Sir Richard Adam Sykes, (8 May 1920 – 22 March 1979) was the British Ambassador to the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, who was assassinated by the

IRA Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

in 1979.

Early life

Richard Sykes was born on 8 May 1920 to

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

A. C. Sykes. He was educated at Wellington College and Christ Church,

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

Second World War

During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, Sykes served in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

with the

Royal Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communi ...

from 1940 to 1946, attaining the rank of major. In 1945 he was awarded the Military Cross as well as the French Croix de Guerre.

Diplomatic career

Sykes joined HM Foreign Service in 1947 and served at the Foreign Office from 1947 to 1948. He then served in

Nanking Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

(1948–50),

Peking } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

(1950–52) and returned to the UK to serve at the Foreign Office (1952–56). His next overseas postings took him to Brussels (1956–59), Santiago (1959–62) and

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

(1963–66), before returning to the Foreign Office (1967–69). Sykes' first posting as an ambassador came with a posting to

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

(1970–72) before moving to be a Minister at the British Embassy in Washington D.C. (1972–1975). From there he returned to the Foreign Office as Department Under-Secretary between 1975 and 1977. Sykes was then appointed as Ambassador to the Netherlands in 1977.

Assassination

Sykes was leaving his residence in

at 9 am and was getting into his silver

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

limousine when he was shot. He was sitting next to

Alyson Bailes Alyson Judith Kirtley Bailes CMG (6 April 1949 – 29 April 2016) was a British diplomat, political scientist, academic and polymath. Early life Bailes was born on 6 April 1949 in Withington, Manchester. She was the eldest of three children of ...

. The car door was held by Karel Straub, a 19-year-old Dutch national who worked at the embassy. Straub was also shot in the attack. Sykes' chauffeur, Jack Wilson, was uninjured and drove Sykes to Westeinde Hospital, where he died two hours later. Straub was transported by ambulance to the same hospital, where he also died. Police reported that the shots came from around away, fired by two men wearing

business suits A suit, lounge suit, or business suit is a set of clothes comprising a suit jacket and trousers of identical textiles worn with a collared dress shirt, necktie, and dress shoes. A skirt suit is similar, but with a matching skirt instead of tr ...

, who escaped on foot following the attack. Later that day, André Michaux, a senior bank official from Belgium, was murdered outside his home in Brussels in a case of mistaken identity; Sir John Killick – British Deputy Ambassador to NATO, who lived opposite Michaux – was believed to be the intended target of the IRA. Suspects for the assassination were Palestinians or

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

is, although no evidence was ever put forward. It was ultimately confirmed that the IRA had carried out the killings.BBC coverage of Sykes/Straub assassinations
accessed 30 August 2014. The IRA claimed responsibility for the assassination in February 1980. In a statement they said of Sykes: "

e was E, or e, is the fifth letter and the second vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''e'' (pronounced ); plu ...

not just a Brit propagandist, as are all British ambassadors, but because he had been engaged in intelligence operations against our organisation." The 'intelligence operations' mentioned in the statement related to a government report written by Sykes following the assassination of Christopher Ewart-Biggs. Ewart-Biggs was the British Ambassador to the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

and was killed by the IRA in 1976. Sykes produced diplomatic security guidelines as part of his report. Sykes' position as Ambassador to the Netherlands had been strained due to certain Dutch groups, which were sympathetic to the IRA, and consequent arms smuggling activities.

Family

Sykes was married to Ann, Lady Sykes (née Fisher). The couple had three children. Lady Sykes died in 2018.

Memorials

There is a memorial plaque to Sykes in St Michael's Church, Wilsford, Wiltshire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sykes, Richard 1920 births 1979 deaths Deaths by firearm in the Netherlands Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to the Netherlands Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Recipients of the Military Cross Assassinated British diplomats People killed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army British terrorism victims Terrorism deaths in the Netherlands British people murdered abroad People murdered in the Netherlands Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Cuba British Army personnel of World War II Sykes, Richard 20th century in The Hague 20th-century British diplomats 1979 murders in the Netherlands Royal Corps of Signals officers Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford British expatriates in the United States British expatriates in China British expatriates in Belgium British expatriates in Chile British expatriates in Greece