Mubin Sheppard Explained

Honorific Prefix:	Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato'
Mubin Sheppard
Honorific Suffix:	PSM DPMS JMN CMG MBE OStJ
Birth Name:	Mervyn Cecil ffrank Sheppard
Birth Date:	1905 6, df=y
Birth Place:	Ireland
Burial Place:	Jalan Ampang Muslim Cemetery
Citizenship:	Malaysia
Alma Mater:	Marlborough College Magdalene College, Cambridge University
Organization:	Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society
Known For:	Historian
Style:	Historical
First Keeper of Public Records
Spouse:	Rosemary Sheppard (née Oakeley), Tengku Mariam Tengku Ismail
Children:	Lavender Frances Sheppard
Module:	Embed: yes Serviceyears: 1941–1945 Rank: Major Commands: 1st Battalion, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces Battles: World War II Malayan campaign

Abdul Mubin Sheppard, 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 academician.

Life

Early life

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. 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

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

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.

In 1957, he was appointed as the first Keeper of Public Records, an office that would eventually become the Arkib Negara, or National Archives. 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.^{[6] [7]}

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

Death

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

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:

• Founder of the Malaysian Federation of Arts Councils
• Vice President of Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society
• Malayan Historical Society's Honorary Editor
• Malaya Muslim Warfare Organisation's Honorary Secretary General
• Honorary Treasurer of the National Art Gallery's Board of Trustees

Legacy

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

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

Honours of the United Kingdom

• :
  • Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) (1946)^[15]

Honours of Malaysia

Federal honours

• :
  • Companion of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (JMN) (1963)^[16]
  • Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) - Tan Sri (1969)

Malaysian State honours

• Negeri Sembilan
  • He was awarded a title of Dato' Jasa Purba Diraja by the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan for his services as a historian. - Dato'
• :
  • Knight Commander of the Order of the Crown of Selangor (DPMS) – Dato' (1982)^[17]

Bibliography

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)
• The Malay Regiment 1933–1947 (1978)
• Living Crafts of Malaysia (1978)
• Taman budiman: Memoirs of an unorthodox civil servant (1979)
• Singapore 150 Years (1982)
• Tunku, a pictorial biography, 1903–1957 (1984)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Imperial War Museum, Department of Documents: 1997 Accessions . The National Archives . 25 October 2020.
2. SHEPPARD. M. C. ff. The Trengganu 'Rodat'. 1938. Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 16. 1 (130). 109–114. 41559908. 2304-7550.
3. Web site: Tan Sri Datuk (Dr) Hj. Abdul Mubin Sheppard (1905–1994) . 9 November 2009.
4. Web site: Profil Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Haji Abdul Mubin Sheppard. National Archives of Malaysia. ms.
5. Web site: Moggie. Elizabeth. 26 January 2018. Volunteers also gave up life for the country. 4 September 2019. The Star.
6. Web site: Noraini Abd. Razak. 3 April 2011. Muzium jadi darah daging. https://web.archive.org/web/20170118095317/http://ww1.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2011&dt=0403&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Rencana&pg=re_08.htm. 18 January 2017. 18 January 2017. Utusan Malaysia. ms.
7. Web site: Rais Yatim. Kehilangan khazanah budaya Melayu. https://web.archive.org/web/20170118094414/http://ww1.utusan.com.my/utusan/Bicara_Agama/20140401/ba_02/Kehilangan-khazanah-budaya-Melayu. 18 January 2017. 18 January 2017. Utusan Malaysia. ms.
8. News: Bangsal kilang jadi bangunan pertama FNM. Zainuri Misfar. The factory shed became the FNM's first building. Berita Harian. 23 June 1993. 14 December 2021. ms. 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.. subscription. KLiK.
9. Web site: Tan Sri Dato' Dr. Haji Abdul Mubin Sheppard. National Archives of Malaysia. ms. 4 September 2019.
10. Web site: 2013-11-06. Mubin Sheppard - The Malay of Malays. 2021-09-21. Sustainable Living Institute (SAVE).
11. Web site: Previous Director General Department of Museums Malaysia. 2021-09-21. Official Website Department of Museums Malaysia.
12. Web site: Mubin Sheppard Memorial Prize. Badan Warisan Malaysia Malaysia Heritage Trust. https://web.archive.org/web/20120220021442/http://www.badanwarisan.org.my/publications/1998_1999/msmp.php. 20 February 2012. dead. 11 October 2006.
13. Web site: Mubin Sheppard. 13 September 2010. Veteran MAYC. ms. 4 September 2019.
14. Web site: Mubin Sheppard (1905–1994). Faridah Abdul Rashid. 21 November 2011. The Early Malay Doctors. 4 September 2019.
15. Web site: Recommendation for Award for Sheppard, Mervyn Cecil Frank Rank: Captain. 5 December 1946. The National Archives. 4 September 2019. WO 373/102/862.
16. Web site: Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat. istiadat.gov.my.
17. Web site: DPMS 1982. awards.selangor.gov.my. 23 February 2022.