Lord Peter Ricketts to share untold stories of British diplomats who shaped WWII

Former Head of British Diplomatic Service Lord Peter Ricketts will be sharing his book Peace Makers, which details stories of the men and women of the Foreign Office in World War II, during his talk at the Gibunco Gibraltar Literary Festival. Lord Ricketts will be in conversation with Jonathan Scott, Gibraltar’s Representative in the UK, at Grand Battery House on Sunday, November 15 at 4pm. In this interview, he discusses his book with Chronicle's deputy editor, Gabriella Ramagge.

For Lord Peter Ricketts, the Foreign Office’s role in the national story of the Second World War has always been “airbrushed out”. 

The British diplomat for 40 years described how this period of history is dominated by Churchill, “epic battles, and the clandestine adventures of the spies.”  

Lord Ricketts described how Peace Makers celebrates the largely unknown story of what the men and women of the Foreign Office in London and in embassies around the world achieved during the war.  

“They oversaw evacuations of British citizens, endured hardship and danger far from home, competed with enemy agents for influence in neutral states, organised escape lines for Allied prisoners of war, and nurtured fractious alliances with Stalin, De Gaulle, and others,” he said. 

“The British Ambassador in Madrid, Sir Sam Hoare, and his staff played a vital role in keeping Spain neutral, and enabling the allies to send convoys safely through the Strait of Gibraltar. Without these diplomatic successes, the course of the war could have been very different.” 

“The top diplomats published their diaries and memoirs, which often give a vivid account of what they lived through.  But I was also determined to spotlight the vital contribution of junior staff, who never published their stories. That meant burrowing in the archives to find letters and journals.” 

Lord Ricketts added that he had “the amazing luck” to be put in touch with an 101 year old woman and who joined the Foreign Office in 1943 as a young secretary.  

She worked for the Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden's office and travelled with him to the Yalta Summit.  

He visited her home and heard her memories which gave a sense of what it was like to work in the Foreign Office at that time.  

“The diplomats made a major contribution to victory in the war, but the war also had a far-reaching effect on the Foreign Office, in particular the role of women,” Lord Ricketts said. 

“Many of the men were called up to fight, and hundreds of young women came in to replace them, working as secretaries, clerical staff, and cyphering and deciphering the secret telegrams which flashed around the world.” 

In this period, he said, women were barred by law from serving in the upper reaches of the diplomatic service.  

“Peace Makers puts the spotlight on some remarkable women who served with great success in difficult and sometimes dangerous places including the Middle East,” he said. 

“Their achievements were crucial in the decision at the end of the war to sweep away the barriers to women in the senior ranks.” 

Lord Ricketts added that there is one other major theme in the book which is of real relevance as in world of disorder.  

“In the middle of the Second World War, a small group of policymakers in the Foreign Office thought ahead to shape the future peace,” he said. 

“They had lived through two world wars in their lifetime and were determined to build a new international order to prevent the world slipping back into yet another cataclysm.” 

“They developed the first blueprints for what became the United Nations, with the aim, as the UN Charter says, to ‘save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.’ They also paved the way for a transatlantic alliance which became NATO.” 

“Once again, we are facing a deeply divided world.” 

Lord Ricketts added that the international order established in the post-war period is unravelling, and full-scale war has returned to Europe.  

“My experience working closely with British ministers over many years showed me that the diplomats can play a vital role in helping them to look ahead in the midst of crisis and plan for a better future,” he said. 

“History does not repeat itself, but there is much we can learn from the experience of the men and women of the Foreign Office during the Second World War, and their example of ingenuity, courage, and quiet influence.” 

He is looking forward to telling this story at the Gibraltar Literary Festival on Sunday, November 15.