Sir Geofroy Tory:SIR GEOFROY (William) Tory, KCMG (CMG), who has died aged 99, was a distinguished British diplomat who served as ambassador to Ireland from 1964 to 1966. He was also the first UK high commissioner of Malaya between 1957 and 1963 and was high commissioner of Malta from 1967 to 1970.
He fell in love with this country after being posted to the British representative’s office in Dublin in 1949 and was later “delighted” when he was appointed ambassador to Ireland. So enamoured was he of this country that he eventually retired to west Cork with his wife, Hazel, having purchased Rathclaren House overlooking the sea at Harbour View in Kilbrittain.
Sporting a military-style moustache, Sir Geofroy was the classic British diplomat and liked to quip that he was “Tory by name and Tory by nature”. His portrait is in the photographs collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London. As his granddaughter Kate put it: “If you imagine a picture of a British gentleman – that was him.”
He had a remarkable breadth of interests and became deeply involved in the life of Kilbrittain. A dowser, he occasionally helped gardaí in the search for bodies.
Into his late 90s, he used a pendulum to diagnose food allergies for some 400 local “patients”.
Something of a renaissance man, he painted portraits and landscapes in oils and pastels. With a keen interest in astronomy, he made his own telescope, even grinding the parabolic mirror, and was a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. He grafted apples, kept bees and made wine.
When a hip operation failed, he threw himself into other interests, becoming fluent in Spanish and Russian and Latin. His mind was razor sharp to the end. Although partly disabled as a result of the botched hip operation, he loved to potter about in his small boat.
An Old Edwardian, he was educated at King Edward V11 School, Sheffield and Queen’s College Cambridge. He was a gifted linguist and took a double first in French and German at Cambridge, where he knew the future Soviet spy Donald Maclean very well.
Having entered the dominions/ colonial office he became private secretary to Sir Edward Harding, the permanent undersecretary, and was deeply involved with all commonwealth signals traffic, including the abdication of King Edward in 1936.
He joined the territorial army in 1935 and was subaltern in command of anti-aircraft batteries protecting London docks in 1939. His cipher experience at the dominions office resulted in him becoming a general staff officer.
Attached to 11 Fighter Group during the Battle of Britain, he was on duty in the ops room on September 15th, 1940, with Winston Churchill: “Just through the glass screen from where I was sitting, chin on fists, unmoving, only his eyes turning from the map table to the list of available squadrons, and back again.”
An interesting aspect of Tory’s career was the absence of any break between his various posting which included: head of chancery at the British high commission in Ottawa; senior secretary at the British representative’s office in Dublin (later counsellor and chargé d’affaires when the embassy was established) ; deputy high commissioner to Peshawar, North West Province, in recently established and independent Pakistan; and British deputy high commissioner in Australia.
As first British high commissioner of Malaya, then one of the most profitable territories of the British empire as the world’s largest producer of tin and rubber, he was involved in negotiations leading to full independence and the formation of Malaysia in 1963.
His return to Ireland as ambassador coincided with the British Labour government policy of improving relations with the Republic, while the Irish government was concerned with protecting and building on its economic ties with Britain. With a reputation of establishing strong personal and professional relationships with key people in the countries to which he was posted, Tory was able to play a leading role in the repatriation of Sir Roger Casement’s remains to Ireland.
He is survived by sons David and Peter and daughters Anne and Wendy.
Sir Geofroy Tory: born July 31st, 1912; died July 18th , 2012.