Sir Owen St Clair O'Malley (4 May 1887 – 16 April 1974) was a British diplomat. He was
Minister to Hungary between 1939 and 1941. He was
British ambassador to the Polish government in exile in London during World War II. From July 1945 until May 1947, he was
Ambassador to Portugal.
Background and education
O'Malley was born in
Eastbourne, the son of
Sir Edward Loughlin O'Malley.
He was educated at
Rugby School,
Radley College and
Magdalen College at the
University of Oxford.
Diplomatic career
O'Malley entered the
Foreign Office
Foreign may refer to:
Government
* Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries
* Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries
** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government
** Foreign office and foreign minister
* Unit ...
in 1911. During
World War II, serving as British Ambassador to
Yugoslavia in 1941, O'Malley helped British secret agents
Andrzej Kowerski
Andrzej Kowerski (; 18 May 1912 in Łabunie, Zamość County, Lublin Province, eastern Poland – 8 December 1988 in Munich) was a Polish Army officer and SOE agent during World War II. From 1941 he used the ''nom de guerre'' Andrew Kennedy.
...
and
Krystyna Skarbek escape eastern Europe as German forces were advancing.
He was appointed ambassador to the
Polish government-in-exile in February 1943. He is particularly noted for his incisive report sent on 24 May 1943 to the
Foreign Secretary
The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Seen as ...
,
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, (12 June 1897 – 14 January 1977) was a British Conservative Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1955 until his resignation in 1957.
Achieving rapid promo ...
, on the
Katyn Massacre indicating the likelihood of
Soviet guilt and the moral issues raised.
Besides his report on Katyn, O'Malley was also critical of Churchill's role in acceding to Stalin in Stalin's demands regarding the frontiers of Polish territory after the war. O'Malley raised questions about the British government's complicity in the annexation of another country's territory and whether "the basis of
international law is to be law or an exhibition of
power politics".
[Cloud, Stanley and Olson, Lynne, ''A Question of Honor'', p. 304, Vintage Books.]
He was appointed a
CMG in 1927 and a KCMG in 1947.
Personal life
In 1913, on holiday in Scotland, O'Malley met Mary Ann Dolling Sanders (1889–1974), who later became a novelist using the pseudonym of
Ann Bridge. They were married on 25 October 1913 and had two daughters and a son.
Sir Owen O'Malley died on 16 April 1974 at 27 Charlbury Road, Oxford, five weeks after the death of his wife.
Bibliography
* Cloud, Stanley and Olson, Lynne, A Question of Honor, pg. 304, Vintage Books.
* Rees, Laurence, ''World War II: Behind Closed Doors — Stalin, The Nazis and the West'',
BBC Books, 2008, page 186.
* Mulloy, Shelia, ''O'Malley: People and Places'', Ballinakella Press, 1986.
* West, Diana, ''American Betrayal'', pp: 204-205, St. Martin's Press, 2013.
References
External links
O'Malley, Sir Owen St Clairin the
Oxford Dictionary of National BiographyDespatch from Sir Owen O’Malley, 24 May 1943Images of Sir Owen St Clair O'Malley
in the National Portrait Gallery (London)
The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Omalley, Owen
1887 births
1974 deaths
People from Eastbourne
British people of Irish descent
People educated at Rugby School
People educated at Radley College
Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford
Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Poland
Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Hungary
Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Portugal
Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Katyn massacre investigators