جون كوليرين هانبري باركروفت

انضم باركروفت إلى خدمة الراجا كطالب عسكري في فبراير 1930 ^{[ 4 ]} ، وقضى سنواته السبع الأولى في الفرقة الثانية. خلال هذه الفترة، أتقن لغة الداياك بسرعة ، وطوّر فهمًا عميقًا لقوانين وعادات الداياك. أكسبته مهاراته ومعرفته تقديرًا كواحد من أبرز الضباط الشباب في إدارة الداياك. في عام 1931، اختاره بيرترام بروك لمرافقة بعثة من الفرقة الثانية عبر خط تقسيم المياه إلى إنتاباي، ثم نزولًا مع نهر كانويت، في محاولة لقمع اضطرابات الداياك في المنطقة. عمل باركروفت كمترجم خلال مقابلة بروك مع أسون، زعيم المتمردين. ^{[ 5 ]}

على مدار العام التالي، شارك باركروفت بنشاط في العمليات ضد المتمردين، وصولاً إلى استسلامهم عام 1933. وللمساعدة في إعادة توطين مجتمع الداياك وتهدئته بعد الانتفاضة، أُنشئ مركز إداري جديد في داخل مقاطعة كانويت عام 1937، حيث عُيّن باركروفت أول ضابط مقاطعة لميلوان. ثم خدم لاحقًا في لاواس وأعالي ساراواك قبل أن يُنقل إلى موكاه وقت الغزو الياباني . ^{[ 5 ]}

After a brief furlough at home and the hardships of life as a civilian prisoner of war in Kuching, Barcroft returned to Sarawak to engage with the Dayaks on the issue of cession.^[5][6] Following the liberation, he resumed his service as a resident in the second division.^[4] In April 1946, he was appointed resident of Simanggang, and the following year, in 1947, he took up the role of resident of the third division.^[5]

Barcroft was sent to Brunei in 1950 and was seconded as resident in July 1951,^[7] before being promoted to senior resident in 1952.^[5] He became the first officer from Sarawak to hold the position, replacing Eric Ernest Falk Pretty, the last Malayan Civil Service official to do so.^[8] In an effort to cut costs, Barcroft proposed delaying SultanOmar Ali Saifuddien III's planned trip to England until the coronation of Elizabeth II in the following year. While High Commissioner Anthony Abell initially agreed, the sultan insisted on proceeding as Pretty had previously promised. The trip was seen as an opportunity for the sultan to engage with British officials and experience different cultures.^[9]

Barcroft also faced tensions over government-funded housing for Brunei's wazirs, Pengiran Muda Hashim and Pengiran Anak Mohamed Alam. Although his predecessor, Pretty, had initially proposed the project, Barcroft refused to approve costly modifications requested by the wazirs, citing financial constraints. While he later pledged to reconsider the changes in the 1953 budget estimates, his reluctance strained relations between the British administration and Brunei’s traditional elite.^[10] Further conflicts arose when the State Council delayed the approval of Enactment No. 11, which reorganised Brunei's superior courts and designated Her Majesty's Privy Council as the highest court of appeal. Frustrated by the delay, Barcroft, aware that the British parliament was on the verge of passing the corresponding Order in Council, sent a strongly worded letter demanding immediate approval. In protest, he refused to attend the proceedings on 14 November 1951, hinting at potential repercussions after recognising what he saw as the Omar Ali Saifuddien's council's deliberate resistance.^[11]

The State Council opposed Barcroft's proposal for increased collaboration among the three Borneo territories, rejecting his plans for a regional children's home and the relocation of long-term inmates to Kuching on 30 September 1952, insisting on Brunei-based solutions. The State Council had also resisted his earlier proposal to enact the Sarawak Adoptions Ordinance, citing inconsistencies with Brunei's Islamic inheritance rules.^[12] As the first Sarawak-based resident under the 1948 Brunei–Sarawak administrative union, Barcroft struggled with shifting power dynamics in Brunei. The Omar Ali Saifuddien's first overseas trip as ruler underscored British control over state finances, even in religious matters. Uncertain of his authority, Barcroft attempted to enforce the repayment of advances made to the sultan for expenses beyond government-approved amounts. While the palace complied without protest, the issue was likely raised with Abell during his visit in October 1952.^[13]

On 23 January 1953, around 200 demonstrators marched to Barcroft's office, demanding an explanation for a rejected application, which led to a large-scale protest organized by A. M. Azahari. The State Treasurer, E. W. Cousens, panicked and allowed the group to wait while Barcroft was away. Upon his return, Barcroft declined to meet immediately and only agreed to meet with three representatives the following week. Azahari and his followers, however, demanded an immediate resolution, resulting in a standoff where police personnel, fearing they might harm their fellow Bruneians, refused to follow orders.^[14] Despite these tensions, Barcroft represented Brunei alongside Omar Ali Saifuddien and Ibrahim Mohammad Jahfar at the first Sarawak–North Borneo–Brunei Conference held in Kuching on 21 April 1953. The conference, pushed by Malcolm MacDonald and Abell, aimed to improve communication and collaboration across the three territories.^[15]

In June 1954, Barcroft was succeeded as British resident to Brunei by John Orman Gilbert.^[7] In 1957, he presented a budget to the Council Negri that significantly increased taxes, including a fourfold hike in motor vehicle license fees, a new radio license charge, and higher import taxes on tobacco, cigarettes, and alcohol. These measures were expected to generate RM3.5 million in revenue, contributing to a RM158,545 surplus in the budget. Barcroft defended the tax increases by citing a fiscal survey conducted by Professor T. H. Silcock of the University of Malaya and emphasised the need for financing growth without borrowing, unless the projects could generate enough income to repay debts. The total budgeted expenditure amounted to RM50,164,555, with an additional RM34,200,686 allocated for development.^[16] Barcroft was finally appointed Sarawak's chief secretary in May 1958, following the retirement of J. H. Ellis.^[4]