Late 19th century Victorian travel desk and its contents presented to British surveyor Angus Sutherland by Lord Kitchener

This travelling desk belonged to Angus Sutherland, surveying instructor in Singapore. Sutherland was appointed the colonial instructor in surveying from 7th September 1890 to 1894. He had previously worked as a surveyor in Cyprus for six years, where he had mapped the island with Lord Kitchener, a British army officer and colonial administrator best known for his appearance on World War One recruitment posters. Kitchener presented him with this travel desk when he left his post in Cyprus in 1886. Inscribed on the lid is, ‘Sergeant Major A. Sutherland RE from Lieut Colonel Kitchener RE Palestine – Cyprus’.In Singapore, Angus Sutherland resided at Beach road where he also trained surveyors. This school was established to meet the growing demand for surveyors as the colony developed, and to avoid the costly process of hiring surveyors from overseas. The school was meant to have twenty students who would be taught theory in the morning, including subjects such as plotting and computing, and then would embark on fieldwork in the afternoon. Aside from teaching, Angus Sutherland was also remembered in Singapore setting up an observatory and time ball at Fort Fullerton.

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