William Alfred Rae Wood (23 January 1878 – 21 January 1970) was a British diplomat who lived most of his life in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. He began working as an interpreter at the British Legation in Bangkok in 1896, and became the British Consul-General in

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai (, from th, เชียงใหม่ , nod, , เจียงใหม่ ), sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in ...

in 1921. He retired from office in 1931, and later took up teaching English in Chiang Mai, where he permanently settled down. He was a well known figure in the expatriate British community, and wrote several books, including ''Consul in Paradise'' (1965), a memoir covering his life in Thailand, and ''A History of Siam'' (1926), which was regarded as a standard work of the time.

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References

British diplomats British expatriates in Thailand Diplomats from Liverpool W. A. R. Wood 1878 births 1970 deaths Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire {{Thailand-bio-stub