Adrian Holman

Adrian Holman ( December 22, 1895 - September 6, 1974 ) was a British diplomat . He officiated a. a. as British ambassador to Cuba .

Life and activity

Holman was a son of Richard Haswell Holman. After attending Copthorne Preparatory School and Harrow School, he studied at New College, Oxford University. From 1915 to 1918 he took part in the First World War with the Royal Artillery, in which he was awarded the Military Cross.

In 1920, Holman entered the British diplomatic service: after passing the entrance examination, he was first appointed as third secretary on November 19, 1920. From January 1, 1921 to 1924, he was a member of the British Mission in Brussels . During this time he was promoted to second class secretary in the diplomatic service on January 1, 1923. This was followed by uses at the British embassies in Rome (May 5, 1924 to 1926) and Paris (May 5, 1926 to 1931). On October 12, 1931, he was raised to the rank of secretary, 1st class.

From April 3, 1931 to 1935, Holman was a member of the British Mission in Beijing . On February 7, 1935, he was transferred to the Foreign Office in London, where he was employed until 1938. During this time he attended the coronation of George VI in May 1937 as the companion of the American representative at this festivity.

On December 10, 1938, Holman was assigned as the successor to Ivone Kirkpatrick of the British Embassy in Berlin as 1st Embassy Secretary. In this capacity he was the second highest member of the British representation in the German capital after Ambassador Neville Henderson . On September 3, 1939, Holman, in his capacity as 1st Secretary of the Embassy, ​​handed over the British declaration of war to the German Reich - after the German invasion of Poland and the expiry of the British government's ultimatum of September 1, 1939, all fighting within 48 To set hours and withdraw his troops to his own national territory, according to the instructions of the London Foreign Office was to be handed over to the German representatives - to representatives of the German Foreign Office.

After the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, Holman moved to the British Mission in The Hague on September 4, 1939. On September 20, 1940, Holman was sent to Baghdad as Acting Counselor . In 1941 he temporarily represented the British envoy there as Cahrge d'Affaires. On March 16, 1942, he moved to Tehran, where he was promoted to regular Councellor on September 20, 1942. On April 5, 1944, he was assigned to the British Mission to the French Committee for National Liberation in Algeria.

After the end of the German occupation of France in the summer of 1944, Holman was sent to Paris on September 6, 1944 as the British representative (Minister Plenipotentiary). On March 17, 1946, he was appointed British political representative in Romania. He held this position until 1947, after which he was appointed Special Envoy and Minister Plenipotentiary on September 17, 1947.

In 1949, Holman reached the climax of his diplomatic career with his appointment as British Plenipotentiary to Cuba: After this post was upgraded to ambassadorial post in 1950, he served as British ambassador to the island nation from 1950 until his retirement in May 1954.

Holman retired at the Bohunt Manor country house in Liphook, Hampshire, which he bequeathed to the World Wildlife Fund after his death .

family

In 1940, Holman married Betty Fox, daughter of Gilbert Fox, 1st Baronet.

literature

• The Foreign Office List and Diplomatic and Consular Year Book , 1963, p. 336.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Alartic Jacob: A Traveller's War: A Journey to the Wars in Africa, India and Russia , 1944, p. 133 ("He was counselor at Berlin at the beginning of the war and had the task of actually handing the declaration of war in to the German officials ").