The Life and World of Francis Rodd, Lord Rennell (1895-1978): Geography, Money and War

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This book is a biographical study of the geographer/explorer and banker Francis Rodd, the second Lord Rennell of Rodd (1895-1978). Rodds life is interesting for the way it connected the worlds of geography, international finance, politics, espionage, and wartime military administration. He was famous in the 1920s for his journeys to the Sahara and his study of the Tuareg, People of the Veil (1926). A career in banking included a stint at the Bank of England, before he became a Partner in the merchant bank Morgan Grenfellwhere remained for most of his working life (1933-1961). During the war he worked for the Ministry of Economic Warfare (1939=40), before getting closely involved in the sphere of military government (civil affairs). In 1942, he was War Offices Chief Political Officer in East Africa. He was then appointed head of the first Allied Military Government in occupied Europe (Chief Civil Affairs Officer of AMGOT). In civil affairs, he was drawn to the principles of indirect rule. A generalist in an age of growing specialisation, he was also a mixture of traditionalist and moderniser. A product of Eton and Balliol College, Oxford, and elevated to the peerage in 1941, he was well-connected socially, and his life is a window onto British society at a time of great change.

Reviews

Francis Rodd lived a life shaped by war and with an enduring pragmatic commitment to the service of the state and to geographical thinking, whether about the Tuareg, international banking, Sicily during WWII or post-war African administration. This deeply researched biography both a faithful tribute and an intelligent historical commentary will interest many. Professor Charles W J Withers, Professor Emeritus of Historical Geography, University of Edinburgh, UK

Who better than his grandson to tell the intriguing story of Francis Rodd, explorer, banker, intelligence officer and military administrator in Africa and Italy This is an immaculately researched and written study which significantly adds to our understanding of the nature of the later British Empire. Saul Kelly, Reader at the Defence Studies Department, Kings College London

Using the lens of biography, Philip Boobbyer shines a much-needed light on the activities of Francis Rodd who worked in and on a number of crucial activities in two world wars. This highly original contribution demonstrates how travel, intelligence gathering, diplomacy and allied liaison work intersected in the life of one man who was at the sharp end of British policy-making for almost 40 years. Dr Kent Fedorowich, Reader in British Imperial and Commonwealth History, University of the West of England, Bristol

"The twenty-first century has taught us that the governance of conquered territory is difficult. Philip Boobbyer's The Life and World of Francis Rodd expertly illuminates the twentieth century's master of the art." Simon Ball, Professor of International History and Politics, University of Leeds

"Boobbyers biography finally gives full credit to Major General Lord Rennells remarkably diverse career. From bold explorer to international banker to hammer of the Mafia, his service to his country and the wider world was extensive and ingenious a great British hero rediscovered." Tim Newark, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/lord-rennell-unsung-british-hero-took-mafia/#:~:text=When%2048%2Dyear%2Dold%20Francis,them%20with%20local%20Mafia%20bosses, 26 February, 2021"

Author Bio

Dr Philip Boobbyer is Reader in History at the University of Kent in Canterbury (UK).