Sir Robin dies aged 79 after fascinating life

DOVER-born Sir Robin Raydon, a former ambassador to the Republic of Ireland, has died aged 79. Earlier he had been Prime Minister Ted Heath's official spokesman.

Sir Robin, a most likeable chap, was the son of the editor of the Dover Chronicle, with the family home in Maison Dieu Road. He was educated at Dover County School (now Dover Grammar) and had been president of the old boys association, the Old Pharosians.

He left the school in 1937 and joined the army when he was 19.

He was commissioned in the Royal Artillery and served in France in 1940 where he and a group of classmates from his old school were among British troops trapped on the French coast by the enemy.

Four of them paddled a rowing boat out to sea, using their tin helmets as oars, until picked up by an Allied ship.

Robin, whose real name was Walter Robert Haydon, also served in India and Burma, where he operated behind Japanese lines.

After the war he joined the Foreign Office and served in Turin, Sofia and Khartoum before being appointed public relations officer to the British Mission to the United Nations in New York. After that he was in Washington.

He returned to Britain to become head of news at the Foreign Office before an appointment as High Commissioner to Malawi. After two years, he returned in 1973 to Britain to become chief press officer at 10 Downing Street, where Edward Heath was Prime Minister.

He lost that job when Labour won the General Election and was then appointed High Commissioner to Malta, a posting he loved.

But an even bigger job awaited. In 1976, he was appointed British Ambassador to Ireland, serving in Dublin until 1980.

During that time the IRA made several attempts on his life.

He was appointed CMG in 1970 and KCMG 10 years later.

Even after retirement there were threats to his life. At an Old Pharosians dinner two mystery old boys who no one could remember turned out to be armed detectives!