Learning How To Play Golf In The Hermit Kingdom Of North Korea
Published: Feb 19nd 2021 8:27am on My Diplomatic Life
Learning how to play golf in the Hermit Kingdom of North Korea, really? This is a story that not many people would believe. In a culture that abhorred any form of perceived western or capitalist pastime, especially one that is seen as relatively exclusive, how was this possible? Well, the short answer was that it ... Read more
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How To Survive 3 Years In North Korea As A Foreigner
Published: Feb 11nd 2021 4:27am on My Diplomatic Life
It was a strange existence. North Korea was labelled the “Hermit Kingdom” and for good reason. You were in a country that really was sealed off from the rest of the world. No internet or social media. All press and TV (one channel) dedicated not for news but solely for the glorification of the Leader, ... Read moreAlbania My First Posting – A Bloodstained Surprise
Published: Jan 14nd 2021 10:00am on My Diplomatic Life
So it was on a cold and windy January morning in 1998 that I arrived at Heathrow to catch my early morning flight to Vienna en-route to my final destination Tirana, the capital city of Albania. With all the background briefs on the country I had read up on, I was setting off on this, ... Read more Related posts:
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Tirana – Bloodshed Avoided At Queens Birthday Party
About Me
Published: Jan 13nd 2021 8:29am on My Diplomatic Life
From RAF Russian Linguist to Diplomat – The Journey
Published: Jan 13nd 2021 6:06am on My Diplomatic Life
I have been asked many times as to how an Royal Air Force Russian linguist ended up as a diplomat. What was the journey from the RAF to the Diplomatic Service? Did your military service and qualifications help with the process? All reasonable questions, so here is a brief description of the journey. The Diplomatic […]Tirana – Ambushed And Two Diplomats Shot
Published: Jul 16nd 2020 12:04am on My Diplomatic Life
Tirana – ambushed and two diplomats shot is Part 1 of a story that occurred in 1998, a volatile year in that country’s recent history. At this time, British diplomats who were posted to a volatile or conflict region received virtually no Hostile Environment Training (HET). It was usually the case you popped into King Charles ... Read moreTirana – Ambushed And Two Diplomats ShotBritish Diplomat Works With North Korean Military
Published: Jul 16nd 2020 6:23am on My Diplomatic Life
To tell people that a British diplomat had a close working relationship with the North Korean military for a 6 month period would in itself raise more than a few eyebrows. Working for 3 years in North Korea was on the one hand a time of frustration and on the other a time of discovery ... Read moreBritish Diplomat Works With North Korean MilitaryA Cruel Deception – RAF Pilot Remains Discovered In North Korea
Published: Jul 27nd 2020 4:40am on My Diplomatic Life
A cruel deception – RAF pilot remains discovered in North Korea is a story that once I had the full details of the aftermath several years later, quite frankly left me speechless and angry. In early 2004, I was contacted at the embassy in Pyongyang by David Hinton, the brother of an RAF pilot who ... Read moreA Cruel Deception – RAF Pilot Remains Discovered In North KoreaTragic RAF Pilot’s Secret Grave Discovered In Albania
Published: Jul 14nd 2020 11:19am on My Diplomatic Life
This story is about a small. isolated Albanian village which kept a deadly secret for almost 50 years during the oppressive, communist regime of Enver Hoxha. The secret they kept lay unmarked and untended in the local village graveyard. So, what was this secret that if it had leaked out could have had potentially deadly ... Read moreTragic RAF Pilot’s Secret Grave Discovered In AlbaniaBloodshed Avoided At Queens Birthday Party In Tirana
Published: Jul 13nd 2020 10:50am on My Diplomatic Life
Sitting out and enduring the lockdown (sounds like a Sylvester Stallone movie), I spent a lot of time trawling through YouTube videos especially trooping the colour and the celebrations of the Queen’s birthday. I love our history and traditions and make no apologies for saying so. Every year, on the occasion of the Queen’s official ... Read moreBloodshed Avoided At Queens Birthday Party In Tirana