Part 2 (Obituaries) - King's College - University of Cambridge

128
OBITUARIES
have been at the forefront of everyone’s minds. It did not take long before
Robin too was swept up in the storm of war. He joined the Royal Navy in
1943 and eventually became a Sub-Lieutenant on the cruiser HMS Jamaica.
On board, Robin saw action in the Far East and the Indian Ocean. After being
demobbed from the Navy in 1946, Robin returned to King’s where he
completed his degree.
From King’s Robin went into the Foreign Service in 1949 and was sent on an
intensive Russian-language course. Robin’s character, wit and flair for
languages meant that the profession of diplomat came naturally to him. This
calling survived even his first posting to Moscow in 1950 as aThird Secretary.
Stalin was at the height of his power and suspicion between the Soviets and
Britain ran high. Robin returned home two years later, undoubtedly with a lot
of hard-learned experience. He was then posted to Bonn, Panama, Paris, South
Africa, Madrid, San Francisco and finally Belgrade. Robin thus gained a
firsthand experience of life in countries where giants such as Stalin,Adenauer,
De Gaulle, Franco and Tito ruled. It was a testament to his skills as a political
observer that he was selected by the Foreign Office for important positions
such as these.
Robin retired early from the Diplomatic Service at the age of 55.This did not
come as any great surprise for those who knew Robin well. He had always
been a countryman at heart and longed to go back to rural life in hisWiltshire
home. He wanted to negotiate with, and maybe even trick, trout on the Avon
rather than political friends and foes in faraway places. Apart from fly-fishing,
Robin also devoted his energies to the house and grounds of an old rectory
he had made into his family home. In 1955 he had married Joan Mallet in
Madrid, and the couple had four children.
Robin was not content to restrict himself to more recreational activities such
as fishing, gardening, woodworking and solving the Times’ crossword puzzle,
but he also engaged with a great sense of duty in his local community. He
became a member of the Salisbury Diocesan Advisory Committee and was in
2000 appointed as a Lay Canon of the Cathedral. Not even Robin’s failing
health in his latter years did anything to dampen his commitment to serving