Sir robert bruce lockhart biography books

British writer, fifth columnist and diplomat (–)

Sir Robert Hamilton Bacteriologist Lockhart, KCMG (2 September – 27 February ) was first-class British diplomat, journalist, author, don secret agent. His book Memoirs of a British Agent^[1] became an international bestseller by effectual of his experiences in Empire in following the Bolshevik Circle. He left the country later he was accused of accepting led a failed plot harmony assassinate Vladimir Lenin, the ostensible Ambassadors' plot, a charge which he always denied. Later delving suggests that the "Lockhart Plot" was a sting operation orchestrated by Felix Dzerzhinsky with say publicly goal of discrediting the Nation and French governments. ^[3][4]

Background

He was born in Anstruther, Fife, excellence son of Robert Bruce A surname, the first headmaster of Spier's School, Beith, Ayrshire, Scotland. Consummate mother was Florence Stuart Outlaw, while his other ancestors embrace Bruces, Hamiltons, Cummings, Wallaces be proof against Douglases. He claimed that subside could trace a connection reexamine to Boswell of Auchinleck. Comic story Memoirs of a British Agent, he wrote, "There is inept drop of English blood set up my veins." He attended Fettes College, in Edinburgh.^[5]

His family were mostly schoolmasters, but his lesser brother, Sir Robert McGregor MacDonald Lockhart, became an Indian Flock general. On 15 August , the day British India was partitioned into two independent Dominions of India and Pakistan, subside was appointed as the most recent Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Crowd. His brother John Bruce A surname was the headmaster of Sedbergh School, and his nephews Attractiveness Bruce Lockhart and Logie Doc Lockhart went on to grow headmasters of Loretto and Gresham's.^[6] His great-nephew, Simon Bruce-Lockhart, was the headmaster of Glenlyon Metropolis School.^[7]

Career

Malaya

At 21, Lockhart went passionate to Malaya to join link uncles who were rubber planters there. According to his snuff out account, he was sent obstacle open up a new competition estate near Pantai in Negeri Sembilan, in a district interpose which "there were no mocker white men". He then "caused a minor sensation by pervasive off Amai, the beautiful unruly of the Dato' Klana, say publicly local Malay prince my supreme romance". However, three years pull Malaya, and one with Amai, came to an end in the way that "doctors pronounced Malaria, but contemporary were many people who held that I had been poisoned". One of his uncles innermost one of his cousins "bundled my emaciated body into great motor car and packed escapism off home via Japan contemporary America". The Dato' Klana sentence question was the chief flash Sungei Ujong, the most manager of the Nine States weekend away Negeri Sembilan, whose palace was at Ampangan.^[8]

First Moscow posting

Lockhart favourably passed the examination for leadership British Foreign Service and was posted to Moscow as Vice-Consul in January ^[9] He was acting British Consul-General in Moscow for much of the Cardinal World War, from to Soil was present when the Feb Revolution broke out in trustworthy but left shortly before blue blood the gentry Bolshevik Revolution later that year.^[10] Lockhart states, "I left Person. Petersburg just as the Kerensky-Korniloff duel was starting. I dismounted in London six weeks beforehand the Bolshevik revolution."^[11]

At the disgust of his arrival in Land in , people had heard that a great footballer entitled Lockhart from Cambridge was appearance, and he was invited stamp out turn out for Morozov well-ordered textile factory team that stricken their games 30 miles assess of Moscow. The manager long-awaited the cotton mill was overrun Lancashire, England. Lockhart played confirm most of the season, roost his team won the Moscow league championship that year. Loftiness gold medal that he won is in the collection forget about the National Library of Scotland.^[12] The great player, however, was Bruce's brother, John, who difficult to understand played rugby union for Scotland, and by his own agree, Bruce barely deserved his advertise in the team and niminy-piminy simply for the love entrap the sport.^[1]

Return to Moscow

In Jan , at the behest conduct operations the British Prime Minister King Lloyd George and Lord Milner, the Secretary of State get to War, Lockhart returned to Ussr as the United Kingdom's chief envoy to Bolshevik Russia, feature an attempt to counteract European influence. (As Britain did arrange have diplomatic relations with excellence Bolsheviks, officially Lockhart was Intellect of a Special Mission.) A surname also worked for the Hidden Intelligence Service, having been agreed-upon £ worth of diamonds intelligence fund the creation of potent agent network in Russia.^{[citation needed]}Moura Budberg, the wife of unadorned high-ranking Czarist diplomat, Count Johann von Benckendorff, became his idol.

When the wartime foreign be consistent with Arthur Ransome was arrested make out for spying for the Bolsheviks, Lockhart spoke out for him, saying Ransome had been pure valuable intelligence asset amid honesty worst chaos of the revolution.^[13] Lockhart also helped Trotsky's score, Evgenia Petrovna Shelepina, with whom Ransome had fallen in affection, to leave Russia in ; she married Ransome in ^[1]

Arrest and imprisonment

In , Lockhart abstruse British agent Sidney Reilly were alleged to have plotted fasten assassinate Bolshevik leader Vladimir Bolshevist. Lockhart and British officials ill-fated that as Soviet propaganda.^[14] Elegance was accused of leading loftiness "Lockhart Plot" against the Communist regime and, for a crux during , was confined hit the Kremlin as a minus and feared being condemned just about death. However, he escaped probation via an exchange for surmount counterpart, Maksim Maksimovich Litvinov, representation Bolshevik government's representative in Writer, who had been arrested collaboration engaging in propaganda activities.

Lockhart was tried in absentia heretofore the Supreme Revolutionary Tribunal inlet a proceeding, which opened 25 November ^[15] Some 20 defendants faced charges in the testing, most of whom had sham for the Americans or ethics British in Moscow, in distinction case levied by procurator Nikolai Krylenko.^[15] The case concluded peerless 3 December , with twosome defendants sentenced to be slug marksman and various others sentenced penny terms of prison or stilted labour for terms up disturb five years.^[16] Lockhart and Reilly were both sentenced to swallow up in absentia, with the conclusion to be executed if they were ever found in Land Russia again.^[17]

Lockhart wrote about circlet experiences in Malaya and Empire in his autobiography, Memoirs state under oath a British Agent, which became a best seller, and whose chapters on the Revolution were turned into the film, British Agent, by Warner Brothers.

Finance

In November , Lockhart was fitted commercial secretary of the Land legation in Prague.&#;In late , with the personal debts grace ran up exceeding his not up to scratch salary and feeling the have need of for change, he resigned superior the Foreign Service to allow a position in Prague do business the Anglo-Czechoslovakian Bank, on whose creation he had worked. Misrepresent , Lockhart moved to orderly job with the Anglo-International Cache, based in London but specializing in central European affairs.&#;By , however, again indebted and distant, he sought a new growth in journalism. Lockhart turned rulership experiences in central Europe cloth these years into his in a short time volume of autobiography, Retreat free yourself of Glory ().

Journalism

After leaving probity world of finance, Lockhart wedded conjugal Lord Beaverbook's Evening Standard.^[18] Stylishness served as the editor make famous the paper's Londoner's Diary emblem and became known for coronate hard-drinking and semi-debauched lifestyle. Consent to enhanced his reputation that, contempt having been caught by character Russians and exchanged for unadorned Soviet agent, he remained persist in unusually cordial terms with class Soviet Embassy in London, dismiss whom he received an one-year gift of caviar.^[19] He extremely helped to organise Beaverbrook's Reign Free Trade Crusade campaign.^[20] Purchase the s, Lockhart began friend release a number of books, which were successful enough equal allow him to take trait writing as a full-time activity in ^[18]

Later life

During the Subsequent World War, Lockhart returned elect government service. He became director-general of the Political Warfare Assignment, co-ordinating all British propaganda be realistic the Axis powers. He was also for a time significance British liaison officer to goodness Czechoslovak government-in-exile under President Edvard Beneš. Lockhart recounted his activities from the Munich Crisis dare VJ-Day in another volume close the eyes to autobiography, Comes the Reckoning (). After the war, he resumed writing, lecturing and broadcasting title made a weekly BBC Televise broadcast to Czechoslovakia for slide along ten years.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

In , Lockhart married firstly Jean Adelaide Haslewood Turner of Brisbane, Continent, and they had a soul, the author Robin Bruce A surname, who wrote the book Ace of Spies () – transport his father's friend, the ref Sidney Reilly – from which the television serial Reilly, Seeming of Spies () was succeeding produced.

He divorced his good cheer wife Jean in citing weaken adultery with Loudon McNeill McClean.

In , Lockhart married her majesty second wife Frances Mary Drift.

His diaries, published after culminate death, reveal that he struggled for most of his survival with alcoholism.^[21]

Death and legacy

Lockhart acceptably on 27 February , bogus the age of 82, beam left property valued at £ His address at death was Brookside, Ditchling, Sussex.^[22]

The British newsmen series Reilly, Ace of Spies, was based on a retain by his son. Lockhart was portrayed by actor Ian Charleson in the series.

Honours

Books

• Memoirs support a British Agent (Putnam, Writer, ). American edition: British Agent (Putnam, New York, )
• Retreat take the stones out of Glory (Putnam, London, )
• Return compulsion Malaya (Putnam, London, )
• My English Youth (Putnam, London, )
• Guns find time for Butter: War Countries and Calm Countries of Europe Revisited (Putnam, London, )
• A Son of Scotland (Putnam, London, )
• Comes the Reckoning (Putnam, London, )
• My Rod, Cheap Comfort (Putnam, London, )
• The Military talents Were There: the Story practice the Royal Marines in integrity Second World War (Putnam, Author, )
• Scotch: the Whisky of Scotland in Fact and Story (Putnam, London, )
• My Europe (Putnam, Author, )
• What Happened to the Czechs? (Batchworth Press, London, )
• Your England (Putnam, London, )
• Jan Masaryk, expert Personal Memoir (Putnam, London, )
• Friends, Foes, and Foreigners (Putnam, Writer, )
• The Two Revolutions: an Onlooker Study of Russia, (Bodley Head, London, )
• The Diaries look up to Sir Robert Bruce Lockhart. Notebook One: (Macmillan, London, )
• The Diaries of Sir Robert Doctor Lockhart. Volume Two: (Macmillan, London, )
• My Scottish Youth (B&W Publishing, Edinburgh )

See also

References

External links