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Peter Wilkinson

1914 – 2000

British SOE officer and diplomat

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About Peter Wilkinson

Lived 1914 – 2000 (aged 86). Peter Wilkinson was a British diplomat and military personnel.

Sir Peter Allix Wilkinson, (15 April 1914 – 16 June 2000) was a British intelligence officer and diplomat.

Career Wilkinson served in the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II. He supplied the weapons used by two Czechoslovak agents to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich in 1942. Shortly afterwards, he flew into Bosnia to head SOE's "Clowder" mission, an attempt to find a back door into central Europe through Slovenia and Austria. After the Second World War, he pursued a diplomatic career and ended up as Co-ordinator of Intelligence in the Cabinet Office.

Wilkinson was born in India into the old officer class. His father was killed at Ypres in 1915 while Peter was still a child. He was educated at Rugby and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. in which he described the founding and structure of the SOE, as well as his personal experience as an intelligence officer during the invasion of Czechoslovakia and the Polish Campaign of 1939. The book concludes with an account of the SOE's hazardous attempt under the author's command to infiltrate the Third Reich in 1943–45.

His postwar career was as a diplomat. He was ambassador to Vietnam, 1966–67.

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Important facts

Birth century
Education
Rugby School
Positions held
Ambassador of the United Kingdom to South Vietnam, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Austria
Employers
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Foreign Office
Awards
Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George; Order of Freedom of the Republic of Slovenia
Also known as
Sir Peter Allix Wilkinson, Peter Allix Wilkinson, Sir Peter Wilkinson

People in Peter Wilkinson's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Peter Wilkinson's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Peter Wilkinson?

British SOE officer and diplomat

When was Peter Wilkinson born?

Peter Wilkinson was born on 15 April 1914.

When did Peter Wilkinson die?

Peter Wilkinson died on 16 June 2000.

What was Peter Wilkinson's occupation?

Peter Wilkinson was a diplomat and military personnel.

What nationality was Peter Wilkinson?

Peter Wilkinson was British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Peter Wilkinson

· Wikidata: Q3376967

· DBpedia: Peter Wilkinson (diplomat)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Peter Wilkinson. https://biography.guide/peter-wilkinson-diplomat/

MLA: "Peter Wilkinson." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/peter-wilkinson-diplomat/.

Chicago: "Peter Wilkinson." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/peter-wilkinson-diplomat/.

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