Hannah Emma Gutteridge Servant Single Female 23 1888 - London
Ref:
Archive reference RG14
Census reference RG14PN1006 RG78PN34 RD11 SD1 ED2 SN257
RG78 code number 34
Piece number 1006
Combined: RG13, piece 1006, other RG78PN34 RD11 SD1 ED2 SN257
__________________
Not found in 1939 register, though was executor for his father-in-law in 1944.
But from the Australian Dictionary of Biography:
In Oct 1945 he changed his name to Basten, to protect his family from anti-semitism. Se the article below on this web page.
__________________
First name(s) HENRY BOLTON
Last name COHEN
Birth year 1903
Birth quarter 2
District Hackney
County London
Country England
Volume 1B
Page 419
Record set England & Wales Births 1837-2006
And the new index with mother's maiden name gives:
Name: Mother's Maiden Surname:
COHEN, HENRY BOLTON HAWKER
GRO Reference: 1903 J Quarter in HACKNEY Volume 01B Page 419
_________________
In 1911 he was with his parents and siblings at 26 Allerton Road Stoke Newington N, Stoke Newington, London:
First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Sex Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
Gustave Henry Cohen Head Married Male 38 1873 Manufacturer Artificial Flowers London
Elizabeth Emma Cohen Wife Married Female 40 1871 - London
Henry Bolton Cohen Son - Male 7 1904 - London
Bertram Baston Cohen Son - Male 2 1909 - London
Hannah Emma Gutteridge Servant Single Female 23 1888 - London
Ref:
Archive reference RG14
Census reference RG14PN1006 RG78PN34 RD11 SD1 ED2 SN257
RG78 code number 34
Piece number 1006
Combined: RG13, piece 1006, other RG78PN34 RD11 SD1 ED2 SN257
__________________
Not found in 1939 register, though was executor for his father-in-law in 1944.
But from the Australian Dictionary of Biography:
In Oct 1945 he changed his name to Basten, to protect his family from anti-semitism. Se the article below on this web page.
__________________
DNB Main notes for Sir Henry Bolton Basten (born Cohen)
From the Australian Dictionary of Biography:
Henry Bolton Basten (1903–1992), university vice-chancellor, was born Henry Bolton Cohen on 2 May 1903 at Stoke Newington, England, elder son of English-born parents Gustave Henry Cohen, commercial traveller, and his wife Elizabeth Emma, née Hawker. Henry was educated at City of London School, winning a scholarship in 1921 to Merton College, Oxford (BA, 1925; MA, 1954), where he read classics and philosophy. In 1924 he won a Chancellor’s prize for an essay on irony.
On graduation Cohen joined the overseas civil service and was posted to India to work for the Calcutta Port Trust. On 8 December 1931, at St Mary’s Cathedral, Calcutta, he married Mildred Minshall, a graduate of the Slade School of Fine Art; the couple had known each other in England. He moved to Singapore in 1934, where he was employed by the Singapore Harbour Board. Evacuated with his wife and son before the 1942 Japanese occupation, he returned to Britain and worked with the Ministry of War Transport on the organisation of shipping, in the course of which he visited Egypt and West Africa. To protect his family from anti-Semitism, he changed his name to Basten (his maternal grandmother’s maiden name) in October 1945. Returning to Singapore as chairman and general manager of the Singapore and Penang Harbour Board, he played a major role in the rehabilitation of the port of Singapore. During that period he also assisted in the establishment of the University of Malaya. He was appointed CMG in 1947.
Basten left Singapore and the civil service in 1950 and for a short time lived on a six-acre (2.4 ha) farm near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England. Recruited by the Menzies government to review the operation of Australian ports, in January 1952 he delivered a report that identified the major causes of delay in the turn-round of ships, notably wharf congestion and a lack of warehouse space in the major ports. He recommended changes in the system of employment in the stevedoring industry, and noted the need for new ports; this recommendation later led to the development of facilities such as Port Botany.
In December 1952 Basten migrated with his family to Adelaide. After a brief period of employment by Commercial Motor Vehicles Pty Ltd, he was appointed in 1953 as administrative assistant to Professor A. P. Rowe, the vice-chancellor of the University of Adelaide. Such was his success in this role that, following Rowe’s resignation in 1958, the university council appointed Basten to replace him. Despite his background in administration, his appointment received unqualified support from the academic staff.
Displaying a rare talent for dealing with government, the university council, and staff and students, Basten became a distinguished vice-chancellor. During his tenure the institution grew from 5,000 to 9,000 students (including 650 postgraduates), and the number of full-time academic staff nearly doubled to about 500. Wishing to promote postgraduate studies, including through establishing residential facilities, he played a central role in founding the co-educational Kathleen Lumley College in 1965. He contributed to other aspects of higher education in South Australia, including negotiating an arrangement with the South Australian School of Mines (SA Institute of Technology from 1960) to confer degrees on its graduates. In anticipation of an increased demand for tertiary education beyond the capacity of the university, between 1961 and 1965 he oversaw the creation of a new campus at Bedford Park, which became the Flinders University of South Australia in 1966. He was knighted that year, and in 1967 Flinders conferred an honorary doctorate of letters upon him.
Following his retirement in March 1967, Basten moved to Canberra, and was appointed to the Australian Universities Commission, succeeding (Sir) Lenox Hewitt as chairman (1968–71). He played an active role in several national initiatives: as foundation chairman of the Australian Institute of Marine Science (1972–77); member of the planning committee and the interim council of the Australian National Gallery (1965–71); and chairman of the development council of the Australian Defence Force Academy (1975–81).
A man of charm and erudition, Basten combined purposeful determination with gracious diplomacy and an ability to engage people with his ideas and projects. The political scientist Hugh Stretton noted his ‘sensitivity, humility, capacity and will to learn’ and his ‘conciliatory skill and temper’ (Badger 1992, 6). Survived by his wife and two sons, he died on 8 April 1992 at Chatswood, Sydney, and was cremated. A room in the Mitchell Building at the University of Adelaide and a wing at Kathleen Lumley College commemorate his contribution to the university.
Research edited by Malcolm Allbrook
Select Bibliography
Badger, Geoffrey. ‘Sir Henry Basten, 2 May 1903–8 April 1992.’ Lumen 21, no. 7 (5 June 1992): 6–7
Basten, H. B. The Turn-Round of Shipping in Australian Ports. Commonwealth of Australia. 4 January 1952
Basten, John. Personal communication
Basten, Tony. Personal communication
National Archives of Australia. A5840, 613
University of Adelaide archives. Letter of appointment, 15 October 1953
University of Adelaide archives. Council minutes, 26 September, 1958
University of Adelaide archives. Council minutes, 2 September, 1966
University of Adelaide archives. Education Committee minutes, 26 September, 1958
Additional Resources
Trove search
Related Entries in NCB Sites
Rowe, Albert Percival (colleague)go to ADB entry
Citation details
Keith Hancock, 'Basten, Sir Henry Bolton (Henry) (1903–1992)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/basten-sir-henry-bolton-henry-21145/text31655, published online 2016, accessed online 14 November 2019.
Henry Bolton Basten (1903–1992), university vice-chancellor, was born Henry Bolton Cohen on 2 May 1903 at Stoke Newington, England, elder son of English-born parents Gustave Henry Cohen, commercial traveller, and his wife Elizabeth Emma, née Hawker. Henry was educated at City of London School, winning a scholarship in 1921 to Merton College, Oxford (BA, 1925; MA, 1954), where he read classics and philosophy. In 1924 he won a Chancellor’s prize for an essay on irony.
On graduation Cohen joined the overseas civil service and was posted to India to work for the Calcutta Port Trust. On 8 December 1931, at St Mary’s Cathedral, Calcutta, he married Mildred Minshall, a graduate of the Slade School of Fine Art; the couple had known each other in England. He moved to Singapore in 1934, where he was employed by the Singapore Harbour Board. Evacuated with his wife and son before the 1942 Japanese occupation, he returned to Britain and worked with the Ministry of War Transport on the organisation of shipping, in the course of which he visited Egypt and West Africa. To protect his family from anti-Semitism, he changed his name to Basten (his maternal grandmother’s maiden name) in October 1945. Returning to Singapore as chairman and general manager of the Singapore and Penang Harbour Board, he played a major role in the rehabilitation of the port of Singapore. During that period he also assisted in the establishment of the University of Malaya. He was appointed CMG in 1947.
Basten left Singapore and the civil service in 1950 and for a short time lived on a six-acre (2.4 ha) farm near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England. Recruited by the Menzies government to review the operation of Australian ports, in January 1952 he delivered a report that identified the major causes of delay in the turn-round of ships, notably wharf congestion and a lack of warehouse space in the major ports. He recommended changes in the system of employment in the stevedoring industry, and noted the need for new ports; this recommendation later led to the development of facilities such as Port Botany.
In December 1952 Basten migrated with his family to Adelaide. After a brief period of employment by Commercial Motor Vehicles Pty Ltd, he was appointed in 1953 as administrative assistant to Professor A. P. Rowe, the vice-chancellor of the University of Adelaide. Such was his success in this role that, following Rowe’s resignation in 1958, the university council appointed Basten to replace him. Despite his background in administration, his appointment received unqualified support from the academic staff.
Displaying a rare talent for dealing with government, the university council, and staff and students, Basten became a distinguished vice-chancellor. During his tenure the institution grew from 5,000 to 9,000 students (including 650 postgraduates), and the number of full-time academic staff nearly doubled to about 500. Wishing to promote postgraduate studies, including through establishing residential facilities, he played a central role in founding the co-educational Kathleen Lumley College in 1965. He contributed to other aspects of higher education in South Australia, including negotiating an arrangement with the South Australian School of Mines (SA Institute of Technology from 1960) to confer degrees on its graduates. In anticipation of an increased demand for tertiary education beyond the capacity of the university, between 1961 and 1965 he oversaw the creation of a new campus at Bedford Park, which became the Flinders University of South Australia in 1966. He was knighted that year, and in 1967 Flinders conferred an honorary doctorate of letters upon him.
Following his retirement in March 1967, Basten moved to Canberra, and was appointed to the Australian Universities Commission, succeeding (Sir) Lenox Hewitt as chairman (1968–71). He played an active role in several national initiatives: as foundation chairman of the Australian Institute of Marine Science (1972–77); member of the planning committee and the interim council of the Australian National Gallery (1965–71); and chairman of the development council of the Australian Defence Force Academy (1975–81).
A man of charm and erudition, Basten combined purposeful determination with gracious diplomacy and an ability to engage people with his ideas and projects. The political scientist Hugh Stretton noted his ‘sensitivity, humility, capacity and will to learn’ and his ‘conciliatory skill and temper’ (Badger 1992, 6). Survived by his wife and two sons, he died on 8 April 1992 at Chatswood, Sydney, and was cremated. A room in the Mitchell Building at the University of Adelaide and a wing at Kathleen Lumley College commemorate his contribution to the university.
Research edited by Malcolm Allbrook
Select Bibliography
Badger, Geoffrey. ‘Sir Henry Basten, 2 May 1903–8 April 1992.’ Lumen 21, no. 7 (5 June 1992): 6–7
Basten, H. B. The Turn-Round of Shipping in Australian Ports. Commonwealth of Australia. 4 January 1952
Basten, John. Personal communication
Basten, Tony. Personal communication
National Archives of Australia. A5840, 613
University of Adelaide archives. Letter of appointment, 15 October 1953
University of Adelaide archives. Council minutes, 26 September, 1958
University of Adelaide archives. Council minutes, 2 September, 1966
University of Adelaide archives. Education Committee minutes, 26 September, 1958
Additional Resources
Trove search
Related Entries in NCB Sites
Rowe, Albert Percival (colleague)go to ADB entry
Citation details
Keith Hancock, 'Basten, Sir Henry Bolton (Henry) (1903–1992)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/basten-sir-henry-bolton-henry-21145/text31655, published online 2016, accessed online 14 November 2019.
Notes for Henry Bolton & Mildred (Family)
Their marriage transcription:
First name(s) Mildred
Last name Minshall
Marriage year 1931
Marriage date 8 Dec 1931
Spouse's first name Henry Bolton
Spouse's last name Cohen
Place Calcutta
Presidency Bengal
Groom's age 28
Bride's age 26
Groom's father's first name Gustave Henry
Groom's father's last name Cohen
Bride's father's first name William Kenrick
Bride's father's last name Minshall
Catalogue description Parish register transcripts from the Presidency of Bengal, : 1713-1948
Archive reference N-1-537
Folio number 46
Record set British India Office Marriages
The image of the register adds:
First name(s) Mildred
Last name Minshall
Marriage year 1931
Marriage date 8 Dec 1931
Spouse's first name Henry Bolton
Spouse's last name Cohen
Place Calcutta
Presidency Bengal
Groom's age 28
Bride's age 26
Groom's father's first name Gustave Henry
Groom's father's last name Cohen
Bride's father's first name William Kenrick
Bride's father's last name Minshall
Catalogue description Parish register transcripts from the Presidency of Bengal, : 1713-1948
Archive reference N-1-537
Folio number 46
Record set British India Office Marriages
The image of the register adds: