Britain names new governor for far-away Saint Helena

LONDON, Sept 24 (AFP) - Britain appointed Wednesday a veteran civil servant in Wales to be the new governor of Saint Helena, the remote South Atlantic island where Napoleon Bonaparte spent the last years of his life.

In a statement, the Foreign Office said Michael John Clancy, 54, will take up his post in October 2004 -- leaving him plenty of time to arrange his travel to a crown colony that has no airport, and takes two weeks to reach by ship.

BizVantage – A Net clipping service that learns what you need: for business, investment or technology.
Try the free, no-hassle 6 month trial!

Educated at Cambridge University, Clancy was chief secretary for the Saint Helena government in 1997 to 2000, but otherwise spent most of his career with the Welsh Office and the Welsh Assembly Government.

He succeeds David Hollamby, who is retiring from the diplomatic corps.

Saint Helena is one of the last remnants of the British Empire, with a population of 6,000. It was there that Britain sent Napoleon into exile after his defeat at Waterloo, and he died there in 1821.

rom/gk

Britain-SaintHelena