Duncan Stewart was assassinated in Sibu on Dec 4th 1949. There was a lot of commotion and exchanges of telegrams but things came under control. The two assassins were arrested in no time.
Mrs. Duncan Steward was stressed and inconsolable and had wanted all the culprits execuited immediately.
When it was announced he had passed away in the hospital in Singapore, a circular was sent out to all civil servants as regards how to mourn the loss of a Governor. Every one started their official mourning and grieving in Kuching and throughout Sarawak. Civil servants were "ordered" to wear a black arm band as a mark of mourning. A few examples of official mourning could be taken from the history of British Empire regarding the wearing of a black arm band.
the January 7th 1950 issue of Sarawak Gazette stated in its first paragraph on the front page, "..the year 1949 was darkened by the assassination of the Governor.......the unique event in the history of Sarawak.. ,have been viewed with abhorence by the people of Sarawak..."
The funeral took place with full military honours in Singaore on the 11th December. The pall-bearers were the Commissioner- General (Mr. Malcolm MacDonald), the High Commissioner for the Federation of Malaya (Sir Henry Gurney) and the Officers Administering the Governments of Singapore (Mr. P.A.B. McKerron) and Sarawak (Mr. C. W. Dawson). TheCommissioner-General was also present as the personal representative of His Majesty the King. The funeral service wa broadcast over Radio Malaya and' many in Sarawak were able to hear it.
"Mr. Stewart was in Sarawak for so short a time that we were hardly able to assess his qualities as a Governor. Those, however, who were privileged to meet him were impressed by his youthfulness, his keenness and his unassuming manner. We could not doubt that he would have made a worthy successor to Sir Charles Arden-Clarke, and that Sarawak is the poorer for his untimely death. We cannot do better than reproduce the words spoken over Radio Malaya" (Commissioner-General on the 10th December:)
Some points about the Governor from Wikipedia: -
a. His service record was viewed as exceptional
b. He was announced as the new Governor and Commander-in-Chief for Sarawak by Lord Listowel, Minister of State for Colonial Affairs, to replace Charles Arden-Clarke.
c.he had only been in the new role as Governor of Sarawak for a couple of weeks and was in fact on his first official visit in the colony, to the town of Sibu on 4 December 1949.
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