Antony Duff
Antony Duff | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Arthur Antony Duff 25 February 1920 |
| Died | 13 August 2000 (aged 80) |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Britannia Royal Naval College |
| Occupations |
|
| Spouse | Pauline Sword |
| Awards | |
| Espionage activity | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service branch | MI5 |
| Service years | 1985–1988 |
| Rank | Director General of MI5 |
| Military career | |
| Service/ |  Royal Navy |
| Commands held | |
Sir Arthur Antony Duff GCMG CVO DSO DSC PC (25 February 1920 – 13 August 2000) was a senior British diplomat and Director General of MI5.
Early life and naval service
[edit]Born in 1920 to Admiral Sir Arthur Allen Morison Duff KCB and Margaret Grace Dawson at Var Trees House, Moreton.[1] Educated at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, Duff started his career in the Royal Navy where he was a submarine commander during the Second World War; he briefly commanded HMS Otway and HMS L23 in 1942 before commanding HMS Stubborn from December 1942 to July 1944.[2]
Diplomatic career
[edit]After the war Duff joined the Diplomatic Service in January 1946.[1] He was Counsellor and Head of the Chancery of the United Kingdom Embassy in West Germany from 1962 to 1964, the British Ambassador to Nepal from 1964 to 1965; the Head of the South Asia Department of the Foreign Office from 1965 to 1969; the Deputy High Commissioner to Malaysia from 1969 to 1972; and the British High Commissioner to Kenya from 1972 to 1975.[3][4]
Duff was the Deputy Under Secretary for Middle East and Africa from 1975 to 1977; and the Deputy Under Secretary for Defence and Intelligence from 1977 to 1990, including serving concurrently as the Senior Deputy Under Secretary from 1976 to 1979.[1] Having led the British official delegation to the Lancaster House talks, he became Deputy Governor of Southern Rhodesia under Lord Soames from 1979 to 1980.[5]
Cabinet Office and MI5
[edit]Duff was sworn of the Privy Council in 1980, the first diplomat to be so honoured since Sir Alexander Cadogan in 1940. Duff was Deputy Secretary (Intelligence and Security Co-ordinator) at the Cabinet Office with responsibility for security matters from 1980 to 1984. He was then Director General of the Security Service (MI5) from 1985 to 1988.[6][7]
Later life
[edit]After his retirement in January 1988, Duff worked as a volunteer in a centre for the homeless and was a board member of Homeless Network in London.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Duff, Sir (Arthur) Antony (1920–2000), diplomatist and intelligence officer". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/74488. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. Retrieved 15 April 2021. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Lt. Arthur Anthony Duff DSO, DSC, uboat.net
- ^ "Duff, Rt Hon. Sir (Arthur) Antony, (25 Feb. 1920–13 Aug. 2000), PC 1980; Deputy Secretary, Cabinet Office, 1980–84; Director General, Security Service, 1985–87, retired". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u178117. ISBN 978-0-19-954089-1. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- ^ "British Diplomats Directory: Part 1 of 4". 18 March 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
- ^ Southern Rhodesia Constitution (Interim Provisions) Order 1979, Hansard, 14 December 1979
- ^ Sir Antony Duff, The Daily Telegraph, 21 August 2000
- ^ "Sir Antony Duff | MI5 - The Security Service". mi5.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- ^ Obituary: Sir Antony Duff, The Guardian, 18 August 2000
Further reading
[edit]- Andrew, Christopher (2010). Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5. London: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-102330-4.
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