John Francis Yaxley

John Francis Yaxley CBE JP (born 13 November 1938 in Birmingham, England) is a former civil servant in the UK Colonial Office.

After beginning his career in the Pacific Islands, Yaxley occupied a number of senior roles with the administration of British Hong Kong, which culminated in his appointment as Hong Kong Commissioner in London.

[1] After graduating with a degree in Geography he completed two years of national service in the Royal Army Educational Corps, being appointed 2nd Lieutenant (on probation) 25 August 1958.

[1] In 1990 Yaxley, writing to The Times, defended the actions of the Hong Kong government in its handling of Vietnamese boat people refugee cases, pointing out that all refugee claimants were granted legal aid in their cases against removal and granted the writ of habeas corpus.

[6] He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1990 Queen's Birthday Honours.