Ralph Paget
Encyclopedia
Sir Ralph Spencer Paget KCMG, CVO
, PC (26 November 1864 – 11 May 1940) was a diplomat in the British Foreign Service, culminating in his appointment as Ambassador to Brazil in 1918. He did varied service throughout the world, and is perhaps best remembered for his relief work in Serbia
before and during the First World War.
who had led the cavalry at Waterloo
, and his uncle was the distinguished naval officer Lord Clarence Paget. He was educated at Eton College
, where he won the Prince Consort's prize for German. He shone at rowing, being part of the winning "Novice Eight" in 1881, which also won in the Procession of Boats on 4 June of that year and later in the "House Four". After finishing school he studied abroad, becoming an "Arabic and Turkish scholar" before being nominated in April, 1888 attaché in the Foreign Service and sent to Vienna
to serve with his father, the Ambassador to Austria-Hungary. In the autumn of 1889 he was sent to Egypt to work with Sir Evelyn Baring
, the British Agent and Consul-General, who was in effect the de facto ruler of the country. While there he "gained an insight into the realities of administrative reform" while Baring introduced his financial reforms.
He was dispatched in 1891 to Zanzibar
, recently exchanged with Heligoland
, and worked with Gerald Portal
(the colonial commissioner) to promote "the first beginnings of European civilisation in the East of Africa". In June, 1892 he was sent to the British mission in Washington, DC where he stayed for only a year. In June, 1893 he then joined the legation
in Tokyo, where he served as chargé d'affaires, where he served for six years. In 1895 he was promoted to Second Secretary. He made such a good impression that upon his arrival the Japanese journal Nichi Nichi Shimbun wrote;
At the beginning of his service in Tokyo the First Secretary was Gerard Lowther
, later one of the architects of the Entente Cordiale
was considered to be acceptable neither to the Chinese or Japanese lobbies at the time of the Sino-Japanese War
and there relied heavily on his subordinates, Paget included. He then served for five years under Sir Ernest Satow who took over in Tokyo.
In 1901 Paget was sent to the legation in Guatemala
as chargé d'affaires, though with much increased responsibility as neighbouring Nicaragua
came under his legation's jurisdiction also. The primary motivation of the diplomatic staff was economic, protecting British interests in Central America. He was kept busy, and saw varied service in the two countries. In a 1901 official visit to Nicaragua, his modesty was offended by the fact that every time he visited a town, he was greeted by brass bands playing the National Anthem
. Despite his diplomatic bearing he felt compelled to ask that the practice cease. He did good work in Central America, although he was not "able to tolerate" either the Guatemalans or the oppressive weather. In September, 1902 he was promoted and appointed chargé d'affaires at the Bangkok
legation in the Kingdom of Siam
.
he tried to have the Legation (built 1876) moved to land at the Royal Bangkok Sports Club due to its nearness to the river and generally unfavourable position. However the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Works refused to allocate funds and the project was eclipsed by first Paget's own work, and after his departure by the First World War.
During his tenure he had to deal with German economic encroachment in Siam and try and negotiate a new standard in Anglo-Siamese relations. The status of British nationals in Siam had to be addressed, along with a long-running dispute over the lengthy Siamese-Malay
border and the construction of a Bangkok-Singapore
railway. Paget was able to deal with all of these issues and brooked no opposition either from London or Bangkok. The Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909
led to four tributary Siamese states coming under autonomous British control as the Unfederated Malay States
, while Britain recognised Siamese control of four other states, officially demarcating a border which remains today between Thailand
and Malaysia. Under the terms of the treaty, signed in March, 1909, Britain also undertook to build a railway between the two spheres of influence.
. In the same year he was made a Companion of the Royal Victorian Order
. In 1908 he was seriously considered for the position of British Ambassador to the German Empire in succession to Frank Lascelles
. Instead he was dispatched to Munich
to become the Minister Resident in the Kingdom of Bavaria
and the Kingdom of Württemberg
. His work there was relatively light, all major diplomatic intercourse taking place at the consulate in Berlin. In recognition of his services in Siam, Paget was promoted Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George in the King's Birthday Honours for 1909 and knighted.
Despite being popular in his new position, Paget managed to alienate the Permanent Under-Secretary
back in Whitehall
, Sir Charles Hardinge
with his "mild" reports. He would only be able to return to work at the Foreign Office in 1913, when Hardinge had been ennobled and made Viceroy of India. In July 1910 Paget was appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Serbia, being succeeded in Munich by Sir Vincent Corbett. In an unusual move, the new British king, George V
, wrote a letter to the Prince Regent of Bavaria
personally informing him of Sir Ralph's departure from Germany. The news of Paget's promotion to Minister to Serbia
was announced in The Times on 5 August 1910.
.
was being upgraded to an Embassy and that Paget had been approved by the King to be the first Envoy Extraordinary and Ambassador Plenipotentiary to Brazil. His departure was delayed however by being a permanent official of the British delegation to the Paris Peace Conference
with responsibility for the Balkans. Most of the salient points of the Paget-Tyrrell Memorandum for the distribution of Central and Eastern Europe were eventually adopted. On 18 August 1919 he was sworn a member of the Privy Council
before finally taking up his appointment in Brazil. He arrived in Rio in style, having been transported from the West Indies, where he had "been employed on a special mission" being transported in the battle cruiser HMS Renown
, arriving on 2 October. On 8 October he was officially received by President
Pessoa.
He spent only a year in Brazil though, despite being a success there, being awarded the honorary presidency of the British Chamber of Commerce
in Brazil. Before he had been appointed to the post, he had written to a friend; "What I really long for in my innermost heart is an old cotton shirt, an old pair of pants, a good horse and open prairie or desert." In conversation with Sir John Tilley, who at the time Assistant Secretary at the Foreign Office, he was reminded that his ultimate ambition had been to become an ambassador. Paget responded that the goal was fulfilled as soon as the appointment was made. His plan to increase British immigration in Brazil was thwarted by the Overseas Settlement Office. Eventually recurring bad health and a bout of depression forced him to tender his resignation in August 1920.
was assassinated, she visited Belgrade and was present at his funeral. Paget passed away on 10 May 1940 while in Saint-Raphaël
, France.
His widow, Dame Leila Paget continued to be actively interested in the Balkans. With the German invasion of Yugoslavia and the influx of Yugoslavian exiles into Britain, Dame Leila did all she could to assist those in need, including selling her estate in Surrey. She died at Kingston upon Thames on 24 September 1958.
Paget's memory was recalled, if incorrectly, in Brazil where he served for only a year and a half. An episode in a recent television soap-opera involved Paget in a fictitious search for Colonel Percy Fawcett
, who disappeared in the Amazon
jungle in 1925. Erring, the screenplay writer placed the event in 1944, when Sir Ralph had already been dead for four years.
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, PC (26 November 1864 – 11 May 1940) was a diplomat in the British Foreign Service, culminating in his appointment as Ambassador to Brazil in 1918. He did varied service throughout the world, and is perhaps best remembered for his relief work in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
before and during the First World War.
Early life and career
Ralph Spencer Paget was born on 26 November 1864, the third child and second son of Augustus Paget, also a career diplomat. His great-uncle, who died ten years before his birth, was the legendary Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of AngleseyHenry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey
Field Marshal Henry William Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, KG, GCB, GCH, PC , styled Lord Paget between 1784 and 1812 and known as The Earl of Uxbridge between 1812 and 1815, was a British military leader and politician, now chiefly remembered for leading the charge of the heavy cavalry against...
who had led the cavalry at Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, and his uncle was the distinguished naval officer Lord Clarence Paget. He was educated 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"....
, where he won the Prince Consort's prize for German. He shone at rowing, being part of the winning "Novice Eight" in 1881, which also won in the Procession of Boats on 4 June of that year and later in the "House Four". After finishing school he studied abroad, becoming an "Arabic and Turkish scholar" before being nominated in April, 1888 attaché in the Foreign Service and sent to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to serve with his father, the Ambassador to Austria-Hungary. In the autumn of 1889 he was sent to Egypt to work with Sir Evelyn Baring
Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer
Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer, GCB, OM, GCMG, KCSI, CIE, PC, FRS , was a British statesman, diplomat and colonial administrator....
, the British Agent and Consul-General, who was in effect the de facto ruler of the country. While there he "gained an insight into the realities of administrative reform" while Baring introduced his financial reforms.
He was dispatched in 1891 to Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
, recently exchanged with Heligoland
Heligoland
Heligoland is a small German archipelago in the North Sea.Formerly Danish and British possessions, the islands are located in the Heligoland Bight in the south-eastern corner of the North Sea...
, and worked with Gerald Portal
Gerald Portal
Sir Gerald Herbert Portal was a British diplomat, who was the Consul General for British East Africa and British Special Commissioner to Uganda, and a main figure in the establishment of the Uganda Protectorate.-Diplomatic career:...
(the colonial commissioner) to promote "the first beginnings of European civilisation in the East of Africa". In June, 1892 he was sent to the British mission in Washington, DC where he stayed for only a year. In June, 1893 he then joined the legation
Legation
A legation was the term used in diplomacy to denote a diplomatic representative office lower than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an Ambassador, a legation was headed by a Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary....
in Tokyo, where he served as chargé d'affaires, where he served for six years. In 1895 he was promoted to Second Secretary. He made such a good impression that upon his arrival the Japanese journal Nichi Nichi Shimbun wrote;
At the beginning of his service in Tokyo the First Secretary was Gerard Lowther
Sir Gerard Lowther, 1st Baronet
Sir Gerard Augustus Lowther, 1st Baronet PC KCMG CB was a British diplomat.Lowther was the second son of William Lowther and his wife Charlotte Alice, daughter of James Parke, 1st Baron Wensleydale. James Lowther, 1st Viscount Ullswater, was his elder brother and Sir Cecil Lowther his younger...
, later one of the architects of the Entente Cordiale
Entente Cordiale
The Entente Cordiale was a series of agreements signed on 8 April 1904 between the United Kingdom and the French Republic. Beyond the immediate concerns of colonial expansion addressed by the agreement, the signing of the Entente Cordiale marked the end of almost a millennium of intermittent...
was considered to be acceptable neither to the Chinese or Japanese lobbies at the time of the Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
and there relied heavily on his subordinates, Paget included. He then served for five years under Sir Ernest Satow who took over in Tokyo.
In 1901 Paget was sent to the legation in Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
as chargé d'affaires, though with much increased responsibility as neighbouring Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
came under his legation's jurisdiction also. The primary motivation of the diplomatic staff was economic, protecting British interests in Central America. He was kept busy, and saw varied service in the two countries. In a 1901 official visit to Nicaragua, his modesty was offended by the fact that every time he visited a town, he was greeted by brass bands playing the National Anthem
God Save the Queen
"God Save the Queen" is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms and British Crown Dependencies. The words of the song, like its title, are adapted to the gender of the current monarch, with "King" replacing "Queen", "he" replacing "she", and so forth, when a king reigns...
. Despite his diplomatic bearing he felt compelled to ask that the practice cease. He did good work in Central America, although he was not "able to tolerate" either the Guatemalans or the oppressive weather. In September, 1902 he was promoted and appointed chargé d'affaires at the Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
legation in the Kingdom of Siam
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
Sojourn in Siam
In Siam he was quickly put in de facto charge of the legation due to the recall of the Minister, Sir Reginald Tower. The climate was no better than Guatemala, and the Foreign Office had trouble filling the post for two years. Eventually, it was decided that after a period as First Secretary to the Legation from March, 1904 Paget would become Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in November at the age of forty. Upon taking charge in BangkokBangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
he tried to have the Legation (built 1876) moved to land at the Royal Bangkok Sports Club due to its nearness to the river and generally unfavourable position. However the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Works refused to allocate funds and the project was eclipsed by first Paget's own work, and after his departure by the First World War.
During his tenure he had to deal with German economic encroachment in Siam and try and negotiate a new standard in Anglo-Siamese relations. The status of British nationals in Siam had to be addressed, along with a long-running dispute over the lengthy Siamese-Malay
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
border and the construction of a Bangkok-Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
railway. Paget was able to deal with all of these issues and brooked no opposition either from London or Bangkok. The Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909
Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909
The Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 or Bangkok Treaty of 1909 was a treaty between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Siam signed on March 10, 1909, in Bangkok. Ratifications were exchanged in London on July 9, 1909....
led to four tributary Siamese states coming under autonomous British control as the Unfederated Malay States
Unfederated Malay States
The term Unfederated Malay States was the collective name given to five British protected states in the Malay peninsula in the first half of the twentieth century. These states were Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis, and Terengganu...
, while Britain recognised Siamese control of four other states, officially demarcating a border which remains today between Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and Malaysia. Under the terms of the treaty, signed in March, 1909, Britain also undertook to build a railway between the two spheres of influence.
Back to Europe
While laying the groundwork for this eventual success, in 1907 Paget married his younger cousin, Louisa Margaret Leila Wemyss Paget (1881–1958), daughter of General Arthur PagetArthur Paget
Arthur Paget may refer to:*Sir Arthur Paget *Sir Arthur Henry Fitzroy Paget...
. In the same year he was made a Companion of the Royal Victorian Order
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
. In 1908 he was seriously considered for the position of British Ambassador to the German Empire in succession to Frank Lascelles
Frank Lascelles
Sir Frank Cavendish Lascelles GCB, GCMG, GCVO, PC was a British diplomat. He served as Ambassador to both Russia and Germany....
. Instead he was dispatched to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
to become the Minister Resident in the Kingdom of Bavaria
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...
and the Kingdom of Württemberg
Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg was a state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located in present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which came into existence in 1495...
. His work there was relatively light, all major diplomatic intercourse taking place at the consulate in Berlin. In recognition of his services in Siam, Paget was promoted Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George in the King's Birthday Honours for 1909 and knighted.
Despite being popular in his new position, Paget managed to alienate the Permanent Under-Secretary
Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office
This is a list of Permanent Under-Secretaries in the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office since 1790.Not to be confused with Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs...
back in Whitehall
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
, Sir Charles Hardinge
Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst
Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst, was a British diplomat and statesman who served as Viceroy of India from 1910 to 1916.-Background and education:...
with his "mild" reports. He would only be able to return to work at the Foreign Office in 1913, when Hardinge had been ennobled and made Viceroy of India. In July 1910 Paget was appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Serbia, being succeeded in Munich by Sir Vincent Corbett. In an unusual move, the new British king, George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
, wrote a letter to the Prince Regent of Bavaria
Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria
Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria , was the de facto ruler of Bavaria from 1886 to 1912, due to the incapacity of his nephews, King Ludwig II and King Otto.-Early life:...
personally informing him of Sir Ralph's departure from Germany. The news of Paget's promotion to Minister to Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
was announced in The Times on 5 August 1910.
Minister in Serbia
Paget arrived in Serbia on 21 September 1910 and presented his credentials to King Petar three days later.Return to England
In August 1913 Paget was called back to England and appointed an Assistant Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in succession to Sir Louis MalletLouis Mallet
Sir Louis Mallet was a British civil servant. He was Permanent Under-Secretary of State for India.He was born in London and was in all probability educated there, though at which school or college is not known. He began his career in the Civil Service as a clerk in the Audit Office and appears to...
.
Brazil
On 26 September 1918 it was announced that the Legation in Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
was being upgraded to an Embassy and that Paget had been approved by the King to be the first Envoy Extraordinary and Ambassador Plenipotentiary to Brazil. His departure was delayed however by being a permanent official of the British delegation to the Paris Peace Conference
Paris Peace Conference, 1919
The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
with responsibility for the Balkans. Most of the salient points of the Paget-Tyrrell Memorandum for the distribution of Central and Eastern Europe were eventually adopted. On 18 August 1919 he was sworn a member of the Privy Council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
before finally taking up his appointment in Brazil. He arrived in Rio in style, having been transported from the West Indies, where he had "been employed on a special mission" being transported in the battle cruiser HMS Renown
HMS Renown (1916)
HMS Renown was the lead ship of her class of battlecruisers of the Royal Navy built during the First World War. She was originally laid down as an improved version of the s. Her construction was suspended on the outbreak of war on the grounds she would not be ready in a timely manner...
, arriving on 2 October. On 8 October he was officially received by President
President of Brazil
The president of Brazil is both the head of state and head of government of the Federative Republic of Brazil. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the Brazilian Armed Forces...
Pessoa.
He spent only a year in Brazil though, despite being a success there, being awarded the honorary presidency of the British Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
in Brazil. Before he had been appointed to the post, he had written to a friend; "What I really long for in my innermost heart is an old cotton shirt, an old pair of pants, a good horse and open prairie or desert." In conversation with Sir John Tilley, who at the time Assistant Secretary at the Foreign Office, he was reminded that his ultimate ambition had been to become an ambassador. Paget responded that the goal was fulfilled as soon as the appointment was made. His plan to increase British immigration in Brazil was thwarted by the Overseas Settlement Office. Eventually recurring bad health and a bout of depression forced him to tender his resignation in August 1920.
Retirement
After 1920 Sir Ralph Paget lived a further twenty years in the obscurity of private life. At last, he managed to take care of his health. Despite his neutral benevolence while he occupied the post in Belgrade, along with Lady Paget’s large-scale humanitarian work during the wars, it appears that the Serbian public, too preoccupied in the tense inter-war years, virtually forgot the Pagets. Nevertheless, Lady Paget never forgot Serbia. When in October 1934 the Yugoslav King Aleksandar IAlexander I of Yugoslavia
Alexander I , also known as Alexander the Unifier was the first king of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia as well as the last king of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes .-Childhood:...
was assassinated, she visited Belgrade and was present at his funeral. Paget passed away on 10 May 1940 while in Saint-Raphaël
Saint-Raphaël, Var
Saint-Raphaël is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.Immediately to the west of Saint-Raphaël lies another, older, town called Fréjus, and together they form an urban agglomeration known as Fréjus Saint-Raphaël...
, France.
His widow, Dame Leila Paget continued to be actively interested in the Balkans. With the German invasion of Yugoslavia and the influx of Yugoslavian exiles into Britain, Dame Leila did all she could to assist those in need, including selling her estate in Surrey. She died at Kingston upon Thames on 24 September 1958.
Paget's memory was recalled, if incorrectly, in Brazil where he served for only a year and a half. An episode in a recent television soap-opera involved Paget in a fictitious search for Colonel Percy Fawcett
Percy Fawcett
Lt. Colonel Percival Harrison Fawcett was a British artillery officer, archaeologist and South American explorer....
, who disappeared in the Amazon
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
jungle in 1925. Erring, the screenplay writer placed the event in 1944, when Sir Ralph had already been dead for four years.