Former British ambassador retained links with Essex

5:50pm Wednesday 17th December 2008

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A MAN who was at school in Clacton and went on to shape East-West relations during the Cold War has died.

Herbert Keeble was born in Chingford and moved to Clacton with his family as a child. He attended Clacton County High School in Walton Road, Clacton, before going on to London University, though the outbreak of the Second World War meant he never finished his degree.

After joining the Foreign Office in 1947, he had a series of postings to countries including Batavia in Indonesia, and Communist East Germany.

He is best remembered for his four years as the British Ambassador to Moscow between 1978 and 1982, an era of difficult relations between the UK and the Soviet Union.

As hopes of a warmer atmosphere between the countries faded, Mr Keeble worked to keep communication and diplomacy strong.

He became a close friend of the Russian foreign minister, Andrei Gromyko, and was respected by the Russian political elite. He was helped by his love of Slavic culture and his fluent Russian.

When he left the country, he was treated to a personal tour of the Kremlin.

Despite his globe-trotting job, Mr Keeble kept strong links with Essex. He had a 26-foot yacht called Kukla – “doll” in Russian – at Titchmarsh Marina, Walton, up until around three years ago, and he and his wife enjoyed taking sailing trips around the Essex coastline.

Mr Keeble died on December 6, aged 86.