The speaker for the Arran Historical Society’s August meeting was Robert Holmes LVO. He was born and educated in Belfast, and joined the British Foreign Service, later the Diplomatic Service, in 1957 at the age of 16, one of the youngest ever appointees, writes Norma Davidson.
He served in Moscow and Budapest in the depths of the Cold War, and afterwards in Santiago, Bonn, Tonga, Oslo, Chicago and Madrid. In 1988 the Queen appointed him a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO). After retiring in 1994 with the rank of first secretary he did work with the University of Glasgow and consultancy work. He and his wife now live in Houston, Renfrewshire.
Joseph Stalin was effectively ruler of the USSR from 1925 to 1952. He eliminated all opposition, encouraged citizens to spy on each other and report perceived misdemeanours to the Party. He instigated The Great Purge in the late 1930s and throughout his reign of terror between three million and six million people were killed.