The Sudan Political Service was an elite corps of British colonial administrators whose members served in Sudan for their entire career. While the senior government officials were typically from military backgrounds, at least in the early years, the Sudan Political Service was staffed by university graduates, mainly from Oxbridge. They were selected by a board of Sudan Government Officials as much on the basis of their ability to "fit in" as on any formal qualification (Daly & Hogan 2005, p. 16). Daly, M. W.; Hogan, Jane (2005). Images of Empire: Photographic Sources for the British in the Sudan. Brill. ISBN90-04-14627-X.