Douglas Dodds-Parker

Who was Douglas Dodds-Parker?

Sir Arthur Douglas Dodds-Parker was, successively, an imperial administrator, a wartime soldier involved in irregular warfare, and British Conservative Party politician.

Between the wars, he served in the Sudan, in the prestigious Sudan Political Service. Once the war broke out, he joined the Special Operations Executive, but was returned to the Sudan to serve in the famous Gideon Force during the liberation of Ethiopia. After the East African Campaign, he served on SOE's planning staff in London, before taking command roles in the Mediterranean Theatre.

In political life, he served twice as a Member of Parliament. He was MP for Banbury from 1945 to 1959, holding three junior ministerial positions from 1953 to 1957. In particular, he was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs through the Suez Crisis in 1956.