R. H. Bruce Lockhart facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sir R. H. Bruce Lockhart KCMG
R. H. Bruce Lockhart in Malaya, 1909
British Vice Consul in Moscow
In office 1912–1915
Acting British Consul General in Moscow
In office 1915–1915
British Consul General in Moscow
In office 1915–1917
Head of the unofficial British mission / Unofficial Ambassador to the Bolsheviks
In office 1917–1918
Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Warfare Executive
In office 1941–1945
Personal details
Born	(1887-09-02)2 September 1887
Died	27 February 1970(1970-02-27) (aged 82)
Spouses	Jean Bruce Haslewood ​ (m. 1913)​ (1892-1983)  Frances Mary Beck  ​ (m. 1948)​ (1913-1992)

Sir Robert Hamilton Bruce Lockhart (2 September 1887 – 27 February 1970) was a British diplomat, journalist, author, and even a secret agent and footballer. He became famous for his 1932 book, Memoirs of a British Agent. This book shared his experiences, including a failed attempt in 1918 to secretly support a change in the Russian government during the Russian Revolution.

At the time, some believed that a plan, known as the "Lockhart Plot," was a clever trap set by the Russian secret police. The goal was to make the British and French governments look bad.

Early Life and Family

Robert Bruce Lockhart was born in Anstruther, Fife, Scotland. His father, Robert Bruce Lockhart, was the first headmaster of Spier's School. Robert attended Fettes College in Edinburgh.

His family was mostly made up of schoolteachers. However, his younger brother, Sir Robert McGregor MacDonald Lockhart, became a general in the Indian Army. On August 15, 1947, he was named the last Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army. Robert's other brother, John Bruce Lockhart, was a headmaster at Sedbergh School. Many other family members also became headmasters, continuing the family tradition.

A Career of Adventure

Starting in Malaya

When he was 21, Lockhart traveled to Malaya (now part of Malaysia). He joined two of his uncles who were working as rubber planters. He was sent to help start a new rubber farm in a quiet area where there were no other Europeans.

After three years in Malaya, Lockhart became very ill. Doctors said he had Malaria. Because of his illness, his family sent him back home to Scotland.

First Time in Moscow

In January 1912, Lockhart passed an exam to join the British Foreign Service. He was then sent to Moscow as a Vice-Consul. He worked as the acting British Consul-General in Moscow for much of World War I, from 1914 to 1917. He was in Russia when the February Revolution began in early 1917. He left Russia shortly before the Bolshevik Revolution happened later that year.

When Lockhart first arrived in Russia in 1912, people heard that a great footballer named Lockhart was coming. He was invited to play for a textile factory team called Morozov, which was located outside Moscow. Lockhart played for most of the 1912 season, and his team won the Moscow league championship that year. The gold medal he won is now kept at the National Library of Scotland.

Returning to Russia

In January 1918, Lockhart went back to Russia. The British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, and Lord Milner sent him. His job was to be the United Kingdom's first special representative to the new Bolshevik government. Britain did not have official diplomatic ties with the Bolsheviks at that time. Lockhart also worked for the Secret Intelligence Service, helping to set up a network of agents in Russia.

Arrest and Release

In 1918, Lockhart was accused of being part of a plan against the Bolshevik government. He was held as a prisoner in the Kremlin for a while and worried he might be sentenced to death. However, he was later released in an exchange. He was traded for Maksim Maksimovich Litvinov, a Bolshevik representative who had been arrested in London.

Lockhart was put on trial in Russia even though he was not there. This is called a trial in absentia. He and another British agent, Sidney Reilly, were sentenced to death if they ever returned to Soviet Russia.

Lockhart wrote about his experiences in Russia in his 1932 book, Memoirs of a British Agent. The parts of his book about the Russian Revolution were later made into a 1934 film called British Agent.

Working in Finance and Journalism

After his time in Russia, Lockhart worked in finance for several years. In 1919, he became a commercial secretary in Prague. Later, he worked for banks that focused on business in central Europe.

By 1928, he decided to try a new career in journalism. He joined the Evening Standard newspaper. He became known for his writing and his friendly relationship with the Soviet Embassy in London, who even sent him caviar as a gift each year. In the 1930s, Lockhart wrote several successful books, which allowed him to become a full-time writer in 1937.

Later Life and World War II

During the Second World War, Lockhart returned to government work. He became the director-general of the Political Warfare Executive. This group was in charge of all British propaganda against the countries fighting against Britain, known as the Axis powers. He also worked as a contact person for the Czechoslovak government-in-exile.

After the war, he continued to write, give talks, and broadcast. He had a weekly BBC Radio show that was sent to Czechoslovakia for over ten years.

Personal Life

In 1913, Lockhart married Jean Adelaide Haslewood Turner. They had a son named Robin Bruce Lockhart, who also became an author. Robin wrote a book called Ace of Spies (1967) about his father's friend, the agent Sidney Reilly. This book later became the television series Reilly, Ace of Spies in 1983.

In 1948, Lockhart married his second wife, Frances Mary Beck.

Death and Legacy

Sir Robert Bruce Lockhart passed away on February 27, 1970, at the age of 82.

The 1983 British television series Reilly, Ace of Spies was based on a book written by his son. In the series, the actor Ian Charleson played the role of Lockhart.

Honours

• Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (1943). This is a special award given for important service.

Books by Robert Bruce Lockhart

• Memoirs of a British Agent (1932)
• Retreat from Glory (1934)
• Return to Malaya (1936)
• My Scottish Youth (1937)
• Guns or Butter: War Countries and Peace Countries of Europe Revisited (1938)
• A Son of Scotland (1938)
• Comes the Reckoning (1947)
• My Rod, My Comfort (1949)
• The Marines Were There: the Story of the Royal Marines in the Second World War (1950)
• Scotch: the Whisky of Scotland in Fact and Story (1951)
• My Europe (1952)
• What Happened to the Czechs? (1953)
• Your England (1955)
• Jan Masaryk, a Personal Memoir (1956)
• Friends, Foes, and Foreigners (1957)
• The Two Revolutions: an Eyewitness Study of Russia, 1917 (1967)
• The Diaries of Sir Robert Bruce Lockhart. Volume One: 1915-1938 (1973)
• The Diaries of Sir Robert Bruce Lockhart. Volume Two: 1939-1965 (1980)

Images for kids

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  R. H. Bruce Lockhart in Malaya, 1909