Colin Figures

Colin Frederick Figures
C
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service	Secret Intelligence Service (SIS/MI6)
Active	1951 – 1985
Rank	Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service
Operation(s)	Suez Crisis Prague Spring Falklands War
Award(s)	Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Born	1 July 1925(1925-07-01) Birmingham, United Kingdom
Died	8 December 2006(2006-12-08) (aged 81) Esher, United Kingdom
Parents	Frederick and Muriel Figures
Spouse	Pamela Ann Timmis
Children	a son and two daughters
Occupation	British intelligence officer
Alma mater	Pembroke College, Cambridge

Sir Colin Frederick Figures KCMG, OBE (1 July 1925 – 8 December 2006) was Head of the British Secret Intelligence Service (known as MI6) from 1981 to 1985. He was deputy secretary and Intelligence Co-ordinator of the Cabinet Office from 1985 to 1989.

Career

Figures was born in Birmingham, the son of Frederick Figures, an insurance executive, and his wife Muriel.^[1] He was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham^[2] and served in The Worcestershire Regiment from 1945 until 1948,^[2] during which time he studied Russian at Cambridge, and served in Romania and Hungary.^[2] He read French and Russian at Pembroke College, Cambridge after being demobilised in 1948, and joined the SIS when he graduated in 1951.^[2]

After a period in London, he served in Germany, served in Amman during the Suez Crisis, in Warsaw, and in Vienna during the Prague Spring, before returning to London.^[2] He moved from Eastern bloc espionage in 1973 to supervise SIS activities in Northern Ireland.^[2] He became deputy head of SIS in 1979 and its ninth Chief in 1981.^[2] The following year, SIS was involved in the Falklands War, seeking to prevent Argentina obtaining stocks of Exocet missiles to be carried by their Super Etendard attack aircraft.^[3] He received an OBE in 1969 and CMG in 1978, and advanced to KCMG in 1983.^[2]

He retired from SIS in 1985, and became Intelligence Co-ordinator at the Cabinet Office.^[2] He finally retired in 1989.^[2]

He married Pamela Ann Timmis in 1956.^[1] He suffered from Parkinson's disease in later life, and died in Esher.^[1] He was survived by his wife, and their son and two daughters.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Obituary: Sir Colin Figgures The Independent, 29 December 2006
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Obituary: Sir Colin Figgures The Times, 15 December 2006
3. ^ Obituary: Sir Colin Figgures Daily Telegraph, 21 December 2006

Government offices
Preceded by Sir Dick Franks	Chief of the SIS 1982–1985	Succeeded by Sir Christopher Curwen

Persondata
Name	Figures, Colin
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1 July 1925
Place of birth	Birmingham, United Kingdom
Date of death	8 December 2006
Place of death	Esher, United Kingdom