Hugh Michael Carless
CMG (22 April 1925 – 20 December 2011) was a British diplomat, philanthropist and explorer who served in
Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service
His Majesty's Diplomatic Service (HMDS) is the diplomatic service of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, dealing with foreign affairs and representing British interests overseas, as opposed to the Civil Service, which deals ...
from 1950 to 1985. He is best known for the exploration of
Nuristan
Nuristan, also spelled as Nurestan or Nooristan (Pashto: ; Katë: ), is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country. It is divided into seven districts and is Afghanistan's least populous province, with a ...
and the
Panjshir Valley along with his friend
Eric Newby
George Eric Newby (6 December 1919 – 20 October 2006) was an English travel writer. His works include '' A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush'', '' The Last Grain Race'' and '' A Small Place in Italy''.
Early life
Newby was born in Barnes, Lond ...
, which was the subject of Newby's humorous travel book ''
A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush'' (1958).
Biography

Carless was born on 22 April 1925 in
Nainital
Nainital (Kumaoni language, Kumaoni: ''Naintāl''; ) is a town and headquarters of Nainital district of Kumaon division, Uttarakhand, India. It is the judicial capital of Uttarakhand, the Uttarakhand High Court, High Court of the state being ...
,
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...
, to Henry Alfred Carless,
CIE, who served as a police officer in the
Indian Civil Service
The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British Raj, British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947.
Its members ruled over more than 3 ...
(Inspector-General of Police,
Ajmer-Merwara and advisor to the Resident of Rajputana) and his wife, Gwendolen Pattullo.
He was educated at
Sherborne School
Sherborne School is a full-boarding school for boys aged 13 to 18 located beside Sherborne Abbey in the Dorset town of Sherborne. The school has been in continuous operation on the same site for over 1,300 years. It was founded in 705 AD by Ald ...
, Dorset, the
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...
(SOAS) where he spent a year (1942) studying
Persian (Farsi), and
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall (formally The College or Hall of the Holy Trinity in the University of Cambridge, colloquially "Tit Hall" ) is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1350, it is th ...
where he read history from 1947 until 1950.
Carless was commissioned in January 1944 in the
Intelligence Corps and posted to Teheran as a staff officer with the
12th Indian Division, but volunteered for active service, first with the
5th Infantry Division, and later, in the last nine months of World War II he served in the
15th Scottish with the 6th Battalion of the
Royal Scots Fusiliers.
Carless entered
His Majesty's Diplomatic Service
His Majesty's Diplomatic Service (HMDS) is the diplomatic service of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, dealing with foreign affairs and representing British interests overseas, as opposed to the Civil Service, which deals ...
in 1950 and served as Third Secretary in Kabul from 1951 to 1953 and Second Secretary in Rio de Janeiro from 1953 to 1956. From 1956 to 1958 Carless was posted to Tehran as First (Oriental) Secretary. Between 1958 and 1961 he worked in the Information Research Dept, FO, and as Private Secretary to
Lord Dundee, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
(1961 to 1963). From 1963 to 1966 Carless served as Head of Chancery at the British Embassy in Budapest. Subsequent postings were as Consul-General to
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...
from 1967 to 1970, and as Press and Information Counsellor to Bonn from 1970 to 1973. He headed the Latin America department of the Foreign Office from 1973 to 1977, before his ministerial appointment as chargé d'affaires in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 1977 until 1980, where he monitored the disputed sovereignty of islands in the Beagle Channel, and the Falklands. This was followed by a two-year secondment to Northern Engineering Industries International Limited. From 1982 to 1985 Carless served as Ambassador to Venezuela until his retirement.
He retired from the Diplomatic Service in 1985 on superannuation.
Following his retirement in 1985, Carless served as vice-chairman of the South Atlantic Council based in London, and between 1994 and 1996 he chaired the influential series of Argentine-British Conferences which helped to re-instate full diplomatic relations between the two countries after the Falklands war. He was the executive vice-president of the philanthropic
Hinduja Foundation, which awarded scholarships to students from India.
During his service as First Secretary in Tehran in 1956, Carless received a telegraph from the British explorer and travel writer,
Eric Newby
George Eric Newby (6 December 1919 – 20 October 2006) was an English travel writer. His works include '' A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush'', '' The Last Grain Race'' and '' A Small Place in Italy''.
Early life
Newby was born in Barnes, Lond ...
, requesting him to accompany Newby on an expedition to the province of
Nuristan
Nuristan, also spelled as Nurestan or Nooristan (Pashto: ; Katë: ), is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country. It is divided into seven districts and is Afghanistan's least populous province, with a ...
in northern Afghanistan, to which Carless replied in the affirmative. This expedition was the subject of Newby's much loved travel book ''
A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush'' (1958).
Carless married Brazilian Rosa Maria Frontini in 1956. The couple had two sons.
He is buried on the eastern side of
Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in North London, England, designed by architect Stephen Geary. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East sides. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for so ...
with his wife and one of his sons.
Honours
Carless was made 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 ...
in 1976.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Carless, Hugh
1925 births
2011 deaths
Burials at Highgate Cemetery
Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
English philanthropists
People from Nainital
People educated at Sherborne School
Alumni of SOAS University of London
Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge
British Army personnel of World War II
Intelligence Corps officers
Royal Scots Fusiliers officers
Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Venezuela
British people in colonial India