Sir Alexander Knox HelmGBEKCMG (23 March 1893 – 7 March 1964) was a British diplomat who served as ambassador to Turkey and was the last Governor-General of the Sudan.
In 1912, he passed the examination for what was then called second division clerkships and was appointed to the Foreign Office. He served as a member of the East Registry. A keen volunteer when World War I broke out, he was allowed by the Foreign Office to join his field artillery unit, being promoted second lieutenant in 1917 and serving in that capacity in Palestine. As a clerk, he performed only routine duties but distinguished himself through his diligence and retentive memory.
When the war ended, he was selected under the special recruitment scheme for filling vacancies caused by the war and appointed to the Levant Consular Service. After a short period of training in Oriental languages at King's College, Cambridge, he went as Vice-Consul to Thessaloniki, and soon after became third Dragoman at Constantinople. When the Turkish capital moved to Ankara and the office of Dragoman was abolished, Helm went there as Second Secretary. He served there as Consul, and in 1930 was transferred to the Foreign Office, working in the Eastern Department.
In 1937 he was sent as Consul to Addis Ababa, and at the outbreak of World War II was moved to the British Embassy at Washington, D.C., where he handled the various complicated problems connected with the supply of petroleum to the United Kingdom. In 1942 he went back to Ankara (at that moment a key post) as Counsellor.
In 1946 he was chosen to go as British representative to Hungary and when normal diplomatic relations were restored in 1947 he was made Minister there.[1] In 1949 he was appointed the first British Chargé d'Affaires (later Minister) to Tel Aviv[2] in the newly independent State of Israel, where he spent two happy and fruitful years; in 1951 he became Ambassador to Turkey.[3] He left there in 1954, having reached retirement age, but went for a brief period to Khartoum in 1955,[4] being the last Governor-General there.
Helm was a man of strong character and great determination. A tenacious and forceful negotiator, he had great powers of persuasion and a remarkable sense of timing – valuable gifts which were supplemented with a sense of humor and of proportion and charm which was genuine: few people can ever have said 'No' in a more pleasant way. He was an exacting chief but popular with his staff, who always knew that he could do any of their jobs better than they could themselves. Moreover, he was always ready to listen to their advice, but equally, he invariably made up his own mind.
He retained to the end the accent and intonation of the Dumfriesshire farming stock from which he came and his love for and understanding of the things of the soil often stood him in good stead in posts where agricultural problems bulked large in the economy of the country.
— The Times
Spousesedit
His first wife, Grace Little, died in 1925. His second, Isabel Marsh, whom he married in 1931, survived him after he died at sea in 1964.
Publicationsedit
The Middle East of to-day and its problems (Ramsay Muir memorial lecture delivered at Cambridge on 5 August 1956), Ramsay Muir Educational Trust, Purley, 1956
Referencesedit
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This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations January 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Sir Alexander Knox Helm GBE KCMG 23 March 1893 7 March 1964 was a British diplomat who served as ambassador to Turkey and was the last Governor General of the Sudan Sir Knox Helm 1951 Contents 1 Early years 2 Career 3 Spouses 4 Publications 5 ReferencesEarly years editBorn to W H Helm of Dumfries Alexander Knox Helm was educated at Dumfries Academy and King s College Cambridge Career editIn 1912 he passed the examination for what was then called second division clerkships and was appointed to the Foreign Office He served as a member of the East Registry A keen volunteer when World War I broke out he was allowed by the Foreign Office to join his field artillery unit being promoted second lieutenant in 1917 and serving in that capacity in Palestine As a clerk he performed only routine duties but distinguished himself through his diligence and retentive memory When the war ended he was selected under the special recruitment scheme for filling vacancies caused by the war and appointed to the Levant Consular Service After a short period of training in Oriental languages at King s College Cambridge he went as Vice Consul to Thessaloniki and soon after became third Dragoman at Constantinople When the Turkish capital moved to Ankara and the office of Dragoman was abolished Helm went there as Second Secretary He served there as Consul and in 1930 was transferred to the Foreign Office working in the Eastern Department In 1937 he was sent as Consul to Addis Ababa and at the outbreak of World War II was moved to the British Embassy at Washington D C where he handled the various complicated problems connected with the supply of petroleum to the United Kingdom In 1942 he went back to Ankara at that moment a key post as Counsellor nbsp L R W G Hall Moshe Rosetti Yosef Sprinzak Sir Knox Helm Leslie Hore Belisha and Moshe Sharett in the Israeli Knesset 1951In 1946 he was chosen to go as British representative to Hungary and when normal diplomatic relations were restored in 1947 he was made Minister there 1 In 1949 he was appointed the first British Charge d Affaires later Minister to Tel Aviv 2 in the newly independent State of Israel where he spent two happy and fruitful years in 1951 he became Ambassador to Turkey 3 He left there in 1954 having reached retirement age but went for a brief period to Khartoum in 1955 4 being the last Governor General there Helm was a man of strong character and great determination A tenacious and forceful negotiator he had great powers of persuasion and a remarkable sense of timing valuable gifts which were supplemented with a sense of humor and of proportion and charm which was genuine few people can ever have said No in a more pleasant way He was an exacting chief but popular with his staff who always knew that he could do any of their jobs better than they could themselves Moreover he was always ready to listen to their advice but equally he invariably made up his own mind He retained to the end the accent and intonation of the Dumfriesshire farming stock from which he came and his love for and understanding of the things of the soil often stood him in good stead in posts where agricultural problems bulked large in the economy of the country The TimesSpouses editHis first wife Grace Little died in 1925 His second Isabel Marsh whom he married in 1931 survived him after he died at sea in 1964 Publications editThe Middle East of to day and its problems Ramsay Muir memorial lecture delivered at Cambridge on 5 August 1956 Ramsay Muir Educational Trust Purley 1956References edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alexander Knox Helm The London Gazette 20 February 1948 The London Gazette 30 August 1949 The London Gazette 22 January 1952 New Governor of Sudan Sir Knox Helm The Glasgow Herald 31 December 1954 HELM Sir Alexander Knox Who Was Who A amp C Black 1920 2008 online edn Oxford University Press Dec 2012 accessed 11 April 2013 Sir Knox Helm Brilliant Career In Diplomacy obituary The Times London 10 March 1964 page 16 Sir Knox Helm A friend writes The Times London 16 March 1964 page 12Diplomatic postsPreceded byNo representation due to World War II Minister to Hungary1947 1949 Succeeded bySir Geoffrey WallingerPreceded byAlan Cunningham As High Commissioner of Palestine Ambassador to Israel1949 1951 Succeeded bySir Francis EvansPreceded bySir Noel Charles Ambassador to Turkey1951 1954 Succeeded bySir James BowkerGovernment officesPreceded bySir Robert Howe Governor General of the Sudan1954 1955 Succeeded byabolished Independence of Sudan Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Knox Helm amp oldid 1182284682, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
