Nicholas Meets Barrington

Nicholas Meets Barrington tells the story of a mid 20th century young life that blossoms into diplomacy at the tail end of imperial Britain. Coming from an ordinary family, Nicholas Barrington made his mark as a diplomat in a series of postings ending as High Commissioner in Pakistan. In these captivating memoirs, Barrington describes his childhood during World War II, his family background, his education at Repton School, his two years doing National Service in the army and his time at Cambridge where he earned a First in Law.
Readers are introduced to a vast array of characters with whom a diplomat of Sir Nicholas's standing would have crossed paths in his 37 years as a career diplomat. From the accounts of his travels in Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan and Egypt, Barrington presents his interest in building bridges between East and West, Islam and Christianity, which he pursued during both his diplomatic career and in his life after retirement. What emerges is an engaging account a colourful life with multi-faceted interests, including a love of art, antiquities, poetry and amateur dramatics. The author explores the stresses of balancing a rich range of experiences with the demands of life in the foreign service with amusing stories which humanise the experiences of diplomacy and international politics. As befits a diplomat who was something of a dilettante, the story is told with frankness and wit and will provide unique and enjoyable insights into a fascinating life.

Sir Nicholas Barrington was a career diplomat for 37 years prior to his retirement in 1994. He has served in a variety of posts overseas including Afghanistan, Iran, Egypt and Pakistan, where he ended as High Commissioner. He also served in Japan and Brussels. His home postings included three and a half years as a private secretary to two British Foreign Secretaries. In retirement he has been active in building bridges between East and West. He is the author of A Passage to Nuristan (I.B.Tauris), an account of his travels to remote areas of Afghanistan in the 1960s.

PREFACE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PART I Chapter 1 Starting at the Beginning 1
Chapter 2 Repton. The Big School 12
Chapter 3 A Salutary Spell in the Army 19
Chapter 4 Multiple Options in Cambridge 25
PART II Chapter 5 Three Foreign office Postings 40
Chapter 6 First Tour in Pakistan and a Plum Job in the Private Office 52
Chapter 7 Japan, Hanoi and London Again 62
Chapter 8 The Riches of Egypt and Tensions in Tehran 71
Chapter 9 Under-Secretary at Home via New York 84
Chapter 10Ambassador in Islamabad 93
Chapter 11Travel in Pakistan 105
PART III Chapter 12Home at Last, Cambridge 116
Chapter 13Activities in London 128
Chapter 14Winding Down 145
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
APPENDIX Piccadilly Sermon
INDEX