Edward Tomkins
Encyclopedia
Sir Edward Emile Tomkins, GCMG
, CVO
(16 November 1915 - 20 September 2007) was a British diplomat
. He was British Ambassador to the Netherlands from 1970 to 1972, and British Ambassador to France from 1972 to 1975. He owned Winslow Hall
in Winslow, Buckinghamshire
, often attributed to Christopher Wren
, from 1959.
Tomkins was the son of Lieutenant Colonel E.L. Tomkins and his French wife, and was raised partly in France and thus grew up speaking perfect French. He was educated at Ampleforth College
and Trinity College, Cambridge
. He joined the Diplomatic Service
in 1939. After joining the Army
in 1940 during World War II, he served as a liaison officer
with the Free French Forces
in the Middle East. He was captured by German
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
in 1941 while making his way back to British lines from the battle of Bir Hakeim with French General Marie Pierre Kœnig.
He was imprisoned in Camp 41, a prisoner-of-war
camp near Parma
in northern Italy, alongside Pat Gibson and Nigel Strutt
. Strutt was repatriated on medical grounds, and Gibson and Tomkins were moved to another camp. He and Gibson escaped from the new camp, and spent 81 days walking 500 miles (804.7 km) south to Bari
, crossing the Apennines and German lines, to return to Allied
-held territory. He was awarded the French Croix de Guerre
for his services.
He returned to the Diplomatic Service in 1944, and was posted to Moscow until 1946. He returned to Whitehall
in 1948, to become Assistant Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary, serving under Ernest Bevin
and then Herbert Morrison
. He was First Secretary
in Washington, D.C.
in 1951, then in Paris from 1955, in charge of press relations. In Paris, he met Gillian Benson, daughter of Air Commodore C.E. Benson. They married in 1955.
He was appointed CVO in 1957, and CMG in 1960. After another period in London, he was Minister in Bonn
, where he befriended Claus von Amsberg
(later husband of Princess and then Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
). He returned to Washington as Minister in 1967.
Advanced to KCMG in 1969, he was Head of Mission
and Ambassador in The Hague
from 1970 to 1972, and then replaced Christopher Soames as Ambassador to France in 1973. Agence France Presse lauded his appointment an historic breakthrough in Franco-British relations - the first fluent speaker of French and Roman Catholic
to hold the position, together with a record of service with the Free French Forces in North Africa. He also spoke excellent German and Italian.
Supported by British Prime Minister
Edward Heath
, Tomkins took a leading role in the negotiations for Britain to join the European Economic Community
in 1973. He established friendly personal and working relationships with two French presidents, Georges Pompidou
and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
. He retired on leaving Paris in 1975, advanced to GCMG. He became a Grand Officier of the Légion d'honneur
in 1984.
Tomkins lived at the Christopher Wren
-designed Winslow Hall
in Buckinghamshire
. He bought the derelict and about-to-be-demolished house in 1959, and he and his wife carefully restored it. They lived there from 1975 after he retired from service. Sir Edward offered the house for sale in May 2007, four months before his death, for £
3,000,000, comprising six bedroom suites, two self-contained flats and surrounded by 22 acres (89,030.9 m²) of land.
He was elected as a Conservative
member of Buckinghamshire County Council
from 1977 to 1985, and became a governor of Stowe School
.
Tomkins married in 1955 Gillian Benson (d. 2003), a daughter of Air-Commodore Constantine Evelyn Benson by his wife Lady Morvyth Lilian Benson, a daughter of William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley
. They had three children, a son and two daughters. Lady Tomkins died in 2003.
Sir Edward Tomkins died at age 91 in 2007, and was survived by his three children.
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....
, CVO
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...
(16 November 1915 - 20 September 2007) was a British diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
. He was British Ambassador to the Netherlands from 1970 to 1972, and British Ambassador to France from 1972 to 1975. He owned Winslow Hall
Winslow Hall
Winslow Hall is a country house, now in the centre of the small town of Winslow, Buckinghamshire, England, built in 1700; its site at the edge of the village was a common one for a house of the gentry, with a public front facing the high street and a garden front that still commanded in 2007...
in Winslow, Buckinghamshire
Winslow, Buckinghamshire
Winslow is a small market town and also a civil parish designated as a town council within Aylesbury Vale district in north Buckinghamshire. It has a population of about 4500....
, often attributed to Christopher Wren
Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.He used to be accorded responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710...
, from 1959.
Tomkins was the son of Lieutenant Colonel E.L. Tomkins and his French wife, and was raised partly in France and thus grew up speaking perfect French. He was educated at Ampleforth College
Ampleforth College
Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire, England, is the largest Roman Catholic co-educational boarding independent school in the United Kingdom. It opened in 1802, as a boys' school, and is run by the Benedictine monks and lay staff of Ampleforth Abbey...
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. He joined the Diplomatic Service
Diplomatic service
Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel enjoy diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to other countries...
in 1939. After joining the Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in 1940 during World War II, he served as a liaison officer
Liaison officer
A liaison officer or LNO is a person that liaises between two organizations to communicate and coordinate their activities. Generally, they are used to achieve the best utilization of resources or employment of services of one organization by another. In the military, liaison officers may...
with the Free French Forces
Free French Forces
The Free French Forces were French partisans in World War II who decided to continue fighting against the forces of the Axis powers after the surrender of France and subsequent German occupation and, in the case of Vichy France, collaboration with the Germans.-Definition:In many sources, Free...
in the Middle East. He was captured by German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
Erwin Rommel
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
in 1941 while making his way back to British lines from the battle of Bir Hakeim with French General Marie Pierre Kœnig.
He was imprisoned in Camp 41, a prisoner-of-war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
camp near Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
in northern Italy, alongside Pat Gibson and Nigel Strutt
Nigel Strutt
Sir Nigel Edward Strutt DL TD, was the chairman of the Strutt & Parker Ltd firm of agricultural property consultants, land agents and farm managers. He farmed in Essex and Suffolk. He was a Deputy Lieutenant for Essex from 1954, and High Sheriff of Essex in 1966...
. Strutt was repatriated on medical grounds, and Gibson and Tomkins were moved to another camp. He and Gibson escaped from the new camp, and spent 81 days walking 500 miles (804.7 km) south to Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
, crossing the Apennines and German lines, to return to Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
-held territory. He was awarded the French 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...
for his services.
He returned to the Diplomatic Service in 1944, and was posted to Moscow until 1946. He returned to 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...
in 1948, to become Assistant Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary, serving under Ernest Bevin
Ernest Bevin
Ernest Bevin was a British trade union leader and Labour politician. He served as general secretary of the powerful Transport and General Workers' Union from 1922 to 1945, as Minister of Labour in the war-time coalition government, and as Foreign Secretary in the post-war Labour Government.-Early...
and then Herbert Morrison
Herbert Morrison
Herbert Stanley Morrison, Baron Morrison of Lambeth, CH, PC was a British Labour politician; he held a various number of senior positions in the Cabinet, including Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister.-Early life:Morrison was the son of a police constable and was born in...
. He was First Secretary
Diplomatic rank
Diplomatic rank is the system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. Over time it has been formalized on an international basis.-Ranks:...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1951, then in Paris from 1955, in charge of press relations. In Paris, he met Gillian Benson, daughter of Air Commodore C.E. Benson. They married in 1955.
He was appointed CVO in 1957, and CMG in 1960. After another period in London, he was Minister in Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
, where he befriended Claus von Amsberg
Claus von Amsberg
Prince Claus of the Netherlands was the prince consort of the current Queen regnant of the Netherlands, Queen Beatrix.-Biography:...
(later husband of Princess and then Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprising the Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and Aruba. She is the first daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She studied law at Leiden University...
). He returned to Washington as Minister in 1967.
Advanced to KCMG in 1969, he was Head of Mission
Head of Mission
In diplomatic usage, Head of Mission or Chief of Mission from the French "Chef de Mission Diplomatique" is the generic term used to refer to the head of a diplomatic representation, such as an Ambassador, High Commissioner, Nuncio, Chargé d'affaires, Permanent Representative, and sometimes to a...
and Ambassador in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
from 1970 to 1972, and then replaced Christopher Soames as Ambassador to France in 1973. Agence France Presse lauded his appointment an historic breakthrough in Franco-British relations - the first fluent speaker of French and Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
to hold the position, together with a record of service with the Free French Forces in North Africa. He also spoke excellent German and Italian.
Supported by British Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
, Tomkins took a leading role in the negotiations for Britain to join the European Economic Community
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...
in 1973. He established friendly personal and working relationships with two French presidents, Georges Pompidou
Georges Pompidou
Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou was a French politician. He was Prime Minister of France from 1962 to 1968, holding the longest tenure in this position, and later President of the French Republic from 1969 until his death in 1974.-Biography:...
and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
. He retired on leaving Paris in 1975, advanced to GCMG. He became a Grand Officier of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
in 1984.
Tomkins lived at the Christopher Wren
Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.He used to be accorded responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710...
-designed Winslow Hall
Winslow Hall
Winslow Hall is a country house, now in the centre of the small town of Winslow, Buckinghamshire, England, built in 1700; its site at the edge of the village was a common one for a house of the gentry, with a public front facing the high street and a garden front that still commanded in 2007...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. He bought the derelict and about-to-be-demolished house in 1959, and he and his wife carefully restored it. They lived there from 1975 after he retired from service. Sir Edward offered the house for sale in May 2007, four months before his death, for £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
3,000,000, comprising six bedroom suites, two self-contained flats and surrounded by 22 acres (89,030.9 m²) of land.
He was elected as a 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...
member of Buckinghamshire County Council
Buckinghamshire County Council
Buckinghamshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Buckinghamshire, in England, the United Kingdom. Its area of control does not include Milton Keynes, which is a unitary authority...
from 1977 to 1985, and became a governor of Stowe School
Stowe School
Stowe School is an independent school in Stowe, Buckinghamshire. It was founded on 11 May 1923 by J. F. Roxburgh, initially with 99 male pupils. It is a member of the Rugby Group and Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school is also a member of the G20 Schools Group...
.
Tomkins married in 1955 Gillian Benson (d. 2003), a daughter of Air-Commodore Constantine Evelyn Benson by his wife Lady Morvyth Lilian Benson, a daughter of William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley
William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley
William Humble Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley, KP, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, KStJ, PC, TD, DL , styled Viscount Ednam before 1885, was a British Conservative politician...
. They had three children, a son and two daughters. Lady Tomkins died in 2003.
Sir Edward Tomkins died at age 91 in 2007, and was survived by his three children.