Len Beurton facts for kids

Leon Charles Beurton (born February 19, 1914 – died October 29, 1997) was an English person who worked as a secret agent for the Soviet spy agency. He was also a Communist, which means he believed in a political idea where everyone shares resources and wealth.

Many details about his secret work are not fully known. However, we do know that on February 23, 1940, he married his co-worker, Ursula Kuczynski. She was also a spy and is more famous for her work, especially with a scientist named Klaus Fuchs.

Like many people who work as spies, Beurton used several different names. He was born Leon Charles Beurton. Sometimes he was called Len or Leonard. His last name was also sometimes spelled Beuston, Benston, or Brewer. He even used the name Fenton, from the family who adopted him.

Life of a Secret Agent

Early Life and Joining the Fight

Leon Beurton was born in Barking, which was a town just outside London in England. His father, who was also named Leon Beurton, was born in France but became a British citizen.

When Leon was young, his father left. Leon was then adopted by a family named Fenton. He sometimes used their name, Fenton, as his own. In the 1930s, people knew him as someone who worked with cars, an "automobile engineer."

In 1936 or 1937, Leon joined a group called the International Brigades. These were volunteers from different countries who went to Spain to fight in the Spanish Civil War. He supported the side that was trying to keep Spain a republic. He stayed in Spain until December 1938.

Spy Work Begins

In 1939, Leon was sent to Switzerland. At some point, he was asked to become a secret agent for the Soviet spy services. Another Communist, Brigitte Kuczynski, likely recruited him.

In Switzerland, he worked with another spy named Alexander Foote. They were part of a small spy group, often called an "espionage cell." This group was led by Brigitte's sister, Ursula Kuczynski. Ursula was very good at using radios to send secret messages. She taught Leon and Alexander these important skills.

During this time, Alexander Foote was known as "Jim" to his spy friends. Leon Beurton used the cover names "Jack" and sometimes "John Miller." He even used Ursula's family name, Kuczynski, before they were married.

Key Role in Spy Networks

Around 1940, Leon became a main expert in codes for a spy network led by Alexander Radó. He was also believed to be a very important person in a mysterious spy group known as the "Red Three" or "Lucy" spy ring.

On February 23, 1940, Leon Beurton married Ursula Kuczynski. This was her second marriage. The Soviet Union had told Ursula that Germany planned to invade Switzerland. As a Jewish person and a Communist who had fled Nazi Germany, she knew she would be arrested if the Nazis invaded.

She was told to divorce her first husband and marry one of her English co-agents to get a British passport. Alexander Foote didn't want to marry her, so she married Leon. The Soviets told her she could divorce Leon once she had her British passport. However, their marriage lasted for over fifty years!

Moving to Britain

In December 1940, Ursula Beurton moved from Switzerland to Britain. She arrived on January 4, 1941, with her two children. Her father had been living in England since 1933. At first, Ursula stayed with her parents in Oxford.

Leon Beurton stayed in Switzerland for a couple more years, helping with the spy work. He returned to Britain in July 1942. He traveled through neutral Portugal and used a passport with the name "John Miller."

For the rest of the 1940s, Leon and Ursula lived in different homes in Oxfordshire, England. On September 8, 1943, their son, Peter John Beurton, was born there.

After the War

After his son was born, Leon joined the British army. The Second World War officially ended in May 1945. After the war, in 1945 and 1946, he served in the British army that was stationed in Berlin, Germany.

Back in Oxfordshire in 1948, he got a job working with machines in Chipping Norton. During this time, he continued to work with his wife, Ursula Kuczynski, on their secret spy work for the Soviet Union. This work involved gathering information about atomic secrets.

Life in East Germany

In March 1950, Ursula left England for Germany. She told her neighbors she needed to take care of her parents' affairs, as they had both died in England in 1947. She took the children with her but left Leon behind, saying he had a broken leg.

However, Leon joined his wife in Berlin a few months later, in July 1950. Their home in Oxfordshire was sold. In November 1950, a scientist named Klaus Fuchs was questioned by British intelligence. He identified Ursula Beurton as his contact with the Soviets. This information became public much later, especially when Ursula started writing her memoirs in the late 1970s.

From the end of 1950 until his death in 1997, Leon Beurton lived with his wife in East Germany. After Germany became one country again, they continued to live there. For some years, he worked for a news agency called ADN.

In his later years, Leon suffered from Parkinson's disease. He became blind, unable to walk well, and deaf. He became very weak and depended on his wife, Ursula Kuczynski, for his daily needs. Ursula had stopped being a spy and had become a successful author.