Sir Arthur Antony Duff GCMG CVO DSO DSC PC (25 February 1920 – 13 August 2000) was a senior British diplomat and Director General of MI5.
Antony Duff | |
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Born | Arthur Antony Duff 25 February 1920 |
Died | 13 August 2000 | (aged 80)
Nationality | British |
Education | Britannia Royal Naval College |
Occupations |
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Spouse | Pauline Sword |
Awards | |
Espionage activity | |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service branch | MI5 |
Service years | 1985–1988 |
Rank | Director General of MI5 |
Military career | |
Service/ | Royal Navy |
Commands held |
Born in 1920 to Admiral Sir Arthur Allen Morison Duff KCB and Margaret Grace Dawson at Var Trees House, Moreton.[1] Educated at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, Duff started his career in the Royal Navy where he was a submarine commander during the Second World War; he briefly commanded HMS Otway and HMS L23 in 1942 before commanding HMS Stubborn from December 1942 to July 1944.[2]
After the war Duff joined the Diplomatic Service in January 1946.[1] He was Counsellor and Head of the Chancery of the United Kingdom Embassy in West Germany from 1962 to 1964, the British Ambassador to Nepal from 1964 to 1965; the Head of the South Asia Department of the Foreign Office from 1965 to 1969; the Deputy High Commissioner to Malaysia from 1969 to 1972; and the British High Commissioner to Kenya from 1972 to 1975.[3][4]
Duff was the Deputy Under Secretary for Middle East and Africa from 1975 to 1977; and the Deputy Under Secretary for Defence and Intelligence from 1977 to 1990, including serving concurrently as the Senior Deputy Under Secretary from 1976 to 1979.[1] Having led the British official delegation to the Lancaster House talks, he became Deputy Governor of Southern Rhodesia under Lord Soames from 1979 to 1980.[5]
Duff was sworn of the Privy Council in 1980, the first diplomat to be so honoured since Sir Alexander Cadogan in 1940. Duff was Deputy Secretary (Intelligence and Security Co-ordinator) at the Cabinet Office with responsibility for security matters from 1980 to 1984. He was then Director General of the Security Service (MI5) from 1985 to 1988.[6][7]
After his retirement in January 1988, Duff worked as a volunteer in a centre for the homeless and was a board member of Homeless Network in London.[8]