Christopher Ewart-Biggs
Christopher Thomas Ewart-Biggs , CMG , OBE (born August 5, 1921 in Thanet , Kent , England ; † July 21, 1976 in Sandyford near Dublin , Ireland ) was a British diplomat and most recently ambassador to Ireland, who served by the IRA to a Bomb attack was murdered.
Career
Christopher Thomas Ewart-Biggs was the son of Henry Ewart-Biggs, an officer of the British Army , and Mollie Ewart-Biggs. He attended private school in Berkshire and University College at Oxford . In 1942 he served as an officer in North Africa and lost his right eye during one of the battles in El Alamein . Since then he has had an artificial eye and a smoked-glass monocle . In 1952 he married Gavrelle Verschoyle, who died in 1959. Since 1960 he was married to Jane Ewart-Biggs, Baroness Ewart-Biggs .
In the 1960s and 1970s he worked as a diplomat in Italy , Algeria and France , among others , where he learned French fluently . He was also the chief liaison officer of the British foreign intelligence service MI6 .
On July 9, 1976 he became ambassador to Ireland. Just twelve days later, he died in an IRA bomb attack on his Jaguar XJ , in which the private secretary Judith Cooke was also killed. Driver Brian O'Driscoll and Permanent Under-Secretary of State Brian Cubbon , head of the Northern Ireland Office and the highest ranking British civil servant in Northern Ireland , were seriously injured.
As a result of the attack, the Irish Parliament passed an emergency law that allowed terror suspects to be detained for up to seven days without charge. After review by the Supreme Court , it became effective on October 16, 1976 after President Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh signed it.
Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize
In 1977 Ewart-Biggs' widow founded a literature prize named after him (Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize), which is awarded annually for works that promote peace and reconciliation.
See also
Web links
- UK diplomat's murder on lonely Dublin road triggered State crisis, independent.ie
- Slain Envoy held post just 2 weeks, nytimes.com
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ewart-Biggs, Christopher |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ewart-Biggs, Christopher Thomas |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British diplomat and ambassador to Ireland |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 5, 1921 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Thanet , Kent , England , United Kingdom |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 21, 1976 |
| Place of death | Sandyford near Dublin , Ireland |