Fitzroy Maclean
Encyclopedia
Sir Fitzroy Hew Royle MacLean of Dunconnel, 1st Baronet KT CBE (11 March 1911 - 15 June 1996) was a Scottish
soldier, writer and politician. He was a Unionist MP from 1941 to 1974 and was one of few people who entered World War II
as a private and left having risen to the rank of Brigadier
.
Maclean wrote several books, including Eastern Approaches
, in which he recounted three extraordinary series of adventures: travelling, often incognito, in Soviet Central Asia
; fighting in the Western Desert Campaign
, where he specialised in commando
raids behind enemy lines; and living rough with Tito
and his Yugoslav Partisans. It has been speculated that Ian Fleming
used Maclean as one of his inspirations for James Bond
.
. He went to school at Eton College
, followed by King's College
, Cambridge University
, where he read Classics and History. He then studied in Germany
, and joined the Diplomatic Service in 1933. His clan's ancestral home was Duart Castle
on the Isle of Mull
in the Hebrides.
. Bored with the pleasant but undemanding routine, he requested a posting to Moscow
. The two and a half years he spent in the Soviet Union
formed the first third of his best known book, the autobiographical Eastern Approaches
. MacLean was in Moscow until late 1939, and so was present during the great Stalinist purges
, observing the fates of Bukharin and other Russian revolutionaries. Although he was stationed in the capital, MacLean travelled extensively, primarily by train, into remote regions of the USSR which were off limits to foreigners, and was shadowed by the NKVD
as he did so.
. He was soon promoted to Lance Corporal
and was commissioned in 1941. In that year he became the Conservative
MP for Lancaster
.
In North Africa
in 1942, he distinguished himself in the early actions of the newly formed Special Air Service
(SAS), where, with Ralph A. Bagnold, he developed ways of driving vehicles over the Libya
n sand "seas". Maclean was a brilliant practitioner in the T. E. Lawrence
brand of fighting, and he reported directly to Winston Churchill
in Cairo
.
Later that year he transferred to the Middle East
as part of the Persia and Iraq Command
. Amongst his accomplishments was the kidnapping of the German Consul from Axis-controlled Iraq
, an incident that soon led Hitler's government to withdraw its support of the military junta in that country. He also arrested Fazlollah Zahedi
, the general in charge of the Persian forces
in the Isfahan area.
Churchill chose him to lead a liaison mission to central Yugoslavia in 1943. As MacLean wryly put it, his mission was "simply to find out who was killing the most Germans and suggest means by which we could help them to kill more." (See also Yugoslavia and the Allies
). At the time of MacLean's deployment to Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito
and his Partisans were emerging as a major irritant to the German control of the Balkans
.
Little was known at the time about Tito: some suspected this was an acronym for a committee or that he might in fact be a young woman. Maclean got to know Tito well, and would later produce two biographies of him. Maclean's relationship with Tito's Partisans
was not always easy, partly because they were Communist
, while he came from an upper class
Scottish background, and had witnessed Stalinism
in action. His biography of Tito reveals the admiration he held for the Yugoslav leader and the Yugoslav Communist-led anti-fascist struggle. He developed a great affection for Yugoslavia and its people and was later given permission to buy a house on the island of Korčula, modern Croatia
.
He received the Order of Kutuzov
(Soviet Union) (which impressed the Soviet troops in Belgrade
), and after the war the Croix de Guerre
(France
), and Order of the Partisan Star (Yugoslavia
). He reached the rank of Brigadier
during the war, and was promoted to Major-General in 1947. MacLean was decorated with the Order of Prince Branimir by the Croatian President Stjepan Mesić
. The decoration was awarded posthumously for humanitarian aid to the Republic of Croatia during the Croatian War of Independence
, and for international affirmation of Croatia.
Member of Parliament
(MP) for Lancaster
in a 1941 by-election
. He served briefly as a junior minister at the War Office
from 1954 to 1957. In the 1959 general election
he switched constituencies to Bute and North Ayrshire
where he was re-elected until he retired at the February 1974 general election
. In his last two years, he was appointed as a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
and Western European Union
.
He married Veronica Nell Fraser-Phipps (1920–2005), a Roman Catholic, in 1946. She was the daughter of the 16th Lord Lovat
and widow of naval hero Lt. Alan Phipps, who was killed ashore at Leros
in 1943. Sir Fitzroy and Lady Maclean had two sons: Charles Edward (b. 1946) and Alexander James Simon Aeneas (b. 1949), who were apparently brought up in their mother's faith. Fitzroy Maclean was also stepfather to her children from her first marriage, Susan Rose "Suki" Phipps (b. 1941) and Jeremy Julian Phipps (b. 1942), who were not brought up Catholic. Suki married the writer Derek Marlowe
, and is stepmother to autistic savant Derek Paravicini
. Jeremy became a Major-General in the army, having served in the SAS
. James founded the Erotic Review
.
Sir Fitzroy was honoured with the baronet
cy of Maclean of Strachur and Glensluain in 1957, was made the 15th Hereditary Keeper and Captain of Dunconnel Castle in 1981 and was made a knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle
in 1994.
In retirement Maclean wrote extensively. His wide range of subjects included: Scottish history
, biographies (including Tito
and Burgess
), a Russia
n trilogy and assorted works of fiction. He also contributed to other books, for example writing the foreword to a 1984 biography of Joseph Wolff
, the so-called "Eccentric Missionary" in whose footsteps he had travelled to Bukhara
almost half a century before.
Maclean and his wife managed a hotel at Strachur. In 1964 he commissioned his wartime friend, fellow commando and yacht designer Alfred Mylne II to build the motor yacht Judi of Bute for use around the West Coast of Scotland. Maclean was a patron of Strachur and District Shinty Club
. He collected an extensive library, including a full set of early editions of James Bond
novels, which sold after his death for over £30,000.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
soldier, writer and politician. He was a Unionist MP from 1941 to 1974 and was one of few people who entered World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as a private and left having risen to the rank of Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
.
Maclean wrote several books, including Eastern Approaches
Eastern Approaches
Eastern Approaches is an autobiographical account of the early career of Fitzroy Maclean. It is divided into three parts: his life as a junior diplomat in Moscow and his travels in the Soviet Union, especially the forbidden zones of Central Asia; his exploits in the British Army and SAS in the...
, in which he recounted three extraordinary series of adventures: travelling, often incognito, in Soviet Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
; fighting in the Western Desert Campaign
Western Desert Campaign
The Western Desert Campaign, also known as the Desert War, was the initial stage of the North African Campaign during the Second World War. The campaign was heavily influenced by the availability of supplies and transport. The ability of the Allied forces, operating from besieged Malta, to...
, where he specialised in commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
raids behind enemy lines; and living rough with Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
and his Yugoslav Partisans. It has been speculated that Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
used Maclean as one of his inspirations for James Bond
Inspirations for James Bond
A number of real-life inspirations have been suggested for James Bond, the sophisticated fictional character and British spy created by Ian Fleming. Although the Bond stories were often fantasy-driven, they did incorporate some real places, incidents and, occasionally, organisations such as...
.
Early life
Maclean was born to Scottish gentry and was brought up in ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He went to school at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, followed by King's College
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
, Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, where he read Classics and History. He then studied in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and joined the Diplomatic Service in 1933. His clan's ancestral home was Duart Castle
Duart Castle
Duart Castle or Caisteal Dhubhairt in Scottish Gaelic is a castle on the Isle of Mull, off the west coast of Scotland, within the council area of Argyll and Bute...
on the Isle of Mull
Isle of Mull
The Isle of Mull or simply Mull is the second largest island of the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland in the council area of Argyll and Bute....
in the Hebrides.
In the Soviet Union
In the mid-1930s Fitzroy MacLean was posted to the British embassy in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Bored with the pleasant but undemanding routine, he requested a posting to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. The two and a half years he spent in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
formed the first third of his best known book, the autobiographical Eastern Approaches
Eastern Approaches
Eastern Approaches is an autobiographical account of the early career of Fitzroy Maclean. It is divided into three parts: his life as a junior diplomat in Moscow and his travels in the Soviet Union, especially the forbidden zones of Central Asia; his exploits in the British Army and SAS in the...
. MacLean was in Moscow until late 1939, and so was present during the great Stalinist purges
Great Purge
The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938...
, observing the fates of Bukharin and other Russian revolutionaries. Although he was stationed in the capital, MacLean travelled extensively, primarily by train, into remote regions of the USSR which were off limits to foreigners, and was shadowed by the NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
as he did so.
World War II: North Africa and Yugoslavia
When war broke out in 1939 Maclean was prevented from joining the military because of his position as a diplomat. Therefore he resigned from the Diplomatic Service "to go into politics". After tendering his resignation he immediately took a taxi to the nearest recruiting office and enlisted as a Private in the Queen's Own Cameron HighlandersQueen's Own Cameron Highlanders
The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1793. In 1961 it was merged with the Seaforth Highlanders to form the Queen's Own Highlanders...
. He was soon promoted to Lance Corporal
Lance Corporal
Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organizations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer, usually equivalent to the NATO Rank Grade OR-3.- Etymology :The presumed...
and was commissioned in 1941. In that year he became the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP for Lancaster
Lancaster (UK Parliament constituency)
Lancaster was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1867, centred on the historic city of Lancaster in north-west England...
.
In North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
in 1942, he distinguished himself in the early actions of the newly formed Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
(SAS), where, with Ralph A. Bagnold, he developed ways of driving vehicles over the Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
n sand "seas". Maclean was a brilliant practitioner in the T. E. Lawrence
T. E. Lawrence
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence, CB, DSO , known professionally as T. E. Lawrence, was a British Army officer renowned especially for his liaison role during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule of 1916–18...
brand of fighting, and he reported directly to Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
.
Later that year he transferred to the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
as part of the Persia and Iraq Command
Persia and Iraq Command
The Persia and Iraq Command was a British Army Command established in September 1942 in Baghdad. Its primary role was to secure from land and air attack the oilfields and oil installations in Persia and Iraq...
. Amongst his accomplishments was the kidnapping of the German Consul from Axis-controlled Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, an incident that soon led Hitler's government to withdraw its support of the military junta in that country. He also arrested Fazlollah Zahedi
Fazlollah Zahedi
Mohammad Fazlollah Zahedi was an Iranian general and statesman who replaced democratically elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadeq through a western-backed coup d'état, in which he played a major role.-Early years:Born in Hamedan in 1897, Fazlollah Zahedi was the son of Abol Hassan...
, the general in charge of the Persian forces
Military of Iran
The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran include the IRIA and the IRGC and the Police Force .These forces total about 545,000 active personnel . All branches of armed forces fall under the command of General Headquarters of Armed Forces...
in the Isfahan area.
Churchill chose him to lead a liaison mission to central Yugoslavia in 1943. As MacLean wryly put it, his mission was "simply to find out who was killing the most Germans and suggest means by which we could help them to kill more." (See also Yugoslavia and the Allies
Yugoslavia and the Allies
In 1941 when the Axis invaded Yugoslavia, King Peter II formed a Government in exile in London, and in January 1942 the royalist Draža Mihailović became the Minister of War with British backing. But by June or July 1943, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had decided to withdraw support from...
). At the time of MacLean's deployment to Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
and his Partisans were emerging as a major irritant to the German control of the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
.
Little was known at the time about Tito: some suspected this was an acronym for a committee or that he might in fact be a young woman. Maclean got to know Tito well, and would later produce two biographies of him. Maclean's relationship with Tito's Partisans
Partisans (Yugoslavia)
The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...
was not always easy, partly because they were Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, while he came from an upper class
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
Scottish background, and had witnessed Stalinism
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
in action. His biography of Tito reveals the admiration he held for the Yugoslav leader and the Yugoslav Communist-led anti-fascist struggle. He developed a great affection for Yugoslavia and its people and was later given permission to buy a house on the island of Korčula, modern Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
.
He received the Order of Kutuzov
Order of Kutuzov
The Order of Kutuzov is a Soviet and Russian military award, named after famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov ....
(Soviet Union) (which impressed the Soviet troops in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
), and after the war the Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
(France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
), and Order of the Partisan Star (Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
). He reached the rank of Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
during the war, and was promoted to Major-General in 1947. MacLean was decorated with the Order of Prince Branimir by the Croatian President Stjepan Mesić
Stjepan Mesić
Stjepan "Stipe" Mesić is a Croatian politician and former President of Croatia. Before his ten-year presidential term between 2000 and 2010 he held the posts of Speaker of the Croatian Parliament , Prime Minister of Croatia , the last President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia , Secretary General...
. The decoration was awarded posthumously for humanitarian aid to the Republic of Croatia during the Croatian War of Independence
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
, and for international affirmation of Croatia.
Later life
Maclean had been elected as ConservativeConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Lancaster
Lancaster (UK Parliament constituency)
Lancaster was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1867, centred on the historic city of Lancaster in north-west England...
in a 1941 by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
. He served briefly as a junior minister at the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
from 1954 to 1957. In the 1959 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1959
This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan...
he switched constituencies to Bute and North Ayrshire
Bute and Northern Ayrshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Bute and Northern Ayrshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system.-History:...
where he was re-elected until he retired at the February 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
. In his last two years, he was appointed as a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
and Western European Union
Western European Union
The Western European Union was an international organisation tasked with implementing the Modified Treaty of Brussels , an amended version of the original 1948 Treaty of Brussels...
.
He married Veronica Nell Fraser-Phipps (1920–2005), a Roman Catholic, in 1946. She was the daughter of the 16th Lord Lovat
Simon Fraser, 14th Lord Lovat
Brigadier-General Simon Joseph Fraser, 14th Lord Lovat and 3rd Baron Lovat KT, GCVO, KCMG, CB, DSO , was a leading Roman Catholic aristocrat, landowner, soldier, politician and the 23rd Chief of Clan Fraser. He was the son of Simon Fraser, 13th Lord Lovat, and Alice Mary Weld-Blundell...
and widow of naval hero Lt. Alan Phipps, who was killed ashore at Leros
Battle of Leros
The Battle of Leros was the central event of the Dodecanese Campaign of the Second World War, and is widely used as an alternate name for the whole campaign. Leros was occupied by British forces on 15 September 1943...
in 1943. Sir Fitzroy and Lady Maclean had two sons: Charles Edward (b. 1946) and Alexander James Simon Aeneas (b. 1949), who were apparently brought up in their mother's faith. Fitzroy Maclean was also stepfather to her children from her first marriage, Susan Rose "Suki" Phipps (b. 1941) and Jeremy Julian Phipps (b. 1942), who were not brought up Catholic. Suki married the writer Derek Marlowe
Derek Marlowe
Derek William Mario Marlowe was an English playwright, novelist, and screenwriter.- Life :Derek Marlowe was born in Perivale, Middlesex, and lived there and in Greenford as a child. His father was Frederick William Marlowe and his mother Helene Alexandroupolos...
, and is stepmother to autistic savant Derek Paravicini
Derek Paravicini
Derek Paravicini is a blind English autistic savant and a musical prodigy. He lives in Surrey.-Biography:Paravicini was born extremely prematurely, at 25 weeks . His blindness was caused by oxygen therapy given during his time in a neonatal intensive care unit...
. Jeremy became a Major-General in the army, having served in the SAS
SAS
- Special forces :* Special Air Service, a special forces unit of the British Army* Australian Special Air Service Regiment * New Zealand Special Air Service * Rhodesian Special Air Service...
. James founded the Erotic Review
Erotic Review
Erotic Review is a monthly UK-based lifestyle publication. Covering eroticism and sex-related topics, it was first published in 1995 as a print magazine, migrating to an eZine format in June, 2010...
.
Sir Fitzroy was honoured with the baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
cy of Maclean of Strachur and Glensluain in 1957, was made the 15th Hereditary Keeper and Captain of Dunconnel Castle in 1981 and was made a knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle
Order of the Thistle
The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The current version of the Order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland who asserted that he was reviving an earlier Order...
in 1994.
In retirement Maclean wrote extensively. His wide range of subjects included: Scottish history
History of Scotland
The history of Scotland begins around 10,000 years ago, when humans first began to inhabit what is now Scotland after the end of the Devensian glaciation, the last ice age...
, biographies (including Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
and Burgess
Guy Burgess
Guy Francis De Moncy Burgess was a British-born intelligence officer and double agent, who worked for the Soviet Union. He was part of the Cambridge Five spy ring that betrayed Western secrets to the Soviets before and during the Cold War...
), a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n trilogy and assorted works of fiction. He also contributed to other books, for example writing the foreword to a 1984 biography of Joseph Wolff
Joseph Wolff
Joseph Wolff , Jewish Christian missionary, was born at Weilersbach, near Bamberg, Germany. He travelled widely, and was known as the Eccentric Missionary, according to Fitzroy Maclean's Eastern Approaches...
, the so-called "Eccentric Missionary" in whose footsteps he had travelled to Bukhara
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
almost half a century before.
Maclean and his wife managed a hotel at Strachur. In 1964 he commissioned his wartime friend, fellow commando and yacht designer Alfred Mylne II to build the motor yacht Judi of Bute for use around the West Coast of Scotland. Maclean was a patron of Strachur and District Shinty Club
Strachur and District Shinty Club
Strachur and District Shinty Club is a Shinty team from Strachur, Argyll, Scotland. The club has one team which won South Division Two in 2011.-History:...
. He collected an extensive library, including a full set of early editions of James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
novels, which sold after his death for over £30,000.
Styles and honours
- Mr Fitzroy Maclean (1911–41)
- Mr Fitzroy Maclean MP (1941–44)
- Mr Fitzroy Maclean CBE MP (1944–57)
- Sir Fitzroy Maclean Bt. CBE MP (1957–74)
- Sir Fitzroy Maclean Bt. CBE (1974–94)
- Sir Fitzroy Maclean Bt. KT CBE (1994–96)
Biographies
- Maclean, Veronica (2002) Past Forgetting: a memoir of heroes, adventure, love and life with Fitzroy Maclean. London: Review ISBN 075531025X
- McLynn, Frank (1992) Fitzroy Maclean. London: John Murray ISBN 071954971X
See also
- Special Operations ExecutiveSpecial Operations ExecutiveThe 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...
- Balkan Air ForceBalkan Air ForceThe Balkan Air Force was a late-World War II Allied air formation.-History:The formation was based at Bari in Italy, and activated on 7 June 1944 from AHQ 'G' Force to simplify command arrangements for the air support of Special Operations Executive-operations in the Balkans, i.e. across the...
- Yugoslav Partisans
- Winston ChurchillWinston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
- Josip Broz TitoJosip Broz TitoMarshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
External links
- Sir Fitzroy, the original James Bond, is dead
- Scots adventurer was never a spy, reveals widow
- Fitzroy Maclean, War Hero And Author, Is Dead at 85
- Local obituary - Veronica, Lady Maclean. Information on the latter part of his life, including running the Highland hotel.
- Times obituary of Veronica Lady Maclean. "Well-connected writer, traveller, restaurateur and devotee of the Scottish Highlands and Yugoslavia." On their marriage.
- "I wish you could think of grown-up sins." Allan Massie reviews Past Forgetting by Veronica Maclean.