Sir Leslie Alfred Charles Fry (17 April 1908 – 21 October 1976) was a British diplomat, who served as Ambassador to Hungary, Indonesia and Brazil. He was awarded Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross by the Government of Brazil. When the Soviet Union invaded Hungary in 1956 to repress the Hungarian Revolution, he opened the doors of the British embassy to Hungarian refugees, receiving a knighthood the following year.

Life

Leslie "Bunny" Fry was born in 1908 in Monmouthshire, Wales and christened in Jammu and Kashmir. Fry's parents were Florence Rose Fry (née Stokes, 1882–1918) and Alfred Andrew Fry MBE (1870–1919). Leslie Fry's father was a Freemason who prior to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

had served in the

South Wales Borderers The South Wales Borderers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for 280 years. It came into existence in England in 1689, as Sir Edward Dering's Regiment of Foot, and afterwards had a variety of names and headquarters. I ...

as a Lieutenant and Quartermaster,

Monmouthshire Regiment The Monmouthshire Regiment was a Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Territorial infantry regiment of the British Army. Originating in units of Volunteer Force (Great Britain), rifle volunteers formed in Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshire in 1859, ...

, 3rd Battalion, and during World War I as both a captain in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, 3rd Battalion (Territorial) and a lieutenant in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

, 12th Wing. Fry attended the Royal Masonic School and later graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Fry's first wife was Mary Cuerden, from whom he separated and remarried. Mary Cuerden's second husband was Captain Basil Gerritsen Ivory, formerly of the

Special Operations Executive The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its pu ...

and director of the investment trust British Assets Trust Limited. Fry's second wife was Marian Bentley, whom he married in 1954.

British Army career

Fry joined the

in India from 1928. On 2 February 1928, he was promoted to Second Lieutenant, Indian Army. In 1933, he transferred to the Indian Political Service. Between 1941 and 1944, he served as Undersecretary of the Government of India in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1946, he became Deputy Secretary of the Government of India in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Diplomatic career

On 23 June 1947, Fry joined His Majesty's Foreign Service at the Seventh Grade listed alongside his cousin, Robert Morton Saner OBE. On 30 October 1947, Fry transferred from the

Indian Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 300 million p ...

to the Foreign Office. From 1951 to 1953, he served as Minister-Counsellor in Lisbon. Between 1953 and 1955, he was Head of the Foreign Office's Eastern Department. On 24 October 1955, he was appointed Her Majesty's

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

to Hungary. On 11 February 1959, he was ambassador to Indonesia. On 16 June 1963, he replaced

Geoffrey Wallinger Sir Geoffrey Arnold Wallinger (2 May 1903 – 5 July 1979) was a British diplomat who was envoy to Hungary and ambassador to Thailand, Austria and Brazil. He was a signatory of the treaty that ended the occupation of Austria following World War ...

as ambassador to Brazil. Fry retired in 1966 and returned to Britain.

Awards and honours

* 1 January 1944 awarded MBE when serving in the Indian Political Service as "Under Secretary to the Government of India in the External Affairs Department" * 14 August 1947 awarded OBE when "Deputy Secretary to the Government of India in the External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations Department" * 9 June 1955 awarded CMG * 13 June 1957 awarded KCMG

Bibliography

Fry's memoirs, published in 1978: *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fry, Leslie Alfred Charles 1908 births 1976 deaths British diplomats 20th-century British diplomats People educated at the Royal Masonic School for Boys Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Members of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Officers of the Order of the British Empire Indian Political Service officers Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst British Indian Army officers