Francis Storrs
Encyclopedia
Francis Edmund Storrs was a British
academic and intelligence agent. He was the younger brother of Arabist and colonial administrator Sir Ronald Storrs.
He was educated at Radley College
from 1897 to 1902, and then at Jesus College, Cambridge
, where he received a BA; he won scholarships at both institutions He was a professor at Elphinstone College
in Bombay in 1908, and then at Rangoon College in 1912.
He was called to the bar
at the Inner Temple
in 1911. On November 28, 1912, he married Catherine Josephine Schiff (d. 1943).
During the First World War, he initially worked for the civil service
in matters concerned with supplying Russia; he was awarded the Russian Order of St. Anne for this service. In 1916-17 he served with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in Greece with the rank of Lieutenant, then in 1917 with the Secret Intelligence Service
in the Aegean
. At the time, large areas of Greece were effectively under Allied military occupation, nominally controlled by the Venizelist
government. Storrs was responsible for the passport control and port control of some thirty islands in the Cyclades
, and in effect for all counter-espionage work in this area.
He suffered the unusual indignity, in May 1917, of losing his front teeth to his own gunfire; whilst test-firing a surplus three-pounder gun they had mounted to a yacht, he ignored a warning to remove his pipe, and the recoil knocked out two teeth.
He worked under Compton Mackenzie
, who left a favourable portrait of him in Ægean Memories (p. 25):
In the autumn of 1917 he left Athens, and moved back to London, where he was in residence in May 1918. He died in Chelsea, of the Spanish flu
, on the 10th or 11 November 1918. Sources vary; it is likely he died at some point in the night, and did not live to see the Armistice. A bell at Rochester Cathedral
, where his father was Dean, was dedicated in his memory in 1921, as was a French prize at Radley College.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
academic and intelligence agent. He was the younger brother of Arabist and colonial administrator Sir Ronald Storrs.
He was educated at Radley College
Radley College
Radley College , founded in 1847, is a British independent school for boys on the edge of the English village of Radley, near to the market town of Abingdon in Oxfordshire, and has become a well-established boarding school...
from 1897 to 1902, and then at Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...
, where he received a BA; he won scholarships at both institutions He was a professor at Elphinstone College
Elphinstone College
Elphinstone College is an institution of higher education affiliated to the University of Mumbai. Established in 1856, it is one of the oldest colleges of the University of Mumbai. It was exalted as a prestigious seat of learning during the British Raj and is generally observed for its vibrant alumni...
in Bombay in 1908, and then at Rangoon College in 1912.
He was called to the bar
Barristers in England and Wales
Barristers in England and Wales are one of the two main categories of lawyer in England and Wales, the other being solicitors. -Origin of the profession:The work of senior legal professionals in England and Wales...
at the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1911. On November 28, 1912, he married Catherine Josephine Schiff (d. 1943).
During the First World War, he initially worked for the civil service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
in matters concerned with supplying Russia; he was awarded the Russian Order of St. Anne for this service. In 1916-17 he served with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in Greece with the rank of Lieutenant, then in 1917 with 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...
in the Aegean
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
. At the time, large areas of Greece were effectively under Allied military occupation, nominally controlled by the Venizelist
Venizelism
Venizelism was one of the major political movements in Greece from the 1900s until the mid 1970s.- Ideology :Named after Eleftherios Venizelos, the key characteristics of Venizelism were:*Opposition to Monarchy...
government. Storrs was responsible for the passport control and port control of some thirty islands in the Cyclades
Cyclades
The Cyclades is a Greek island group in the Aegean Sea, south-east of the mainland of Greece; and a former administrative prefecture of Greece. They are one of the island groups which constitute the Aegean archipelago. The name refers to the islands around the sacred island of Delos...
, and in effect for all counter-espionage work in this area.
He suffered the unusual indignity, in May 1917, of losing his front teeth to his own gunfire; whilst test-firing a surplus three-pounder gun they had mounted to a yacht, he ignored a warning to remove his pipe, and the recoil knocked out two teeth.
He worked under Compton Mackenzie
Compton Mackenzie
Sir Compton Mackenzie, OBE was a writer and a Scottish nationalist.-Background:Compton Mackenzie was born in West Hartlepool, England, into a theatrical family of Mackenzies, but many of whose members used Compton as their stage surname, starting with his grandfather Henry Compton, a well-known...
, who left a favourable portrait of him in Ægean Memories (p. 25):
-
- ...without [Storrs], whatever fruits our work in the Cyclades bore could never have been achieved. Virgil and Horace spoke at his summons, and he commanded all the elegance of light verse that is the Cambridge man's prerogative.
- His conscientiousness was almost excessive. Night after night he would be working on the files of his office until two or three in the morning after a hard day's work of almost incessant worrying interviews. He was a martyr to bad headaches, but I never heard him give way to more than a weary groan of expostulation when human folly or vice was seeming unendurable any longer. I can never repay Francis Storrs in this world for his personal loyalty and devoted service.
In the autumn of 1917 he left Athens, and moved back to London, where he was in residence in May 1918. He died in Chelsea, of the Spanish flu
Spanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
, on the 10th or 11 November 1918. Sources vary; it is likely he died at some point in the night, and did not live to see the Armistice. A bell at Rochester Cathedral
Rochester Cathedral
Rochester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Norman church in Rochester, Kent. The bishopric is second oldest in England after Canterbury...
, where his father was Dean, was dedicated in his memory in 1921, as was a French prize at Radley College.