Charles Jocelyn Hambro
Encyclopedia
Air Commodore
Sir Charles Jocelyn Hambro, KBE
, MC
(3 October 1897 – 1963) was a merchant banker and intelligence officer.
and the City of London
in the early 19th century. He was the son of Charles Eric Hambro
, a partner in C. J. Hambro & Son (later to become Hambros Bank
) and a Conservative
Member of Parliament
for Wimbledon
between 1900 and 1907.
Between 1910 and 1915 Charles was educated at Eton College
, joining the cricket team in 1914 and becoming the Captain in 1915. After leaving he immediately went to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
, being made an Ensign in the Coldstream Guards
in 1916. He was immediately posted to the Western Front
, serving for two years until demobilisation and being awarded the Military Cross
for conspicuous bravery in action.
After initial training with the Guaranty Trust Company in New York
(where he and his wife lived with Harry Morgan) he joined his family bank J.C. Hambro & Sons], playing a large part in its merger with the British Bank of Northern Commerce
in 1920, with the combined bank taking the name Hambros Bank
in 1921. In 1928, when only 30, Charles was elected a director of the Bank of England
, and between 1932 and 1933 he put all work outside the bank to one side to work on establishing the bank's exchange control division under the direction of Montagu C. Norman, the Bank of England director. In 1937 Charles was asked to succeed Norman as director, but he turned it down as he was suffering from oral cancer
, although surgical operations and radiation therapy later helped him recover.
At the start of World War II
he was asked by Ronald Cross to join the "Ministry of Economic Warfare", a cover organisation for the Special Operations Executive
. Hambro was placed in charge of activities in Scandinavia, arranging smuggling and sabotage operations. Through his contact with Ebbe Munck, an anti-Nazi journalist, Charles linked up with the Danish resistance, and was made KBE for his work in 1941.
Between December 1940 and November 1941 Charles was also in charge of overseeing the French, Belgian, German and Dutch sections of the SOE, and from November 1941 he was deputy leader of SOE for 5 months. In 1942 he succeeded in persuading the British and Norwegian organisations to form a planning commission, which was instrumental in the formation of Operation Grouse and Operation Swallow, instrumental parts of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage
missions. By this time Charles was on the Executive Committee of the SOE, and was promoted to Air Commodore. Roundell Palmer
, now head of the SOE, appointed him to succeed Frank Nelson. His first major action as head of the SOE was to meet with Colonel William Joseph Donovan
, the head of the OSS
and his opposite number. A disagreement over actions in the Middle East led Charles to resign in 1943.
For the rest of the war he acted as head of the "British raw materials mission" in Washington; a cover for exchanging information and technology between Britain and the United States
which led to the detonation of the first Atomic Bomb as part of the Manhattan Project
.
In 1936 he re-married: his second wife was Dorothy Helen Mackay: her first husband had been Marcus Wallenberg (junior) 1899–1982)
. They went on to have a daughter, Sally.
A relative, Carl Joachim Hambro, (the younger) was a politician and civil servant in Norway and in exile during World War II in Sweden.
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir Charles Jocelyn Hambro, KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(3 October 1897 – 1963) was a merchant banker and intelligence officer.
Career
He was born into a banking family of Danish origin which had settled in DorsetDorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
and the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
in the early 19th century. He was the son of Charles Eric Hambro
Charles Eric Hambro
Sir Charles Eric Hambro was a British politician and banker. He was a partner in C. J. Hambro & Son . He was elected Member of Parliament for Wimbledon in 1900, resigning in 1907 by becoming Steward of the Manor of Northstead...
, a partner in C. J. Hambro & Son (later to become Hambros Bank
Hambros Bank
Hambros Bank was a British bank based in London. The Hambros bank was a specialist in Anglo-Scandinavian business with expertise in trade finance and investment banking, and was the sole banker to the Scandinavian kingdoms for many years...
) and a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Wimbledon
Wimbledon (UK Parliament constituency)
Wimbledon is one of two parliamentary constituencies in the London Borough of Merton in south-west London. It elects one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, by the first-past-the-post voting system....
between 1900 and 1907.
Between 1910 and 1915 Charles was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, joining the cricket team in 1914 and becoming the Captain in 1915. After leaving he immediately went to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, being made an Ensign in the Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
in 1916. He was immediately posted to the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
, serving for two years until demobilisation and being awarded the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
for conspicuous bravery in action.
After initial training with the Guaranty Trust Company in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(where he and his wife lived with Harry Morgan) he joined his family bank J.C. Hambro & Sons], playing a large part in its merger with the British Bank of Northern Commerce
British Bank of Northern Commerce
Knut Agathon Wallenberg of the Stockholms Enskilda Bank and Emil Glückstadt of Landmansbanken founded the British Bank of Northern Commerce in February 1912, together with several other banks including Centralbanken for Norge , Banque de Commerce de l`Azoff-Don , and Banque de Paris et des Pays Bas...
in 1920, with the combined bank taking the name Hambros Bank
Hambros Bank
Hambros Bank was a British bank based in London. The Hambros bank was a specialist in Anglo-Scandinavian business with expertise in trade finance and investment banking, and was the sole banker to the Scandinavian kingdoms for many years...
in 1921. In 1928, when only 30, Charles was elected a director of the Bank of England
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
, and between 1932 and 1933 he put all work outside the bank to one side to work on establishing the bank's exchange control division under the direction of Montagu C. Norman, the Bank of England director. In 1937 Charles was asked to succeed Norman as director, but he turned it down as he was suffering from oral cancer
Oral cancer
Oral cancer is a subtype of head and neck cancer, is any cancerous tissue growth located in the oral cavity. It may arise as a primary lesion originating in any of the oral tissues, by metastasis from a distant site of origin, or by extension from a neighboring anatomic structure, such as the...
, although surgical operations and radiation therapy later helped him recover.
At the start of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was asked by Ronald Cross to join the "Ministry of Economic Warfare", a cover organisation for the Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
. Hambro was placed in charge of activities in Scandinavia, arranging smuggling and sabotage operations. Through his contact with Ebbe Munck, an anti-Nazi journalist, Charles linked up with the Danish resistance, and was made KBE for his work in 1941.
Between December 1940 and November 1941 Charles was also in charge of overseeing the French, Belgian, German and Dutch sections of the SOE, and from November 1941 he was deputy leader of SOE for 5 months. In 1942 he succeeded in persuading the British and Norwegian organisations to form a planning commission, which was instrumental in the formation of Operation Grouse and Operation Swallow, instrumental parts of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage
Norwegian heavy water sabotage
The Norwegian heavy water sabotage was a series of actions undertaken by Norwegian saboteurs during World War II to prevent the German nuclear energy project from acquiring heavy water , which could be used to produce nuclear weapons...
missions. By this time Charles was on the Executive Committee of the SOE, and was promoted to Air Commodore. Roundell Palmer
Roundell Palmer, 3rd Earl of Selborne
Roundell Cecil Palmer, 3rd Earl of Selborne, CH, PC was a British Conservative politician, known as Viscount Wolmer from 1895 to 1941....
, now head of the SOE, appointed him to succeed Frank Nelson. His first major action as head of the SOE was to meet with Colonel William Joseph Donovan
William Joseph Donovan
William Joseph Donovan was a United States soldier, lawyer and intelligence officer, best remembered as the wartime head of the Office of Strategic Services...
, the head of the OSS
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
and his opposite number. A disagreement over actions in the Middle East led Charles to resign in 1943.
For the rest of the war he acted as head of the "British raw materials mission" in Washington; a cover for exchanging information and technology between Britain and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
which led to the detonation of the first Atomic Bomb as part of the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
.
Family
In 1919 Charles married Pamela Cobbold, with whom he had four children:- Cynthia Hambro (1921–1986), married Maj. Michael Ian Leslie-Melville in 1943
- Diana Hambro (b. 1922), married David Gibson-Watt, Baron Gibson-Watt in 1942
- Pamela Hambro (b. 1925), married Capt. Robin William Lowe in 1945 (divorced 1951), married Andrew Gibson-Watt (brother of David, above) in 1951
- Charles Hambro, Baron Hambro (1930–2002)
In 1936 he re-married: his second wife was Dorothy Helen Mackay: her first husband had been Marcus Wallenberg (junior) 1899–1982)
Wallenberg family
The Wallenberg family is a prominent Swedish banking family, renowned as bankers, industrialists, politicians, diplomats and philanthropists. The most famous of the Wallenbergs, Raoul Wallenberg, a diplomat, worked in Budapest, Hungary, during World War II to rescue Jews from the Holocaust...
. They went on to have a daughter, Sally.
A relative, Carl Joachim Hambro, (the younger) was a politician and civil servant in Norway and in exile during World War II in Sweden.