William Jervois Sir William Francis Drummond Jervois , GCMG , CB ( 10 September 182117 August 1897 ) was a British military engineer and diplomat . After joining the British Army in 1839 , he saw service , as a second captain , in South Africa . In 1858 , as a major , he was appointed Secretary of a Royal Commission set up to examine the state and efficiency of British land - based fortifications against naval attack ; and this led to further work in Canada and South Australia . From 1875 to 1888 he was , consecutively , Governor of the Straits Settlements , Governor of South Australia and Governor - General of New Zealand . Early life . Born on 10 September 1821 in Cowes in the Isle of Wight , Jervois was the son of Sir William Jervois ( pronounced " Jarvis " ) , and his wife Elizabeth Jervois née Maitland . Belonging to a military family of Huguenot descent , he was educated at Dr . Burney ' s Academy , Gosport , before entering the Royal Military Academy , Woolwich . Military service . Upon graduating from Woolwich , Jervois was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers in March 1839 . From then until 1841 , Jervois was trained at the School of Military Engineering at Chatham . In 1842 , having been promoted to lieutenant the year before , Jervois was sent to South Africa where he served as a brigade major . As a second captain he saw service in the 7th Xhosa War , 1846 – 1847 during which he drew military sketches of British Kaffraria ( now part of the Eastern Cape Province ) in South Africa . Returning to Britain in 1848 , he commanded a company of engineers at Woolwich and then on Guernsey . He was promoted to the rank of major in 1854 , and became the Commanding Royal Engineer ( Major ) for the London District in 1855 and Assistant Inspector - General of Fortifications the following year . Jervois became Secretary of a Royal Commission set up on 20 August 1859 to examine the state and efficiency of British land - based fortifications against naval attack . It was specifically tasked to consider Portsmouth , Spithead , the Isle of Wight , Plymouth , Portland , Pembroke Dock , Dover , Chatham and the Medway . The commission ' s report was published on 7 February 1860 . Amongst other things , it proposed several options for a ring of defences around London , none of which were adopted , although elements were used in the later London Defence Scheme . Jervois went on to oversee the design of the resulting fortifications that became known as the Palmerston Forts . Promotion to lieutenant colonel came in 1861 , and in 1864 and 1865 , he was sent to Canada to review its fortifications and at the conclusion of his inspection he submitted what became a politically controversial report that stated that the Great Lakes and Upper Canada were not defensible . He then lectured about iron fortifications , and inspected and provided advice regarding the defences of various British colonies including Gibraltar and the Andaman Islands . He was promoted to colonel in 1867 . In 1871 he was sent to India ; and then worked on the defences of Cork harbour , which were completed in 1874 . Following the withdrawal of British garrison troops from Australia in 1870 , Jervois and Lieutenant - Colonel Peter Scratchley were commissioned by a group of colonies to advise on defence matters . They inspected each colony ' s defences and produced the Jervois - Scratchley reports of 1877 and 1878 . These emphasised the importance of shore - based fortifications to defend against naval attack and also led to the establishment of local infantry and artillery units . In the 1880s many of the reports ' recommendations were implemented by the various colonial governments and they went on to form the basis of defence planning in Australia and New Zealand until Federation . Jervois was raised to the rank of major general in 1877 ; he received a final promotion to lieutenant general in 1882 . Diplomatic career . Governor of the Straits Settlements . In April 1875 , Jervois was appointed the Governor of the Straits Settlements , a British dependency which included Penang , Malacca and Singapore . He took office in Singapore on 8 May 1875 , and served until 3 April 1877 . Decisions he made during his tenure cemented Britain ' s foothold on the Malay peninsula ; he was instrumental in the formation of a local militia and the quelling of a Malay uprising . Although distrustful of Malays , he was sympathetic to the Chinese and would later bolster public support for orient al immigration during his time as Governor of South Australia . Governor of South Australia . During an 1877 inspection of Australian maritime defences , Jervois was appointed Governor of South Australia . He was given notice of his " promotion " while in Melbourne in June , although the true reason for his reassignment was that the Colonial Office disliked his interference on the Malay mainland . Jervois arrived in South Australia on HMS " Sapphire " on 2 October 1877 . Jervois arrived in the colony during a time of political crisis . Later in October , the Colton Ministry resigned over a disagreement with the senate about the new Parliamentary buildings . Jervois resisted the pressure to dissolve parliament , and James Boucaut became Premier . Jervois ' term also coincided with unusually good rainfall and a massive agricultural expansion . He laid the foundation stones of the University of Adelaide , the Institute and the Art Gallery , and commissioned a new vice - regal summer residence at Marble Hill . Governor - General of New Zealand . Jervois then served as Governor - General of New Zealand from 1883 to 1888 . In this role , Jervois provided advice on harbour defence , guided the colonial government on Imperial matters , was active in the country ' s social life , and worked to promote equality . He officiated at the opening of Auckland University College in 1883 , declaring that it would be accessible to all New Zealanders , and recognised the service of nurses in the Zululand conflict , awarding a Royal Red Cross to a New Zealand woman for the first time . He also engaged with the Maori leadership . He also served as president of the New Zealand Institute and patronised many sporting institutions , including the New Zealand Amateur Rowing Association . Later life . At the conclusion of his term as governor - general in New Zealand , Jervois returned to England in 1889 . The following year , he was appointed to serve on the Stanhope Commission , which again reviewed the state of Britain ' s fortifications . He returned to New Zealand briefly in 1892 , before being appointed the colonel commandant of the Royal Engineers the following year . His wife , Lucy , with whom he had had three daughters and two sons since their marriage in 1850 , died in 1895 . Jervois died on 17 August 1897 , at the age of 75 , as a result of injuries sustained in a carriage accident and was buried at Virginia Water , Surrey . Honours . Jervois received numerous honours for his military and diplomatic service . He was invested CB in 1863 , KCMG in 1874 , and GCMG in 1888 . He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1888 . Several streets were also named after him , including : Jervois Quay in Wellington , and Jervois Close and Jervois Road in Singapore . In Australia , a bridge in Adelaide was named for him , as was a mine .