OBITUARY,

SIR ARNOLD OVERTON

Former Permanent Secret ar'

to Civil Aviation Ministry

Sir Aniold Overton, IXCB, KCMG. MC, who had a long and distingiuished career in the public service, died oil \VeciOCsday at the age of 82.

He was Perlmlailenit Secretary of the Board of Trade from 1941 to 1945, Miniister in Charge of the Middle East Office, Cairo, from 1945 to 1947, and Permanent Secretary Ministry of Civil Aviation 19S;3f63. After retiring from the public service he was appointed to the' board of BEA, serving from 1953 to 1963.

Arnold Edersheim Overton was the son of Caniion F. A. Overton and was borni on january 8, 1893. He was educated at Winchester and New College. Oxford, w.here lie took a seconid in mathematical mods in 1912. He served in the First World War in France, Macedoni.a and Palestine, winming the Military

Cross, and at ils concilisioni iI 1919 cntered tle Board n

Trade, anid he tw.as private .;cc,,tarv tiierc to several of its presi. dcntf. lie scrved on thc secretariat of the Ottawa Confcrence in 193,2. atI lic was a idelegatc

of ihc UniteLd Kingdomn Gotelrn. ment to negoriaic ihe Anglo. Amnerican Trade Agreement in

Oierton belonged to a ratltC,'I uinconvenitionial ' type of puiblic servant: modest and rNeirinig and appalrently devoid of pci sonal ambition or of anv dcsirc tO impresS peoiple with his o0wn11 imiportanlce. lie N%as a devoted servant of thc public and had won the affection of hbis col* leagues and many fiicids.

Ile married in 1920. Jronwen Ccclfie. daughter of Sir 1Hturh Vinicentl. 'rhcv hlad thrce sortC and a daughter. Jiis wife died in 1974.'