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@SMcDonaldFCO's reflections on the diversity of today's @foreignoffice inspired me to share the story of Sir Horace Phillips, whose autobiography I have been reading. He was the first British Jewish career ambassador. 1/9 
Horace Hyman Phillips was born in 1917 in Glasgow, where he had a traditional Jewish upbringing. When he was 18, his father died, leaving his mother penniless with 7 children to feed. This left him with no choice but to skip university & take a job as an Inland Revenue clerk. 2/9
He dreamed of becoming a diplomat, reading avidly & taking night classes. But the Consular Service roundly rejected him due to his lack of education & means. In 1940, he joined up, emerging 7 years later a Major & showing himself to be a gifted linguist. 3/9
In 1947, thanks to Eden's reforms, Phillips could finally reapply to @foreignoffice, despite his means. He got in & was sent to Shiraz, Iran. Subsequent postings included Afghanistan, Yemen, Bahrain & Saudi Arabia. He witnessed Aden & Suez, & Khomeini's revolution in Iran. 4/9
In the late '60s, Phillips featured in a documentary about the Foreign Office, as a young "modern" diplomat from an ordinary background. A self-described practising Jew, Phillips made no secret of his religion, while almost exclusively serving in Muslim countries. 5/9
In 1966, Phillips took up his first ambassadorship in Indonesia, then in 1968, Phillips was appointed Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. He had previously been posted there as First Secretary and was often chargé d'affaires. He was well respected, connected & spoke fluent Arabic. 6/9
However, @JewishChron splashed the story, revealing his Jewish background. This was picked up by media in the Middle East & no sooner had Phillips arrived in Jeddah when King Faisal withdrew agrément. Phillips was sent to hide out in Greece. 7/9
Phillips later said the episode was traumatic but @foreignoffice was very supportive. He became High Commissioner to Tanzania & finally Ambassador to Turkey, during Turkey's invasion of Cyprus. After retiring, he had a second career in global business & academia in Turkey. 8/9
Sir Horace Phillips, the grandson of Jewish refugees, defied all odds to become a distinguished ambassador & renowned expert in the Islamic world. Reflecting, he said: "I myself never looked over my shoulder at my background. I regarded myself simply as a British ambassador". 9/9
