In 1942 he took part in Operation Postmaster, a successful raid on German and Italian ships in the port of Santa Isabella on Fernando Po, then a Spanish colony, although Spain was neutral in World War II.

[3][4] He was appointed Resident of Oyo Province in western Nigeria in 1949, but the following year he was offered the governorship of Sarawak,[5] where he was concurrently High Commissioner to Brunei.

[8] Abell retired in 1959 but was a member of selection boards for both the Colonial Service and the police,[2] and was also invited to sit on the Cobbold Commission on the future of North Borneo and Sarawak.

[9] Abell died on 8 October 1994 in Winchester district of Hampshire aged 87.

Abell was appointed CMG in 1950[11] and knighted KCMG in the 1952 New Year Honours.