Brooks Richards
Encyclopedia
Sir Francis "Brooks" Richards, KCMG
, DSO
, DSC
(18 July 1918, Southampton - 13 September 2002, Dorchester), was a British diplomat and, during the Second World War, a director of operations for the Special Operations Executive
. He married Hazel Williams in 1941 - she was the daughter of Lt-Col. Stanley Price Williams, Indian Army, who was also an SOE officer. They had one son, Francis Richards, and she died in 2000.
and Magdalene College, Cambridge
, in 1939 he volunteered for the Royal Navy
, commanding a minesweeper and then a motor torpedo boat
flotilla. At the outbreak of war, he organised secret service agents for secret Channel
crossings to France and across the Mediterranean to land in Tunisia
.
In 1940 he was put in command of (sunk that November), and in 1941 he was taken on by SOE. At the end of 1942 he was in Algiers
when admiral Darlan was also there at the time of the Allied landings. He met Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle
several times before La Chapelle attempted to assassinate Darlan. Brooks Richards always denied that Bonnier de la Chapelle, who moved in Royalist circles, was working for SOE. In May 1943, after the liberation of Tunis, Commander Brooks Richards was head of F section in Algiers, directing SOE agents parachuted into enemy territory or landed at night on the beaches. In Algiers he also got to know Charles de Gaulle
. He wrote an account of this period in his book Secret Flotillas.
In Autumn 1944 he served in the staff of Duff Cooper
, minister-resident charged with re-opening the British embassy in Paris, and in 1945 he became a reservist in the Royal Naval Reserve
(RNR). In 1944 to 1948 he was a press attaché in Paris, and in 1954 he began a diplomatic career, starting as first secretary and head of the administration in the Persian Gulf, a post he held until 1957. In 1958-59 he was Assistant Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary, before returning to France during De Gaulle's presidency to work as intelligence advisor at the British embassy from 1959 to 1964.
In 1964-65 he was head of the Department of Information Policy and Guidance, Commonwealth Relations Office, and in 1965-1969 he was delegated from there to the Cabinet Office
. From 1969 to 1971 he was in Bonn, before acting as British ambassador to South Vietnam (from 1972 to 1974, during the Vietnam War
) then Greece (1974–78, after the military junta fell from power). He was deputy secretary to the Cabinet Office from 1978 to 1980, Security Adviser to the Northern Ireland Office in 1980-81 and finally president of CSM Parliamentary Consultants from 1984 until his retirement in 1996.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, DSC
DSC
-in academia:* D.Sc., Doctor of Science* Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine* Dalton State College, Georgia* Daytona State College, Florida* Deep Springs College, California* Dixie State College of Utah...
(18 July 1918, Southampton - 13 September 2002, Dorchester), was a British diplomat and, during the Second World War, a director of operations for the Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
. He married Hazel Williams in 1941 - she was the daughter of Lt-Col. Stanley Price Williams, Indian Army, who was also an SOE officer. They had one son, Francis Richards, and she died in 2000.
Life
Educated at Stowe SchoolStowe School
Stowe School is an independent school in Stowe, Buckinghamshire. It was founded on 11 May 1923 by J. F. Roxburgh, initially with 99 male pupils. It is a member of the Rugby Group and Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school is also a member of the G20 Schools Group...
and Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary Magdalene...
, in 1939 he volunteered for the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, commanding a minesweeper and then a motor torpedo boat
Motor Torpedo Boat
Motor Torpedo Boat was the name given to fast torpedo boats by the Royal Navy, and the Royal Canadian Navy.The capitalised term is generally used for the Royal Navy boats and abbreviated to "MTB"...
flotilla. At the outbreak of war, he organised secret service agents for secret Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
crossings to France and across the Mediterranean to land in Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
.
In 1940 he was put in command of (sunk that November), and in 1941 he was taken on by SOE. At the end of 1942 he was in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
when admiral Darlan was also there at the time of the Allied landings. He met Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle
Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle
Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle, was a member of the French resistance who assassinated Admiral of the Fleet François Darlan, the former chief of government of Vichy France and the self-proclaimed high commissioner of French North Africa and West Africa, on December 24, 1942...
several times before La Chapelle attempted to assassinate Darlan. Brooks Richards always denied that Bonnier de la Chapelle, who moved in Royalist circles, was working for SOE. In May 1943, after the liberation of Tunis, Commander Brooks Richards was head of F section in Algiers, directing SOE agents parachuted into enemy territory or landed at night on the beaches. In Algiers he also got to know Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
. He wrote an account of this period in his book Secret Flotillas.
In Autumn 1944 he served in the staff of Duff Cooper
Duff Cooper
Alfred Duff Cooper, 1st Viscount Norwich GCMG, DSO, PC , known as Duff Cooper, was a British Conservative Party politician, diplomat and author. He wrote six books, including an autobiography, Old Men Forget, and a biography of Talleyrand...
, minister-resident charged with re-opening the British embassy in Paris, and in 1945 he became a reservist in the Royal Naval Reserve
Royal Naval Reserve
The Royal Naval Reserve is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. The present Royal Naval Reserve was formed in 1958 by merging the original Royal Naval Reserve and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve , a reserve of civilian volunteers founded in 1903...
(RNR). In 1944 to 1948 he was a press attaché in Paris, and in 1954 he began a diplomatic career, starting as first secretary and head of the administration in the Persian Gulf, a post he held until 1957. In 1958-59 he was Assistant Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary, before returning to France during De Gaulle's presidency to work as intelligence advisor at the British embassy from 1959 to 1964.
In 1964-65 he was head of the Department of Information Policy and Guidance, Commonwealth Relations Office, and in 1965-1969 he was delegated from there to the Cabinet Office
Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom....
. From 1969 to 1971 he was in Bonn, before acting as British ambassador to South Vietnam (from 1972 to 1974, during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
) then Greece (1974–78, after the military junta fell from power). He was deputy secretary to the Cabinet Office from 1978 to 1980, Security Adviser to the Northern Ireland Office in 1980-81 and finally president of CSM Parliamentary Consultants from 1984 until his retirement in 1996.
Works
- Secret Flotillas, HMSO, 1996.
- Secret Flotillas (revised edn) Vol 1 RoutledgeRoutledgeRoutledge is a British publishing house which has operated under a succession of company names and latterly as an academic imprint. Its origins may be traced back to the 19th-century London bookseller George Routledge...
, 2004. - Secret Flotillas (revised edn) Vol 2 RoutledgeRoutledgeRoutledge is a British publishing house which has operated under a succession of company names and latterly as an academic imprint. Its origins may be traced back to the 19th-century London bookseller George Routledge...
, 2004.
Honours
- UK : Distinguished Service Order (DSODistinguished Service OrderThe Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
) ; Distinguished Service Cross (DSCDistinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
) and bar, 1943 ; Companion of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (CMGOrder of St Michael and St GeorgeThe Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
), 1963 ; KCMG, 1976 - France : Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
; Croix de Guerre 1939-1945.
External links
- Photograph of Brooks Richards on the Special Forces Roll of Honour site
- Obituary, Le Monde, 2 October 2002.