Sir (Alexander) Telford Waugh (22 October 1865 – 7 January 1950) was a British diplomat who experienced at first hand the final days of the Ottoman Empire.Obituary in '' The Times'', ''Sir Telford Waugh, Last Days of the Ottoman Empire'', 11 January 1950, p.9

Life

Alexander Telford Waugh was born in London on 22 October 1865 and educated at

St John's School, Leatherhead Seek those things which are above , established = , closed = , type = Public SchoolIndependent school Co-educational day, weekly and flexi boarding , religious_affiliation = Church of England , p ...

, Forest School and in Germany. In 1885, Waugh joined the

Levant Consular Service The Levant Consular Service was a specialized British diplomatic organization centered in the Levant. From 1877 to 1916, it trained 88 Britons in consular service. The diplomatic arm spanned from the Balkans to China, mainly centering around the Ot ...

as a student interpreter. He saw service in Albania, where Turkish authority was on the wane, and in Turkish Kurdistan soon after the

Hamidian massacres The Hamidian massacres also called the Armenian massacres, were massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in the mid-1890s. Estimated casualties ranged from 100,000 to 300,000, Akçam, Taner (2006) '' A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide an ...

. Waugh was appointed vice-consul at Constantinople in March 1900. When Turkey joined the Central Powers, Waugh remained in Turkey at the American Embassy to protect British interests, the British representatives having left the country. In 1915 he was recalled to the Foreign Office in London before being sent to Athens as Britain’s commercial attaché where he was put in charge of the Contraband Department to control Greek trade during World War I. After the armistice, he was sent back to Constantinople where his experience and contacts made him a useful member of staff at the British High Commission to implement the terms of the armistice. He was later appointed Consul-General in Constantinople. Waugh was appointed

CMG CMG may refer to: Companies * Capitol Music Group, a music label * China Media Group, the predominant state radio and television broadcaster in the PRC * China Media Group Co., Ltd., publicly listed Chinese holding company in the media sector * ...

in 1919 and KCMG on retirement. Waugh was the first cousin of

Arthur Waugh Arthur Waugh (27 August 1866 – 26 June 1943) was an English author, literary critic, and publisher. He was the father of the authors Alec Waugh and Evelyn Waugh. Early life Waugh was born in Midsomer Norton, Somerset in 1866, elder son ...

and the uncle of Evelyn Waugh. Commenting on the title of Sir Telford's book, ''Turkey: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow'',

remarked that it "should have been called

Boxing Day Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...

." Evelyn Waugh claimed it was his father's only memorable joke. In 1925 Sir Telford Waugh married Gwendda Kate, daughter of the late A.C. Hugh-Jones. He died in London on 7 January 1950.

Publication

* ''Turkey: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow'' by Sir Telford Waugh. Published by Chapman and Hall, London, 1930

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waugh, Telford 1865 births 1950 deaths British diplomats People educated at St John's School, Leatherhead