Daphne Park, Baroness Park of Monmouth
Encyclopedia
Daphne Margaret Sybil Désirée Park, Baroness Park of Monmouth CMG
, OBE
, FRSA
(1 September 1921 — 24 March 2010) was a British
diplomat. During her career she was also a clandestine senior controller in MI6 in Hanoi
, Moscow
, the Congo
, and Zambia
.
and served as an intelligence officer during World War I
. Thereafter he worked as a tobacco farmer and as an alluvial gold prospector in Tanganyika
. When Daphne was six months old she travelled to Africa with her mother to join him there. Park had a brother, David who died aged 14.
When she was 11, Daphne Park returned to England and was educated at Rosa Bassett School
in Streatham
and at Somerville College, Oxford
, where she graduated with a B.A. in modern languages in 1943. She was further educated at Newnham College, Cambridge
, where she received a Certificate of Competent Knowledge in Russian in 1952.
(FANY). During the selection process for FANY, she came to the attention of the Special Operations Executive
(SOE), due to her understanding of ciphers. Park was promoted to the rank of sergeant and trained groups of operatives for Operation Jedburgh
whose task was to support the Resistance in Europe
. In 1945 Park went to work as a briefing and dispatching officer in North Africa. On her return in 1946 she was sent to Vienna
to establish an office for the Field Intelligence Agency Technical (FIAT), a unit of the Allied Commission
responsible for tracking down former Axis
scientists.
In 1948, she was attached to the Foreign Office, while actually working for the Secret Intelligence Service
(aka SIS/MI6), becoming Third Secretary of the United Kingdom's delegation to NATO in 1952. She the became Second Secretary of the British Embassy of Moscow
between 1954 and 1956. From 1959 to 1961 she was Consul and First Secretary to Leopoldville
. She rose further through the ranks of the Foreign Office to be High Commissioner
to Lusaka
from 1964 to 1967 and then Consul-General to Hanoi
from 1969 to 1970. In 1972 she was named as Chargé d'Affaires
of the British Embassy of Ulan Bator for several months. From 1973 onwards she served in the Foreign Office then retired two years early in 1979 to become Principal of Somerville College, Oxford.
(OBE) for her service as Consul
to Leopoldville
. In 1971 she was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
(CMG) for her service as Consul-General to Hanoi
. On 27 February 1990, she was created a life peer
Baroness Park of Monmouth, of Broadway in the County of Hereford and Worcester
, and served as SIS's semi-official spokesperson in the House of Lords. According to Lord Rooker
, Park told him that her choice of 'Monmouth' in her title was unconnected with the market town of Monmouth
but chosen to honour Monmouth House, a building in which her friends in the Secret Intelligence Service worked. She was an Honorary Fellow of Somerville College, and a Fellow of Chatham House
(RIIA) and of the Royal Society of Arts
(FRSA).
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....
, OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, FRSA
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
(1 September 1921 — 24 March 2010) was a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
diplomat. During her career she was also a clandestine senior controller in MI6 in Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
, 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 Congo
Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville)
The Republic of the Congo was an independent republic established following the independence granted to the former colony of the Belgian Congo in 1960...
, and Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
.
Early life and education
The daughter of John Alexander and Doreen Gwynneth Park, Daphne's father had contracted tuberculosis as a young man and was sent to Africa for rest and recuperation. He moved from South Africa to the then NyasalandNyasaland
Nyasaland or the Nyasaland Protectorate, was a British protectorate located in Africa, which was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Since 1964, it has been known as Malawi....
and served as an intelligence officer during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Thereafter he worked as a tobacco farmer and as an alluvial gold prospector in Tanganyika
Tanganyika
Tanganyika , later formally the Republic of Tanganyika, was a sovereign state in East Africa from 1961 to 1964. It was situated between the Indian Ocean and the African Great Lakes of Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika...
. When Daphne was six months old she travelled to Africa with her mother to join him there. Park had a brother, David who died aged 14.
When she was 11, Daphne Park returned to England and was educated at Rosa Bassett School
Rosa Bassett School
Rosa Bassett School was a grammar school for girls in South London. It was established in Stockwell in 1906 as the Stockwell County Secondary School and in 1913 moved to Welham Road on the boundary between Streatham and Tooting, becoming the County Secondary School, Streatham, often referred to as...
in Streatham
Streatham
Streatham is a district in Surrey, England, located in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
and at Somerville College, Oxford
Somerville College, Oxford
Somerville College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and was one of the first women's colleges to be founded there...
, where she graduated with a B.A. in modern languages in 1943. She was further educated at Newnham College, Cambridge
Newnham College, Cambridge
Newnham College is a women-only constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1871 by Henry Sidgwick, and was the second Cambridge college to admit women after Girton College...
, where she received a Certificate of Competent Knowledge in Russian in 1952.
Career
On graduating in 1943, Park turned down jobs in the Treasury and the Foreign Office to make a direct contribution to the war effort. She then joined the First Aid Nursing YeomanryFirst Aid Nursing Yeomanry
The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry is a British independent all-female unit and registered charity affiliated to, but not part of, the Territorial Army, formed in 1907 and active in both nursing and intelligence work during the World Wars.-Formation:It was formed as the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry in...
(FANY). During the selection process for FANY, she came to the attention of 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...
(SOE), due to her understanding of ciphers. Park was promoted to the rank of sergeant and trained groups of operatives for Operation Jedburgh
Operation Jedburgh
Operation Jedburgh was a clandestine operation during World War II, in which personnel of the British Special Operations Executive, the U.S...
whose task was to support the Resistance in Europe
Resistance during World War II
Resistance movements during World War II occurred in every occupied country by a variety of means, ranging from non-cooperation, disinformation and propaganda to hiding crashed pilots and even to outright warfare and the recapturing of towns...
. In 1945 Park went to work as a briefing and dispatching officer in North Africa. On her return in 1946 she was 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 establish an office for the Field Intelligence Agency Technical (FIAT), a unit of the Allied Commission
Allied Commission
Following the termination of hostilities in World War II, the Allied Powers were in control of the defeated Axis countries. Anticipating the defeat of Germany and Japan, they had already set up the European Advisory Commission and a proposed Far Eastern Advisory Commission to make recommendations...
responsible for tracking down former Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
scientists.
In 1948, she was attached to the Foreign Office, while actually working for the Secret Intelligence Service
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
(aka SIS/MI6), becoming Third Secretary of the United Kingdom's delegation to NATO in 1952. She the became Second Secretary of the British Embassy of 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...
between 1954 and 1956. From 1959 to 1961 she was Consul and First Secretary to Leopoldville
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
. She rose further through the ranks of the Foreign Office to be High Commissioner
High Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
to Lusaka
Lusaka
Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...
from 1964 to 1967 and then Consul-General to Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
from 1969 to 1970. In 1972 she was named as Chargé d'Affaires
Chargé d'affaires
In diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
of the British Embassy of Ulan Bator for several months. From 1973 onwards she served in the Foreign Office then retired two years early in 1979 to become Principal of Somerville College, Oxford.
Affiliations
- 1971–72, Honourable Research Fellow at the University of KentUniversity of KentThe University of Kent, previously the University of Kent at Canterbury, is a public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom...
- 1980–89, Principal of Somerville College
- 1982–87, Governor of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
- 1983–89, Member, British Library BoardBritish LibraryThe British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
- 1984–90, Chairman, Lord Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Legal Aid
- 1985–89, Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of OxfordUniversity of OxfordThe University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
- 1989–90, Director, Zoo Development Trust
- 1989–94, Chairman, Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of EnglandRoyal Commission on the Historical Monuments of EnglandThe Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England was the body formerly responsible for documenting the records of English historical monuments. It was merged with English Heritage on 1 April 1999....
- 1991–92, Trustee, Royal Armouries Development Trust
- 1994–96, Member, Forum UK
- 1994–2010, President, Society for the Promotion of the Training of Women
- 2003, Patron, Action Congo
- Member, Royal Asiatic SocietyRoyal Asiatic SocietyThe Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland was established, according to its Royal Charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia." From its incorporation the Society...
- Governor, Ditchley FoundationDitchley FoundationThe Ditchley Foundation is a British organisation based at Ditchley House near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, which aims to promote international relations, especially Anglo-American relations, through a programme of around fifteen annual conferences on matters of international interest...
- Trustee/Patron, Great Britain-Sasakawa Foundation
- Trustee, Jardine Educational Trust
- Trustee, Lucy Faithfull Travel Scholarship Fund
Honours and awards
In 1960, Park was made an Officer of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(OBE) for her service as Consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
to Leopoldville
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
. In 1971 she was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
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....
(CMG) for her service as Consul-General to Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
. On 27 February 1990, she was created a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
Baroness Park of Monmouth, of Broadway in the County of Hereford and Worcester
Hereford and Worcester
Hereford and Worcester was an English county created on 1 April 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972 from the area of the former administrative county of Herefordshire, most of Worcestershire and the county borough of Worcester.It bordered Shropshire, Staffordshire and the West Midlands to the...
, and served as SIS's semi-official spokesperson in the House of Lords. According to Lord Rooker
Jeff Rooker, Baron Rooker
Jeffrey William Rooker, Baron Rooker, PC is a British politician, who served as the Labour Member of Parliament for Birmingham Perry Barr from 1974 until 2001...
, Park told him that her choice of 'Monmouth' in her title was unconnected with the market town of Monmouth
Monmouth
Monmouth is a town in southeast Wales and traditional county town of the historic county of Monmouthshire. It is situated close to the border with England, where the River Monnow meets the River Wye with bridges over both....
but chosen to honour Monmouth House, a building in which her friends in the Secret Intelligence Service worked. She was an Honorary Fellow of Somerville College, and a Fellow of Chatham House
Chatham House
Chatham House, formally known as The Royal Institute of International Affairs, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in London whose mission is to analyse and promote the understanding of major international issues and current affairs. It is regarded as one of the world's leading...
(RIIA) and of the Royal Society of Arts
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
(FRSA).