Roger Horrell

Roger Horrell CMG, OBE (9 July 1935 – 21 May 2021) was a British diplomat and senior MI6 intelligence officer. He played a significant role in African affairs during decolonisation, most notably in the transition of Rhodesia to the independent state of Zimbabwe.

Early life and education Horrell was born in Dartmouth to a local butcher. He was educated at Shebbear College, where he excelled in academics and rugby. After performing his National Service with the Devonshire Regiment during the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya, he attended Exeter College, Oxford, to read Modern History, and captained the college's rugby and cricket teams.

Colonial service In 1959, Horrell joined the Colonial Service and returned to Kenya as a District Officer. He served there until the country's independence, gaining a reputation for his ability to work with local chieftains through persuasion. His final reports from this era documented a wide breadth of responsibilities, ranging from land dispute resolution and famine relief to the administration of justice and school construction.

Personal life Horrell was appointed an OBE in 1974 and a CMG in 1988. He married Patricia Binns in 1970, with whom he had a daughter and a son; the couple separated in 1975.

In retirement, despite suffering from failing eyesight and emphysema, he remained a prominent figure in the Reform Club and Garrick Club as a skilled bridge player. He died on 21 May 2021, aged 85.