Sir William Bernard John Ledwidge, (9 November 1915 – 20 February 1998) was a British diplomat and writer. Ledwidge served as the British Ambassador to Finland from 1969 to 1972 and the

British Ambassador to Israel The Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Israel is the United Kingdom's foremost Diplomat, diplomatic representative in Israel, and in charge of the UK's diplomatic mission in Israel. The official title is ''His Britannic Majesty's Ambassador to ...

from 1972 to 1975. Ledwidge also served as the Chairman of the United Kingdom Committee for UNICEF from 1976 to 1989.

Early life

William Bernard John Ledwidge was born on 9 November 1915 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

to Charles Ledwidge and Eileen O'Sullivan. Ledwidge was educated at Cardinal Vaughan School, a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

day school in

Holland Park Holland Park is an area of Kensington, on the western edge of Central London, that lies within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and largely surrounds its namesake park, Holland Park. Colloquially referred to as 'Millionaire's Row', ...

, London. Ledwidge also attended

King's College, Cambridge King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...

and

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

. He spent time as a Commonwealth Fund Fellow from 1937 to 1939.

Career

Ledwidge joined the

India Office The India Office was a British government department in London established in 1858 to oversee the administration of the Provinces of India, through the British viceroy and other officials. The administered territories comprised most of the mo ...

in 1939 as an Assistant Principal.

Military service

Ledwidge fought in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, joining the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in 1940. He then joined the Indian Army in 1941, where he served until the end of the war in 1945. Ledwidge was appointed a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George I ...

(CMG) in 1964.

Diplomatic career

Ledwidge pursued a career in

international diplomacy Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of state, intergovernmental, or non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern Diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. ...

. He worked as a diplomat in the United States, in Afghanistan and in Berlin. In 1966, he was appointed Minister at the British Embassy in Paris. He remained in this position until 1969.

Ambassador to Finland

Ledwidge was appointed the British Ambassador to

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

in 1969, succeeding Sir David Scott Fox. Upon leaving this appointment in 1972, he is reported to have said "it could plausibly be argued that it is a misfortune for anybody but a Finn to spend three years in Finland, as I have just done".

Ambassador to Israel

Ledwidge was appointed the British Ambassador to

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

in 1972, succeeding Anthony Elliott. He was raised to a

Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

(KCMG) in 1974. On 15 June 1975, the Israeli Foreign Minister,

Yigal Allon Yigal Allon (; 10 October 1918 – 29 February 1980) was an Israeli military leader and politician. He was a commander of the Palmach and a general in the Israel Defense Forces, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). He was also a leader of the Ahdut HaA ...

, summoned Ledwidge to raise concern over reports of impending Anglo-Egyptian arms deals. He left this appointment in 1975. He was then Chairman of the United Kingdom Committee for UNICEF from 1976 to 1989.

Writing

Ledwidge published his first book, a novel based on his experience in India, called "Frontiers" in 1979. In 1983, he published a biography of

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...

. Critics noted the author's admiration for the French statesman. A French translation of this book was published the following year.

Death

Ledwidge died on 20 February 1998 in London, United Kingdom.

Personal life

Ledwidge married his first wife, Anne Kingsley, in 1948. They had two children together, a son and a daughter. The marriage was dissolved in 1970. He married his second wife, Flora Groult, in 1970. He was a member of the

Travellers Club The Travellers Club is a private gentlemen's club situated at 106 Pall Mall in London, United Kingdom. It is the oldest of the surviving Pall Mall clubs, established in 1819, and is one of the most exclusive. It was described as "the quintess ...

and the

Marylebone Cricket Club The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's, Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London, England. The club was the governing body of cricket from 1788 to 1989 and retain ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ledwidge, Bernard 1915 births 1998 deaths British diplomats Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Finland Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Israel British Army personnel of World War II Royal Artillery personnel British Indian Army personnel Military personnel from London Members of HM Diplomatic Service Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George